CYC,LAST DAY OF JANUARY

It's Sat.Jan.31'st around 4:30 p.m. and CYC sits waiting for members and guests to arrive for the first Pot Luck Social of the winter season. While captainkidd is probably the only Chester sailor crazy enough to be out on the water on this snowy day,you can be sure there will be a lot of sailing and racing stories told this evening over good food with friends.
The captainkidd will go to any length to get the shots that show and tell Chester's story. For all the seasonal and summer sailors,the captain will raise a toast to you this evening wishing you could experience Chester in the winter. See you at the club or later on this summer.
Sail hard and race harder.

FYI: SCHEDULED POWER OUTAGE

As a matter of necessary maintenance Nova Scotia Power will be shutting down their transmission service in the Chester area for approximately 1/2 hour starting at 6:00 A.M. Feb. 1'st,2009.
Beware if you have computer equipment,timers,alarm clocks or other sensitive devices that may be harmed or forced to possibly malfunction due to power interruption.
Especially ALARM SYSTEMS.

MEET YOUR MLA

Chester-St. Margaret's MLA and Minister of Education Judy Streatch and Chester resident John Pece shake hands after discussing some infrastructure concerns for the local citizens group V.O.C.T.A.D.A.

MLA and Minister of Education Judy Streatch was in Chester today from 10:00 a.m. 'til noon to meet constituents and hear their concerns. Turnout was steady with short waiting times. chesterns.ca asked Minister Streatch about much needed repairs to the Chester Government Wharf and discussed some general ideas about voluntary community involvement concerning groups and individuals. We also quizzed her assistants on the latest phase of the 4 year program for paving Village roads and streets. We were told to contact the Area Manager at the Bridgewater DOT office for the latest details. It was great to see folks from all over the riding coming out to question The Minister about their problems and concerns and to find out what the Government could do or is doing to help them out.
In case you missed this opportunity in person you can always phone or write to Minister Streatch. For contact information,go to chesterns.ca's handy links section and click on MLA Judy Streatch under our Chester and Area Links section.

GOLD RIVER BRIDGE INCHES ALONG

A large crane loads a work platform on a flatbed truck to be hauled away.

Workers adjust the load.

Jan.28'th,Gold River------------------Workers and equipment continue to work on the new Gold River Bridge. Motorists are still using a single lane temporary bride next to the construction site. Traffic lights control the alternating directional flow of traffic.

Local Flavour - Think Global, Eat Local - Phil Ellwood

Land of Hope and Glory - A Brief Culinary Experience from Britain

As I noted in my last column, some have said the "Britain conquered the world in search of a good meal". Although it is true that the British imported and refined the tastes of the Empire, and we all like a good curry or kebab, nothing beats the traditional fare. It may be the reason Brits have one of the highest rates of heart disease in the world, but in moderation it is a true pleasure (if you have acquired the taste).

So, we start this journey in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, birthplace of Charles Darwin. My cousin Nita operates a well-stocked deli, Appleyards in town centre, which carries a wide variety of British cheeses and English bacons made by her husband, who also has a shop in Shrewbury Market. If you're in the area, drop into either establishment and tell them Phil sent you.

Appleyard's on Wyle Copp in Shrewsbury.

My cousin Nita and her daughter Sarah, behind a counter of British cheese and Continental fare.

So, we go on to Chester, Chesire, namesake of Chester, Nova Scotia of course. This walled city with many Roman remains, is well worth the stop. The Bear and Billet Pub, on Bridge Street, located in what was the last timber framed building constructed in Chester, built in 1664, is home of the best fish and chips in the world, or at least I was told that when I asked the server, "how are your fish and chips?". "Best in the world, luv", was the reply.

The menu describes them as: COD COOKED IN A LIGHT CRISPY BEER BATTER, REAL CHIPS, MUSHY PEAS AND TARTARE SAUCE. Real chips, not to be confused with french fries, freedom fries or pomme frites, are chunky pieces of hand cut potato, traditionally cooked in beef dripping, but now more commonly cooked in oil.

We start the meal with three beverages again, one to cook with, one to drink while cooking and one to have with the meal.

I had some Keith's, the local provincial standard, left over in the fridge, so we will use that to cook with. I don't like it but keep in on hand to satisfy the locals who enjoy gassy and flavourless ale, or American friends who think it is a whole lot better than the stuff they call beer.

The other 2 are made by Propeller in Halifax, and are more like the traditional ale you would be served in an English pub than are the UK beers sold in the NSLC, most of which no one drinks in England. Both are hoppy and flavourful. The IPA has a particularly strong hop flavour and aroma.

A little note on British beer glasses. Pictured below, the one on the left is the standard English Pint Glass and the one on the right is a dimple glass, more common in Northern England and Scotland where it is used as a weapon as well as a drinking vessel. In these parts, the word glass can be both a noun or a verb. To glass somone, is to plunge a beer glass or bottle into their face, usually if they support a rival football team or make eye contact with your date.

First step of cooking the fish and chips is to buy fish. On fridays, here in Chester, NS, The Fish Store brings their mobile shop into town and sells fresh haddock, salmon as well as shellfish, smoked fish, and salt cod. I find their haddock particularly fresh and of good quality, so I used this instead of cod. The local Save Easy also has good haddock and cod on hand most of the time.

Next step is to peel a few potatoes and cut them into finger size pieces. Soak the potato pieces in cold water for about an hour before cooking.

The batter is made with 6 ounzes of white flour, a teaspoon of baking soda, salt and pepper, 8 ounzes of beer and the juice of a quarter lemon. Whisk the flour, soda and beer together and set aside. Just before you are about to cook the fish, squeeze the lemon juice in the batter and mix. The acid in the lemon juice activates the soda and lightens the batter.

