To the Blueberry Capital

 Gillian met me at Moncton airport on September 4th after a flight in an old twin propeller plane from Montreal, and we drove back to Folly Farm, stopping en route to pick up my truck which had been fitted with a new battery.   Lady was looking very content and sleek after her summer break with the haflingers - umpteen thanks to Gillian for looking after her so well.

Gillian had arranged Lady's summer quarters so she had access to a grassy field and also to a fenced off section of the indoor riding school to escape the biting insects.  They have all but gone now, though there are still plenty of flies around, but in comparison to the nippers these do not trouble the horses at all.
Thursday was spent sorting out arrangements, and on Friday I spent a long day driving around to look at potential second horses to alternate with Lady as riding/pack horse. 
Yesterday I made a tentative start on the next leg when Gillian and I rode 25kms from the farm along quiet gravel back roads to the outskirts of the small town of Oxford.
Setting out across the Wallace River....

We paused to chat with neighbour and recent immigrant from the UK Charlotte (whose husband Huw is Welsh!) before a scenic if windy ride through Nova Scotian countryside.....

... stopping to picnic on tea and blueberry grunt in a grassy meadow...

Blueberry grunt is a traditional Nova Scotian blueberry and dumpling dish originating from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, an area settled by German immigrants.  You can see my ample portion in the foreground and I can testify to the fact that I grunted in satisfaction.
Gillian's husband Nigel and son Robert brought the trailer over to fetch us from Oxford, and Nigel will drop me and Lady back there tomorrow to make a proper start.

Not the only town in Canada to make this claim!