A snowy February Sunday

A snowy February Sunday.
I have a feeling this snow won’t amount to much, but for now it’s keeping me inside (the heated floor seems especially luxurious just now) I’m thinking it’s a good time to get started on a project I’ve been thinking of for a while- writing about all my stops on all of my tours! This is an especially ambitious project- we stop at A LOT of places, and because these places are all locally owned and operated- they all have amazing stories to tell. I get lost in these stories, these are the threads that weave the fabric of our city. The other thing is; the landscape is continually changing, I’m constantly meeting new people, trying new things....this story is continually unfolding.

So- I thought that I could try for three places per post, in the same general vicinity of the city. I’m hoping this might read a bit like a food tour, and then hopefully you’ll be inspired to check these places out yourself, so you can fall in love with Halifax like I do. Over and over again!

SOMO

This is what we mean by SOMO 

   

Time is Flying By

Time is Flying By!

Time is flying by. Christmas came and went, the hot water heater finally breathed its dramatic last breath and had to be replaced, the electric floor I put in is for the most part heating the condo on its own and more efficiently than the tired old setup That was there before . I’ve stripped the (disgusting) carpet off the stairs and out of the upstairs hallway. That was a job that took years off my life I’m sure. I’ve repainted the living room, and in my (somewhat contradictory) efforts to save money and not be cold, I took down much of our window trim and added insulation to block the drafts that whistle through the west facing side of the condo. These are all projects I will share in more detail soon.
On a personal note, I took the plunge and answered an open submission call for a show at our local art gallery- two of my pieces were accepted I’m very honoured to say, and I’ve finally listened to my Dr's concern about my numbers. You know, age, weight, cholesterol, BMI, and so on, I’ve started a pilgrimage to better health by numbers- examination of my relationships with food and exercise, food journals, the whole bit. It’s been about two weeks and I’m cautiously optimistic that I can begin sharing it. This particular journey will probably be a separate series altogether as there’s just so much to cover and I know from experience that this is a dedicated struggle.
On the tour front we’ve Launched The Saturday Afternoon Thing- this will be our third weekend and so far it’s going well! So many great stops and interesting stories emerging!
We’re also coming into tax season, my favourite time of the year, just kidding. I do enjoy the data entry and the obsessive sorting, categorizing and organizing though......odd I know.
So, I guess I haven’t been as slacking as I thought over the past couple of months. I’ve actually really kicked some ass looking back on it. Who else is kicking ass this winter? Let me know, and stay tuned!

The floor project- at this point I’d gotten the wire down . I didn’t add insulation since we are on the second floor with a heated unit below us.

The Saturday Afternoon Thing.

 

Some Frequent Questions I get on tours Include;
"What do you Do In the Winter?"
"Do you Have Another Job?"
"What's Halifax/Nova Scotia like in the winter?"
"How cold/snowy Does it get?"
These are all very Valid questions and while on tour I try to answer them as honestly and thoroughly as possible. Over the time I've been touring however, I've come to understand that these sorts of questions are really an enquiry about what happens behind the scenes. I am devoted to providing an authentic Nova Scotia/Halifax experience for guests; locals and visitors alike. On tours I use a lot of phrases like "off the beaten Path....' "hidden gem....' "hole in the wall.....'  Favourite blackout drinking spot.".....just Kidding; The endeavour though is to show you how great it REALLY is to live here. It is great to live here and because Halifax is so great I have a pretty sweet job! I often get comments about how fun my job must be, which I take as the highest compliment because it means I'm doing it well. Local tasting Tours really is as fun as it looks! You are getting the tidied up version though. It's the same as when I invite folks to my place for dinner, I make sure my Condo is on it's very best behaviour. The exact same condo looks different on a  Wednesday afternoon when I'm doing laundry, Bookkeeping and trying to throw something together for supper all at the same time. It's to be expected right?

All set for a winter Saturday afternoon!

So, in the Interest of the authentic experience, I welcome you to...... The Saturday Afternoon blog! This is the rest of it! Well; the interesting bits of the rest of it. This is the Winter, this is the time with the family, Home projects, everyday life in Halifax, the process of building tours, discoveries and panic attacks. It's all gonna be here! 

 

It does quiet down a bit here in the winter months,
it's no less beautiful though!

The Goal is to stay in touch. Maybe we met on a tour, Maybe we will. Maybe you're thinking of visiting, of coming here for school or work, or just moving here for the lifestyle. Please feel free to take part in the discussion by leaving me your thoughts, comments and questions. If there's something I can look into for you before you come, I'd be glad to do so! 
Anyway, anyway!! I'm getting off track! I've been busy getting a new offseason tour up and running! 
THE SATURDAY AFTERNOON THING!
This is of course a food tour, but let's be real; it's a food tour every time I leave the house. This route is my answer to that question "describe your perfect day......." I'm planning to run this tour from 1pm-4pm on Saturday afternoons. This is that window of weekend time in between the farmers market and any evening plans you may have.  This tour is three hours and will take in all the places I love to pop into when I have an afternoon to spend on my own in Halifax. Although the final details are still falling into place, I'm envisioning an afternoon getting coffee, pizza, shawarma, tea, treats, chocolate, maybe a little beer.......and some other surprises I haven't quite settled on just yet. One of the things I really love about food tours is the sense of discovery and exploration. There's a little extra time on this route, so I'm including a stop at my favourite art gallery- (paired with a tasting of course! ) as well as some other shops with a food focus. Running the tours each season, I've built some relationships within our local entrepreneur community that I consider essential to my business. This is a pretty inspiring group of people. Hanging out in this community is where almost all of my creative insights come from. I've spent hours tucked into some of these places writing, or bouncing ideas around with great minds who are fearless when it comes to putting everything out there and going all in. So, excellent food to taste (of course!) but I'm also hoping to pass on a little of what I find truly inspiring, a few of the simple things that make me so happy and excited to be doing what I'm doing. My hope is that it provides you with a creative spark as well. Something you can build on. Perhaps you'll find a new spot for date night, a new Halifax flavour maybe. It might be a reminder of how much you enjoy the city or a push towards starting something new of your own. It is a true joy for me to watch people get involved in their communities. So many possibilities open up.  I still have some details to nail down for this and I'll keep you posted on how that all works out.
Talk to y'all soon!
RACHAEL
localtastingtours.com