In a medium size pot, heat a half litre or so of sunflower oil and add the potatoes. Be careful to drain them well and pat them with paper towel so that the oil doesn't splatter. Cook for a few minutes while you prepare the fish.

The fish needs to be dredged in flour to make the batter stick. This little known secret is what stops the batter from all fallling off when the fish is cooked. So, put a few ounzes of flour on a plate and coat the fish, pushing the flour into the surface.

After a few minutes of cooking, remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Using tongs, coat the fish in the batter and drop in the oil. Cook each side until golden brown.

Remove the fish and set aside. Put the potatoes back in and cook until golden.

Serve with malt vinegar and peas on the side. Regular peas are often substituted for mushy peas. Mushy pea ingredients are not available in Chester, NS so I went with frozen peas.

So, there it is, the real deal - fish supper as it is called in some parts.

A couple more pictures from England, a traditional butcher's shop in Ludlow, Shropshire below,

And a pasty shop in the historic city of York, where you can warm up with a cup of tea and a warm sausage roll to dip in brown sauce, mmmm!

I leave you in the old city of York, because next week, we are going to New York - way downtown, Lower Manhattan to Little Italy.

Till then, cheers...

Please e-mail comments, suggestions, insults, etc. to chesterfoodie@gmail.com

ALL ABOUT THE COLDEST DAY BENEFIT

The latest poster.

The dreamers and schemers behind this annual winter tradition in Chester.(L to R) Malcolm Callaway,Barry Redmond,Dolly Hancock and Erin Gore. Don't let the little cocktail umbrellas fool you,it ain't warm out.

We have been getting emails and calls about why we haven't put the line-up info out as we promised. We were waiting for the latest poster and photo. So here it all is fellow fans and aficionados of all things Chester.

COLDEST DAY TALENT LINE-UP SCHEDULE,Feb.7'th,2009 in the P.M.

3:00 t@b-Andy and Ariana

3:45 Jazzette-Cynthia and Tom Myers with Barry Redmond

4:30 Cheryl Gaudet

5:15 Lunchbuckets

5:30 Jewels of the East

6:00 Studio Singers

6:45 Parsons Brothers and friends

7:30 Klunkers

8:15 Jamie Junger and friends

9:00 Darren Arsenault and friends

9:45 Dr. Weirdbeard's Boogie Blues Revue

10:30 Band on the RUM

SEE YOU THERE !

DON'T JUST SHOP LOCAL : BUY LOCAL

For the past several weeks we have been hearing about the economic downturn. From the oil patch to to the auto industry to the banks. Now, many other companies large and small are laying off workers and cutting back their spending. Somehow life must go on. People still need the usual necessities if not the niceties for survival.

The Federal and Provincial Governments are formulating their budgets to account for these tough times. Bailouts and infrastructure spending are the big schemes of the day. It will be good to have new and improved bridges and roads. As a matter of convenience such things are always required in both good economic times and bad, so it is difficult to understand why the government uses tough times to further justify such work. If there are less tourists travelling and less trucks hauling less goods for fewer spending consumers,why all the improvements ? Where were the work crews and machinery when we really needed the new or improved infrastructure. The poor quality and/or non existent infrastructue are what helped to drive us to the brink of recession or even further.

Another solution we are hearing from the politicians,economists and business leaders is for the consumer to spend our money as usual or perhaps harder to rescue the economy. Maybe there is some promise in this idea. As was stated earlier,we still need certain items to survive.Food,clothing,furniture, household maintenance and repair items. How many of us have ever looked at our purchases and actually figured out where they came from ? Think and plan carefully. Make a diagram similar to your family tree or a flow chart consisting of the items you need to purchase with the producer and the seller factored in. It can be fairly general and you may need to do a little investigative home work but the effort will pay off in the big picture.

Some examples may be:bread,candles,curtains,trailers,tableware,clothing,lumber and siding and various services from haircutting to machining to accounting to restaurants. The money spent on these items will help the local producers and sellers to make a living and pay the various taxes that contribute to our infrastructure projects,health care and social security plans. You will save time and money if you take into account your travel time and costs of going to a larger centre outside of Chester. If you go to the big box and discount stores you are only slightly aiding the owner of the business and the countries on other continents that make typically cheaper and lower quality goods. If you can't get it made in Chester,get it made in Nova Scotia. If not here then Canada and so on. Your diagram then takes on the shape of a ladder or stairs. Think carefully and plan what you need with a regard as to how it will help the local,provincial and national economies.

All of the previously mentioned goods and services are available in Chester. Using the ladder model you might purchase a knife made in Pictou,pots and pans made in Prince Edward Island,a car made in Ontario. Be diligent and look around carefully. Try to do your best to purchase any of your goods and services as close to home as you can. From the businesses that help out local charities and community events and provide work for members of your community.
DON'T JUST SHOP LOCAL,BUY LOCAL !

Minister Streatch speaks about the MOU with Universities

Video originally appeared on U-News.ca

REMEMBERING AN OLD FRIEND

Jan.24'th,The Waters off Chester----------This Chester sunset was photographed from Fogrunner late this afternoon and is dedicated to Bill Buckley who passed away four years ago today and is on the final voyage.

The wind is coming up strong and fast
and the moon is smiling on me
Miles from nowhere...so small at last
In between the sky and sea
I'm bound for the Island,
the tide is with me
I think I can make it by dawn
It's night on the ocean
I'm going home
and it feels like I've never been gone.

From: Never Been Gone by Carly Simon & Jacob Brackman

CYC FALSE ALARM

With Fire Chief Duke Chafe at the wheel,the CVFD's newest truck pulls up at the CYC gate.

Two firetrucks and their crews responded to what was fortunately a false alarm.

Some of the firefighters have a chat with their Chief as they wait for a keyholder to respond to the scene.

