I really love living in upstate New York, but the thing I miss most about Australia is, hands down, the ocean. The sound, the sight, the salt in the air, to me, it’s the most intoxicating and comforting of places. I swear my whole nervous system just lets out a massive sigh and switches off when it senses the smallest amount of salt in the air.
My love for the beach, even though I do love an Australian hot summer, is an all-year affair. I also love a broody winter beach, the dramatic skies falling into the waves, the slight loneliness and emptiness of it all. Before I left Australia, the last beach I lived by was Bondi, and winter was the time when the beach was quieter, with fewer tourists and more locals and oldies doing their polar plunges, a wellness ritual I still love to this day with my friends upstate.
Which brings me to Nova Scotia.
My husband is Canadian, not from Nova Scotia, but a Canadian all the same. We started coming here a couple of years ago on the recommendation of a friend. I quickly fell in love with the dramatic ocean views and rugged landscapes. It’s not Australia, but it’s certainly a lot closer in feel, and a nice change of pace too. Although, don’t get me wrong, even after twenty years I’m still homesick for my family and the sea but luckily I have my friends and family here too and that is everything. We hope to have the cottage as a place where we can all gather and polar plunge and cold water surf in the moody waves all summer long.
My hand and wild roses by the sea - Wild rosehips, particularly from the Rosa rugosa (beach rose) species, grow abundantly along the coastlines of Nova Scotia, often thriving in sandy soil, dunes, and rocky shores right next to the ocean. They are a common sight in late summer and autumn, turning bright red to orange, and are often referred to as "beach tomatoes" or "sea tomatoes" due to their large size.
Last year, we took the plunge and bought a 1940s cottage, a part-time summer retreat for us, perched on a hill looking over the ocean. It’s safe enough that you don’t feel like you’ll slide in someday, but close enough to see the waves and hear them as you sleep. That, with the fire roaring, is my idea of complete heaven.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a garden brimming with life and have a beautiful one that is just about to start blooming back on the Hudson, but a moody ocean scape, and to have a bit of both is everything. We feel very lucky.
The surrounding property is full of wild Rosehip and Chamomile, and the heavy
rose-and-salt air is the most intoxicating scent.
So this is another project I’ve added to my list, and I thought I’d share it here as we begin to redesign the cottage and explore the ocean area around us.
Any tips or recommendations please send them my way!
x Rebecca
The historical local town of Shelburne - there is so much history in Nova Scotia it is often referred to as walking amongst ghosts.
