what's good - November 2021

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Welcome to Newfoundland

116 Afghani people arrived late October to build new lives here and were welcomed with warm hearts, warm coats, and a gigantic show of community support.

Notable were the IBEW’s financial contribution of $30,000 to the Association of New Canadians in support of the newcomers.  Also notable was the outpouring of clothing donations - it was so great that the ANC asked for a pause. (But keep the baby, personal care and small household items coming).  The St. John’s 116 arrived through the Federal Government's resettlement program, and are the first group of Afghani to land in Canada outside of Calgary or Toronto.   

It's timely too that the signpost on Signal Hill is pointing toward more of the cities from whence we came.

Snowmageddon Seduction

In January 2020, Tamlin and Martin Taylor left Perth, Australia for a week-long recon mission to St. John’s to investigate a work opportunity with Vale. They kept the adventure on the downlow - friends thought they had gone to Melbourne.  Then Snowmaggedon. 

Tamlin says, “I’m pretty active on social so my friends were asking for pix from Melbourne.  We were snowbound in the ALT hotel and snowboarders were carving city streets.  It didn’t look a bit like Melbourne!”   They spend extra five days playing cards, hanging out enjoying the Snomaggeddon world before returning.  As it turned out, Martin was offered and accepted the position and filed emigration papers with the intent to move to Newfoundland and Labrador in the spring.  COVID delayed the move but they made it in June 2021.  

Tamlin says the Snowmaggeddon week helped them fall in love with how things are here:  the sense of community, hiking trails, weird sayings (!), and Blundstones.  Although Blunnies hail from down under, Tamlin’s first pair came from First Western Boutique on Duckworth Street.  She loves them.  (Maybe she'll win the love your boots contest like Jenn at Seahorse Salon!)

Moonlight on Signal Hill

November 4 the local Hindu community celebrated Diwali - the festival of lights signifying the victory of good over evil and the eradication of dark shadows.  A few days later, the clocks fell back an hour out of Daylight Saving Time mode.  Early risers appreciate the morning light while others rue the long dark evenings.

Newfoundland was an early adopter of Daylight Saving Time (DST).  In 1917 Politician and Businessman John Anderson was successful in persuading the Newfoundland legislature to adjust the clocks by an hour in the spring and fall.  The change was known as ‘Anderson’s Time’ and is the subject of a song in  Impressario , an original musical from Best Kind about the life of Newfoundlander and giantly famous Broadway producer of the 1920s-30s, John Murray Anderson - son of that John Anderson and Amelia Murray.

Free Charging Station

It’s getting easier to get charged up!  The island-wide network of NL Hydro’s fast-charging stations was completed in August.  That network complements the no-charge Parks Canada charging stations donated by Tesla. New electric driver Sarah Hanna connected for a top-up at the Signal Hill Visitor Centre while she and friends took a walk around the Hill.

Good Beer and Good Books

There was a taproom full of safely-distanced happy people on October 25 down in the gut, and it wasn’t just the beer.  Tors Cove publisher Running the Goat - Books and Broadsides held a live event at the Quidi Vidi Brewery Taproom.  Authors read from their new releases - Susan Flangan read a bit about Barley, the teenage protagonist in the geocaching coming of age tale, ‘The Degrees of Barley Lick’ and Kate Story shared a peek into the life of ‘Urchin’ a teen from St. John’s south side hills caught up in the drama of Marconi.

Local Fruit

It's been a bumper year for apples! Hurricane Larry got the harvest started in a hurry back in September, and backyard orchards have been giving ever since. 

This brown bag of honeycrisp grew in the old East End of St. John's, and were a much-appreciated gift from the woman two doors up.  But even if you don't have the neighbours, Shawn and the crew at Barking Kettle can get you fixed up with the apples - and more.  (So much more!)

Local Apricots

It's not a secret, but it's not widely known:  as well as apples, plums, and pear, even apricots grow locally. Roxanne Morrisey lives in the microclimate of Conception Bay South, and has what might be the happiest apricot tree in Newfoundland. 

Full Circle Pumpkins

Carving pumpkins down to compostable bits wasn't quite as fun as carving their faces, but it was very satisfying! The bits will be worked into the ground to nourish next years growth.  

Live Theatre

The LSPU Hall was at COVID capacity for a sold-out run of Persistence Theatre Company production of The Mirror, Trudy Morgan-Cole’s commissioned work about Newfoundland suffragette Armine Nutting Gosling, the fight for the right to vote, and the position of women.

Onscreen images flickered through the show adding past and present context. As she sat in the audience watching the show, St. John's Deputy Mayor Sheilagh O'Leary saw herself onscreen as part of the unfolding story.  We keep going.

Good Horror Challenge

What's good about a horror challenge?  A lot if you’re in the know!  October gave us the 10th Annual Nickel 48-Hour Horror Challenge.  The challenge was to write, shoot and edit a horror film between October 8th and 10th.  It was called a livescream and there were 24 brave entries this year, including In Life and In Death from our own Melissa Wong and Fiance Evan Maddick.  You can see ‘em here!