Jan.23,Chester Yacht Club--------------------It was a false alarm that called out The Chester Volunteer Fire Department to the Chester Yacht Club. There was no smoke or flames. It turned out to be a problem with the alarm system equipment.
All residents and especially property owners in the Municipality should realize that a bylaw has been passed by Council whereby fines can be levied on property owners who have false alarms that send out fire and emergency personnel (including RCMP) on a fool's errand.
The first offense is a warning.After that a fine will be issued. If you do not pay it it will be added to your taxes so either way the revenue will be paid. In an interview with chesterns.ca,Chester's Fire Chief wanted it made clear that the Fire Department's in The Municipality do the paperwork. It is Municipality staff who will investigate the circumstances and determine if a fine is to be issued and/or a system upgrade is required. Another point that The Chief made was that the fire departments in the municipality do not receive the fine revenues. That goes to The Municipality.
Here are some statistics that will illustrate why the bylaw was put in place. Last year,CVFD had 154 call outs. Of those 40% were false alarms. The majority of those were due to burnt toast,hot shower steam and dirty ovens or other careless cooking practices. Chester had the highest number of false alarms. Other Departments in the Municipality had much lower percentages of false alarms,20%,15%,12% and 4%.
The Municipality has hired a Fire Inspector. Arden Weagle is his name and he has been at work for several month's now. More recently they have hired a Fire Administrator. He is Bruce Blackwood. These fellows will most likely be the ones dealing with the false alarm trouble and along with The Municipal by-law and legal department staff,will be issuing and administering the fines. Check with your Councilor or the Municipal office for more information about the amount and terms of the fines.

SAND,MAN

The mountain of sand.

The machinery that makes it.

Above and below: The loader digs in.



Loading a truck.

Jan.23'rd,Windsor Rd.-------------------------This time of year ice is the enemy. Whether you are on foot or in a vehicle. What do you do? You can call one of the many contractors or landscaping businesses in the Chester area to bring you sand or gravel to spread on paths and driveways to give you much needed and safer traction. If you happen to own a truck yourself,you may want to haul your own sand but load your vehicle carefully. The material can be heavy on the suspension. Besides your own convenience,it makes life easier for emergency vehicles,oil trucks and other delivery vehicles when you spread traction aiding materials on your property.
The above photos were taken at the South Shore Sand and Gravel pit on The Windsor Rd. Typically it is mainly the private contractors coming in for material but sometimes you will see Department of Transportation trucks coming and going for sand or other road building materials.

The V.O.C.T.A D.A. Community Development Workshop

District 3 Councilor Brad Armstrong listens intently.

One of the workshop groups listens to a fellow group's presentation.

Chester St. Margaret's NDP Candidate and Village resident Denise Peterson-Rafuse summarizes her group's ideas.

Facilitator John Forsyth of Zibenza Consulting advises a discussion group.

Note to politicians ?

The diligent reporter at work,Adam Jacobs of The Progress Enterprise.

Jan.22,Chester Fire Hall----------------------It was perhaps one of the greatest meetings of citizens coming together to discuss the future of The Village. The turnout was exceptional for VOCTADA's meeting on Community Development. The membership and other key members of the community either came to the meeting or had previously submitted their thoughts and concerns via a questionnaire that was circulated earlier. Based on the quality feedback, the task of the workshop groups was made easier. Based on the consensus of the workshop session,a Committee was formed and will take the project to the next level. Stay tuned for more details "on the future in the future".

IT IS GONE

The new view south down Water St.

Looking north west along Water St.

It sure looks different now.

WHERE'S THE SEWER ?

Computers are used for everything these days.

A closer look at the controls.

10 feet down.

A technician locates the junction where the lateral joins the main line while a Dept. of Public Works staff waits to mark the spot.

The excavator makes short work of finding the pipe so that it can be terminated properly.

Jan. 22'nd,Water St.-----------------------While some will think it was a slow news day,this post is informational and educational. When you get rid of an existing building either for good or to rebuild on the same site,many people may not realize that you have to deal with water and sewer connections. Sometimes even underground electrical and communications lines as well. In this example we will talk about the sewer. The location is 89 Water St.,the site of the former Hilchie Building. It was known there were at least two pipes running to the sewer but they were difficult to find in the rubble so a video inspection service was called in to find the connections. It was successful and they also found a third line. It use to be that a lot of digging and guess work were required to deal with a problem like this. But thanks to modern technology,the piping systems can be easily viewed with a video camera. With a special signal transmitter and receiver system a computer can tell you the actual depth of the pipes in question. This makes the job both faster and safer and pretty much guarantees results when capping off or repairing a system.

While this may not seem like a big deal to most folks,there is good reason for being diligent about this work. First,it is a matter of health and safety. You don't want a sewer backing up on the property. It could contaminate your water supply and cause other problems as well. And Public Works does not want excess water flowing in to their system and taxing their equipment capacity.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MEETING

Concerned and interested residents of Chester are invited to this evening's V.O.C.T.A.D.A. meeting 7:30 p.m. at the Chester Fire Hall.
John Forsyth of Zibenza Consultants will lead a discussion on defining new goals for the Community. Your thoughts and ideas on this topic are welcomed as V.O.C.T.A.D.A. considers plans and projects for the future of the Community. See you there.

DISAPPEARING CHESTER,THE MARKET IS DOWN

The old view northwest along Water St.

Looking south down Water St.

From across the head of The Front Harbour.

The large excavator wastes no time.

The debris is scooped up and loaded on a large truck.

Taking a bite out of the roof.

The day after,looking northwest along Water St.

South down Water St.,the next day.
And from across The Front Harbour.

Jan.20'th-21'st,Water St.,Chester-----------------The owner of the old Hilchie's Fish Market finally demolished the structure to make way for a new building. It was planned for some time as the design and condition of the old building prohibited an easy or economical renovation. It is believed that the final straw that broke the project's proverbial back was the recent spree of vandalism in the Village a few weeks back. This was one of the properties that was broken into and damaged.
Sometimes simple manpower and systematic disassembly can be used to take down a building.But when many types of material need to be disposed of and extra strong construction or larger structures have to be contended with,this is the more economical way to go. The company carrying out this job has a recycling facility in New Glasgow,Nova Scotia and all debris is trucked there to be separated and resold or disposed of. They have taken down a few buildings in Chester in the past,most notably the old St.Stephen's Hall.
While change and progress are inevitable,it is sometimes tough to see old buildings that played a traditional or historic role in the social,business and/or residential life of the Village and its people change drastically or disappear altogether. At least we have photographs and paintings to remember them by.

A LITTLE HILCHIE HISTORY

George Hilchie stands in front of the entrance of his former Fish Market on Water St. for the final time as the building is about to come down.

Jan.21'st,Water St.,Chester---------------------While a lot of folks were perhaps a little saddened in the last few days as a Village landmark was being demolished,it may have been a particularly sad for Mr. George Hilchie. Even though the family sold the property about 4 years ago and it was renovated and rented as apartments most folks referred to it as "Hilchie's" or "The Old Fish Market". Tradition still means a lot around Chester and George's father certainly created a traditional business here many years ago. Here is a short history of that effort.
George's father Harold Hilchie started the wholesale/retail Hilchie's Fish Market in the 1930's.He partnered with his brother Theodore Hilchie after serving in WWII upon their return home to Chester. When Theodore retired in 1971,Harold's son George (pictured above) took over the business.In later years,George's son Bill Hilchie joined the company. The property was sold to other interests in 2005.

SPEEDING TICKET ?

Jan.21'st,Hwy #3,Chester----------------------- For some time now,the RCMP have been vigilantly monitoring traffic speeds in and around Chester. Drive carefully and observe the posted speed limits.

Local Flavour - Think Global, Eat Local - Phil Ellwood

A Taste of Bavaria

Oktoberfest, oom pa pa bands, lederhosen, sausages, pretzels and beer - Bavaria!

Bavaria, now a state of Germany shares its international borders with Austria, Czech Republic and Switzerland. In my experience, Bavarians place a great emphasis on food and drink in their traditional style, similar to Tyrolean Austria. Pork, potatoes and cabbage are staples in this Alpine region.

In a former life when I worked for BPB (British Plaster Board), I spent time at management meetings and plant visits in Germany and Austria. The Bavarian and Tyrolean regions of the Alps were particularly attractive and have become the destination for vacations with my wife on a few occasions.

This past fall, we went to Munich to experience Oktoberfest and then on to visit friends in Slovenia, finishing the trip back in Munich after a day in and around Neuschwanstein Castle on the Austrian border. Slovenia and its people are amazing and I will do a column on them in the near future.

So, here is the big attraction in Bavaria, Neuschwanstein Castle, commissioned by King Ludwig III and the inspriration for Disney castle. It was a misty day, so this picture isn't the clearest.

A picture from one of the windows, looking over the Bavarian countryside:



A view of the Alps from the other side of the castle:



So, enough touristy stuff and on to the food. Pork with rich sauce, potatoes and cabbage are staples, so I prepared a meal accordingly - pork with mushroom sauce, German-style potatoes and Bavarian cabbage with bacon.

We start with my new cookbook from Munich, and a selection of beer and wine to cook with, drink while cooking, and drink while eating. The cabbage dish comes from the cookbook by Alfons Schubeck, while the pork and potato dishes are basics that I have learned.

The wine is a Pinot Gris by Deinhard, available at the Chester NSLC. Crisp and a little tart, it goes well with the meal. Sorry, I never acquired the vocabulary of a wine snob such as "notes of citrus, accompanied by hints of fresh melon and honey, light on the finish with subtle tones of oak, etc." This one is okay, not great, but I wanted to serve a German wine that wasn't Riesling. It works.

The beers - the can on the right, the Holstein Bock is to cook with, the 8.6 Bavaria is a high alcohol content beer to drink while cooking, and the Lowenbrau is to go with the meal. With the wine, I fell asleep sitting up shortlly after eating. Oh well, it was Saturday night.

As a young lad, I worked evenings, weekends and summers as a cook and acquired the skill to bring a dozen different meals together all at the same time. Accordingly, we will jump from recipe to recipe a bit here to make it work.

The potatoes are traditionaly prepared in pork fat and the cabbage dish calls for bacon pieces, so I cut and cooked the bacon for the cabbage in the potato pan first, and put the cooked pieces aside. 2 pieces of Presidents Choice Thick Bacon from the Chester Save Easy:



After cooking, I drain the pork fat off and discard, leaving the bacon flavour in the pan for the potato dish. All three of the dishes have about a 20 minute preparation time, so you need to get all three going at the same time.

Peel a pound or so of potatoes. I used local organic potatoes from Chester Organics. Quarter them and put them on to boil until they are just starting to feel soft with a fork. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.

Chop a couple onions, a few cloves of garlic and a handful of mushrooms into small pieces and put aside. Cut a cabbage in half, remove the core and slice and dice into small pieces. You will also need a pear and carrot cut into small pieces to add to the cabbage dish. I used Nova Scotian onions from the Save Easy and local cabbage and mushrooms from Chester Organics.

Take good quality pork chops (one per person) and "dust" them in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. In a shallow pan (that can be covered), heat some olive oil and saute a couple cloves of the garlic. When the garlic begins to sizzle, put the pork chops in and cook on each side until golden. Shut off the heat and put the pork aside.

I bought my pork chops at Oultons, near Windsor, but you can get them brought into Chester Organics on Wednesday's.

For the cabbage dish, heat olive oil in a shallow pan and saute a handful of onion and a couple cloves of the chopped garlic until the onions are translucent. Add the cabbage and cook for a couple minutes. Add the carrot pieces and deglaze with a splash of apple juice.

Pour in a cup of cup of vegetable stock and leave to stew for about 20 to 30 minutes, adding the pear pieces after about 10 minutes. Season with about 1/2 teaspoon of ground caraway seeds, cayene pepper and a splash of cider vinegar. I bought my cayenne pepper at Kiwi Cafe. Put in a serving dish and finish with the bacon bits and chopped parsley. The finished product looks like this:

For the pork, you need to reheat the pan, add a little olive oil and saute the onions and mushroom for a couple minutes. Put the pork chops back in the pan and add the can of dark beer. Cover and let cook for 12 to 15 minutes.

Remove the chops and reduce the stock in the pan. When you have boiled off excess liquid, add a couple tablespoons of sour cream to make a rich sauce. You can add a tablespoon or so of tomato paste too if desired. They serve it both ways in Bavaria.

For the potaoes, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the bacon flavoured pan and saute some onions and garlic. Chop the potatoes into half inch size pieces and saute until golden.

Put a pork chop on each plate, cover with sauce and serve with the potatoes on the side. Serve the cabbage as a shared dish on the table. Here is the end result:



We ended our Bavarian Holiday on a somewhat somber note as we visited what is probably the second biggest tourist attraction in the region, Dachau concentration camp. I don't think it is appropriate in this column to go any further, but I will leave you at the gate:


If you want to see more of what went on inside, facebook me.

I hope you enjoyed this first column. I'm not sure the rest will be as detailed as time is limited. Next column, I may revert to my roots and do an article on English gourmet cooking: mushy peas, fish finger butties, steak and kidney pies, etc.

Some have said, "the British conquered the world in search of a good meal", but I think the traditional fare is pretty good. Not good for you, but it is the ultimate comfort food for a place where it never stops raining or gets warm. Just add ale and Bob's your uncle.

So, Meine Damen und Herren, see you next week.

If you have any comments or suggestions about this article, please feel free to contact me at
chesterfoodie@gmail.com

BIG TRUCK,LITTLE TRUCKS

What's in this truck ?

Here comes the first one.

It's a little baby truck !

A big man in a little truck.

Actually,they're Japanese mini trucks.

A close up of the cab front.

Here's a real "mini" van.

Jan.20'th,Chester-------------------A couple of local entrepreneurs are importing these Japanese mini trucks for sale in Chester or anywhere else in the Province. Their main appeal is fuel economy and perhaps their unique look and style. They are are great for light loads and convenient to park. They are also four wheel drive. One major difference between them and North American vehicles are that they are right hand drive. It may take some getting used to but parking would be a cinch. Be on the lookout as they should be for sale very shortly once they are modified and inspected for use in Canada and Nova Scotia.

VALLEY Rd. GASOLINE LEAK

A passing motorist gets ready to tow this stalled van out of the way because it has a leaking fuel line.

The motorist then blocked the lane where the gas spill occurred.

After a 911 call,the RCMP arrived promptly and took over traffic control. Here,the officer proceeds to speak to the vehicle owner.

The Chester Volunteer Fire Dept. had a fast response time to the scene and lept into action,first checking the vehicle and then dealing with the spill.

Fire Chief Duke Chafe directs his fellow firefighters as they spread peat moss to contain and absorb the gasoline spill.

The scene in front of 101 Valley Rd. afterward.

Chester Service Centre's flat deck recovery truck removes the van to take it away to be repaired.

Jan.20'th,Valley Rd.-------------------A minor fuel spill and possible disaster was avoided late this morning when a mini-van stalled at the intersection of Valley Rd. and North St. While the spill was not a large one,the more critical concern was a possible fire or explosion resulting in injury or loss of a vehicle. The concerned vehicle owner did everything by the book to prevent problems and further inconvenience to himself and others.
It is important to remember that when dealing with gasoline leaks and spills around motor vehicles there is always a danger of fire and explosion,especially if the vehicle is running or attempting to be started. The van above had a fuel line leak and once pressure in the line was released,the leaked stopped.

THE 44'TH PRESIDENT, Mr. BARACK OBAMA

Jan.20'th----------------Our friends and neighbours in The United States of America officially make history today with the swearing in of President Elect Barack Obama in Washington,D.C.
Congratulations ! You have come a long way sociopolitically. With Obama's charisma and political genius, The United States of America stands poised to once again be a leading world power.

COLDEST DAY WITH HOTTEST ENTERTAINMENT

C'mon out and support The Chester Drama Society and The Chester Playhouse at this annual Chester event. Hear some hot local and visiting artists. Amateur and professional. It is always a great mix of many musical genres. There are auctions,draws and raffles along with the great music. We will bring you an update with the artists line up as soon as it is finalized. See you there.

For more information: Contact Erin Gore @ 902-275-5864

TANCOOK MEDIVAC

An ambulance waits for the ferry William G. Ernst while a patient is transported from Big Tancook Island.

A paramedic pulls a stretcher on a gurney out of the ambulance,

And heads for the ferry.

The patient is whisked to the ambulance.

The ferry William G. Ernst heads for home as the ambulance heads for the hospital.

Jan.18'th,Chester------------------------------During today's snowstorm,medical personnel and the crew of the Tancook Ferry had to deal with a medical emergency and transport an Island resident to the mainland and a waiting ambulance to get to a hospital. While most of us take health care for granted,living on an island can present a whole other dimension to getting timely medical attention. To find out how the resilient and hardworking Tancook Islanders deal with such a problem,click on the following link to see the inspiring and fascinating tale about one of the elements of Island survival. It is an awesome story.
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CHESTER SCENES 24 HRS. APART (Jan.17'th to Jan.18'th)

The Front Harbour .



The Government Wharf as seen from the launching ramp.



A tyre swing waits for Summer.



Dayton's golden moss covered wall.



The old Baptist Burial Ground and it's large central maple tree.



The Town Wharf with Little Fish Island in the background.


Here are some great views of Chester showing how weather and lighting can drastically change the perspective of view but still be equally beautiful. The first examples are a crisp and beautiful sunny Winter's day with temperatures hovering around the -17 degree Celsius mark. The second views are during a snowstorm a day later with temperatures around the -4 degree Celsius mark.
This coming Spring or Summer we will attempt to do comparison photos and prove that the Village of Chester is a beautiful place anytime of the year.
Come and visit whenever you can. You won't be disappointed with the wonderful shops and great restaurants and cafes in the Village.

THE BIRDS AND THE TREES

Jan.17'th..........These ducks in the foreground and the gulls in the background appear to be enjoying the sun even though it is around -17 degrees Celsius on the Front Harbour .
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Jan.17'th.............These locust tops are a beautiful silhouette against an early evening sky.

Jan.18'th.............25 pigeons ride out the storm on a roof near the Chester Yacht Club.

ICE COLD CHESTER

The roller coaster ride of the past week's temperatures.

From the Government Wharf. Quaker Island is out there.

From South St.,Quaker Island is just visible to the left in the above photo.

From the Government Wharf,the Peninsula appears to be suspended on a cloud.

Nauss Point is on the left and Blandford is obscured by sea smoke.

Jan.16'th,Chester---------------So far,last night was literally the coldest night of the year. Figuratively speaking Feb.7'th will be The Coldest Day of the Year,that's the fundraiser for The Chester Drama Society.
Anyway the old mercury dipped almost out of sight last night and it will be very cool again this evening. For those very familiar with Chester you can feel the cold just by staring at the above photos.
To all our Summer residents and seasonal visitors,in the words of the great Canadian singer and songwriter Bruce Cockburn:

"And you're not even here
On the coldest night of the year"

SEASONAL RESIDENCES

THE SUMMER HOUSE.

THE WINTER HOUSE.

COLD DUCKS

Another picture word association exercise.

WINTER SCENES

Trond's and Davies'.

Waiting out the storm.

A wreath of Christmas past at CYC.

Wood 'n' oars.

Ketch Caught In Ice

Bow on.

Above and below: Port side views.


Jan.12'th,Chester Basin---------------------A few more nice photos of the large ketch anchored in Chester Basin during the latest storm.

WELDING

The arc.

The sparks.

Above and below: Fantastic and surreal lighting created by the welding.


Jan 13'th--------------Ol' Captain Kidd caught these shots while his land yacht was getting some snow plough repairs completed. During the winter months around Chester,private driveways and roads must be kept clear for the convenience and safety of year round residents and for fire and security purposes at seasonal residences. Maintaining equipment for doing such work is a necessity for dependability and service. There are great lighting effects whenever metals are joined by welding and the above photos are no exception.

CHESTER MAPS

The Murry Barkhouse map.

This sketch map is circa the '70's.

Featured above are two two dimensional representations of the Village of Chester. Click on the images two get a closer view of these older perspectives of the Village.

TWO GOSLINGS

On the rocks or off,both are nice shots.

The Matrix is Coming..

Or is it just a chair?

http://www.novelquest.com/emperor_specs.html

LOCAL FLAVOUR-Think Global,Eat Local

chesterns.ca would like to welcome a new contributor to our site with a unique and interesting cultural column. The writer is the reigning champion of The First Annual Soup-Off ,a contest presented a few years back by our competition which uses the Gutenberg method to convey the news. Here is the introductory episode. We hope you are looking forward to it with as much anticipation as we at chesterns.ca are. Welcome to chesterns.ca,Phil Ellwood !

A column devoted to the appreciation and international presentation of food and beverage available from Chester area establishments- by Phil Ellwood

For some time now,I have been thinking of contributing a regular column to a traditional publication or blog. The dilemma has been what to write about,something interesting but not controversial.

Then it came to me; we all like to eat,drink and be merry. I have always had a passion for good food and cheer,and always seek out and savour the "local experience" when I travel,with many fond memories from my culinary adventures in Europe and Asia.

I've always been a foodie,not a gourmet. In my opinion,gourmets are too taken by the snob appeal of ingredients,and the texture and presentation of the dish. Foodies like I on the other hand, like to experience what the real people eat around the world in their local tradition, and recreate authentic versions at home.

Wikipedia explains the difference as follows: "...foodies differ from gourmets in that gourmets are epicures of refined taste who may or may not be professionals in the food industry,whereas foodies are amateurs who simply love food for consumption,study,preparation,and news. Gourmets simply want to eat the best food,whereas foodies want to learn everything about food,both the best and the ordinary,and about the science,industry,and personalities surrounding food..."

Part of the plan for the column is to present international cooking ideas based on my experiences,with an emphasis on ingredients that can be purchased from Chester area merchants,promoting the "shop local" concept. Foods will be paired with suggested accompaniments from the Chester NSLC Store. I also plan to feature local purveyors of food products from time to time,and review local eating establishments in season.

Unless I am travelling,the column will appear on chesterns.ca weekly,typically on Wednesday. Readers will be encouraged to interact and contribute to the content on an ongoing basis.
I plan to start the column with food ideas and trivia from one of my favourite destinations,Bavaria. I haven't decided what to cook,but you can be assured it will include pork,potatoes and cabbage. Oh,and beer too !

Bon Appetit...

STORM WALK : Photos by Sally Deion

Flowers,Flowers,Flowers is closed in the snow,snow,snow.

A lone car makes its way down King St.

An unploughed Pleasant St. is not so pleasant for driving.

Looking down Central St. toward Lordly Park and Union St.

The Maple Leaf proudly flies at the residence of Chester Artist Dolly Hancock.

Jan.11'th,Chester-------------------chesterns.ca thanks Sally Deion for sending along these photos taken during a walk in our most recent snowstorm. It is sometimes hard to tell which is nicer,Chester's winter beauty or scenes from the summer. We hope our seasonal residents or those folks away on a short holiday will enjoy the above scenes.

FYI : WHO'S WHO AFTER THE LATEST CABINET SHUFFLE

You will really have to CLICK on the image TWICE to ENLARGE the list.

Jan.7'th---------------------The Cabinet of The Conservative Government of Nova Scotia under Premier Rodney MacDonald was shuffled today. This may not seem very interesting or important to many people but in an effort to keep citizens of our community and Province informed,chesterns.ca feels that it is important to present such information to our viewers.
The next time you have a question or concern for your MLA or a particular jurisdiction of your Provincial Government,this list will allow you to direct your attention to the proper departments of Government.

A Not So Humble Post..

Here is an update on how readership of ChesterNS.ca is going these past few months. It has been a while since our last post about site hits and viewership, so I thought we were due for one.

Also, in the past month or two, ChesterNS.ca now comes up number one if you search chesterns on google.ca: here, and second if you search "chester ns": here

Thank you to you, our reader, for making the site a success, and raising the profile of our little village!

Cheers,
Ben

CHESTER THE LOBSTER FREED !

Emily poses for the media as she arrives with Chester The Lobster while her father,Fisherman Blaine Bond,chats with Claudette Sapp.

Chester can't wait to think outside the box.

Some of the kids from The Chester Area Family Resource Centre pose with Chester.

The ducks were lined up.

From members of the community, to kids, to CAFRC Board members and Chester Art Centre Board members; the people begin to arrive.

Front: Kids from CAFRC,Emily and her father Blaine Bond with Chester The Lobster.
Back: Trina Ladd,Sandra Matthews,Trudi Curley,Wayne Grigsby,John Mc Curdy,Philip Ellwood.

Chester's close-up shot. Never bite the hand that frees you.

Chester gets his feet wet.

Chester heads for home.

Art Centre Chair Wayne Grigsby roasts a hot dog.

The wiener roast continued after Chester The Lobster was set free.

Jan.5'th,Freda's Beach--------------------------chesterns.ca would like to take this opportunity to introduce a new contributor who we hope will be a regular on the site. All we can tell you is that their pen name is Charlie. It was Charlie's wish to cover Chester The Lobster's release party so without further ado,here is Charlie's take on Chester the Lobster.

Chester's Story for chesterns.ca by Charlie

Christmas is not exclusively for children.A sign stating "We Believe in Santa Clause Here",could be hung on many solely adult homes where warmth of loving families dwells.

There was a most impressive visitor among Chester's returning ex-residents.To much hoop-la,Chester,the 8 lb. lobster,arrived on the "Little Peanut" Cape Island boat. Many hospitable Chesterites welcomed him for dinner:for him ,they would crack the vintage wine.

No way ! Captain Bond had taken quite a shine to his passenger. Luxury accomodation was provided and Chester became the Bond family's honoured guest. He seemed quite content,but soon after Santa's visit,Chester became somewhat despondent. He wanted to go home,back to the dark nooks and crannies of the ocean floor,especially,his hiding place under a particular wharf. There he felt safe. There he could molt in privacy and security.Molting is a dangerous process during which he needs protection. Fancy hotels may be good for a few days,but Chester knew "there is no place like home".

Luckily his plight was understood by a Chester summer family from Missouri(who,contrary to popular belief, will believe anything). Why wouldn't Santa return Chester to his home?

Santa heard them. It would take time. He'd need help from a nerd,an old salt,a loving daddy and $200. Because Santa had to work overtime,he requested his gift to Chester,the lobster, be supplemented by gifts to Chester,the community. So,the Missouri children requested that the Art Centre and the Family Resource Centre should also receive gifts.

Jan. 5'th,off Freda's Beach,Chester went home. He hesitated,he turned from left to right,came back to the beach. How could it be ? Where were the walls ? Chester is old,shrewd and suspicious:he kept his head above water.

Representatives of both Chester organizations,children from The Family Resource Centre and over a dozen citizens cheered the big lobster on. And then-and then- after a little extra push to deeper water,Chester took off. Within moments he was out of sight,headed towards his favourite wharf. On the beach,his friends enjoyed a fire,roasted hot dogs and enjoyed each other. Another Christmas joy just in time for Old Christmas,January 6'th.

chesterns.ca would like to say a special thank you to everyone who made the Chester the Lobster experience a huge success:

Blaine Bond
Russell Perry and all the other bidders
Danny McCoul and Chester Save Easy
residents of the community
Adam Jacobs and The Progress Enterprise
Beverly Ware and The Chronicle Herald
CAFRC AND CAC staff and board members
And Charlie.

SEW WHAT ??????

MAHONE BAY QUILTERS' GUILD OFFERS FREE LEARN TO QUILT CLASS

The Mahone Bay Quilters' Guild is offering a free 5-week introductory quilting course open to anyone interested in quilting,no experience necessary. All materials and supplies are included. Graduates will receive a complimentary MBQG membership.

The Learn To Quilt Class starts Saturday morning February 28'th and runs 'til Saturday March 28'th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Trinity United Church,Mahone Bay. To register or for more information contact Sandy Ternoway at 902-275-3249 or email sandyt@eastlink.ca

CHESTER THE LOBSTER UPDATE

Jennifer Fraser and local Fisherman Blaine Bond with Chester The Lobster.

Blaine Bond's Cape Island fishing boat,Little Peanut,heads out of the Front Harbour to check the lobster traps.

Jan.3'rd,Chester--------------------------Here's the latest word on Chester The Lobster. A gentlemen from St.Louis Missouri submitted the winning bid of $200.00 to be divided equally between the Chester Art Centre and The Chester Area Family Resource Centre. The starting bid was $10.00,so we did quite well in our effort. The chap from St. Louis is Russell Perry who,along with his family,spends his summers in Chester and is an avid supporter of the Chester Art Centre. Besides supporting local charities,Mr.Perry may have been getting pushed by his kids to save Chester The Lobster as they believe he is the same lobster who used to live under their wharf when they lived in the Village.
Mr. Perry's wish is that Chester The Lobster be set free. And so in keeping with that request we will be releasing Chester back to his natural home in the waters off Freda's Beach at 3:00 P.M. Monday Jan. 5'th. Members of the Boards of Directors from both charities will be on hand along with Fisherman Blaine Bond and kids from CAFRC. We are expecting many of Chester's fans to come out to the event as well, according to the buzz on the street and the coverage in The Progress Enterprise and The Chronicle Herald newspapers.
The event will go rain or shine (or snow) as Chester The Lobster should be getting home after his brief stay in captivity over the holidays. Once again we would like to give a big thank-you to Blaine Bond for his generosity and idea for the auction and to all the bidders who participated in the event.
See you at the beach.

2009: DAY 3 CRIME WAVE

An RCMP officer prepares to check out the scene of a break and enter at 89 Water St.

Here,the officer speaks to one of the owners of a business that was broken into on Duke St.

The crime scene after police checked it out.The door had been kicked in and a window was broken.

This trellis was damaged at a property on Pig Loop Rd.

The RCMP forensic truck arrived in a short time.

A computer lies smashed and broken on the ground after being thrown through a window at Chester Area Middle School.

Police and CAMS staff vehicles parked outside the school.

Hopefully these guys will solve the crime and catch the bad guys.

Jan. 3'rd,Around The Village----------------------It is a sunny,quiet morning at 7:00 A.M. in the Village. Not so during the wee hours along Valley Rd.,Water St.,The Pig Loop Rd. and Duke St. Four individuals conducted a campaign of violent crime. From simple and mindless vandalism to break and enter and theft and property damage. Witnesses saw them trying to destroy property and it is believed that one property owner confronted them. Besides numerous residential and public property,they also caused problems at businesses, a school and the local rink. RCMP acted quickly and fortunately some of their best officers were on the scene and are working on the case. If anyone has any information or suffered any damage during the time these events occurred,call the local RCMP Detachment at 275-3583. Call with any information you may have. Sometimes the smallest detail can yield the greatest result.
Lately,people have been getting very fed up with events like this and other crime in Chester. Many of you reading this may not realize it but the police have been fairly successful in solving and preventing a lot of crimes and associated problems around Chester recently. They seldom do it entirely on their own. It takes cooperation and good information from the public,victims and witnesses. We may be at one of those rare turning points where the community has finally put its foot down and is getting the message out that Chester is not an easy mark for those with a crime agenda and lifestyle to carry out their activities.

VICTIMS OF SENSELESS CRIME

What's this floating in the Front Harbour ?

The throw !

The quarry.

Success ! John reins in his folk art reindeer as Gail watches.

Jan. 3'rd,Water St.-------------------------Further to our story on the year's first major crime event,here we see one of the many victims in the Village dealing with the damage to his property.
John Carroll had two nice carved folk art reindeer in front of his house as part of his Christmas decorating theme. Probably more valuable sentimentally,they were nonetheless fairly valuable and one-of-a-kind unique. They can likely be reasonably repaired as fortunately all the missing and broken pieces were found after searching in the snow.
The point here is that this kind of wanton destruction is totally unnecessary.Hopefully the perpetrators of this mindless deed will be caught and dealt with by the law. Which we might add will likely be too kind to them with the way our justice system seems to have disintegrated. It is not necessarily the laws that have changed as much as it could be the attitudes of our Judges that is weakening. Hear that your Honours ?

CHESTER NEW YEAR'S DAY 2009

It must have been quite a party the night before!

From one end of Queen St.

To another.

Is Tavern keeper Tim late for his own levee ?

Frank Metzger and Karen Hooper huggin' the New Year in.

Jan. 1'st,Chester---------------A storm with near blizzard conditions forced some levees and celebrations to be canceled while others got off to a slow start as folks braved the elements to come out and celebrate New Year's Day 2009. There were a few private levees and house parties while the only major public levee appeared to be the annual one at the Fo'c's'le on Queen St. It was nice to see a few of the Village's seasonal residents around to celebrate the holidays in Chester along with the regular year rounders.
Happy New Year,everyone !

A FEW NEW YEAR'S EVE DAY PHOTOS

A dandelion struggles to bloom before one of our biggest snows.

Big smoke over Oak Island.

These traps are hauled for the winter season and will likely be set again in the spring.

ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENON

An upside down rainbow ?

A view between two dormer peaks.

A closer view.

New Year's Eve Day,Haddon Hill--------------------A very observant fan of chesterns.ca called this interesting scene into us and fortunately we were able to photograph it. It is most likely a variation of a parhelion and caused by sunlight reflecting off ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. They are typically a sign that a storm or some unsettled weather lies ahead. This particular sighting only lasted about 20 minutes or so as clouds and the moving sun changed viewing and formation conditions. If anyone out there knows more about this feel free to let us know more about it.

BOATS IN WINTER

The Tancook Ferry eases into the harbour on a calm winter morning.

In Chester Basin,this ketch is silhouetted against the sunlight in skim ice.

PREVENTATIVE PRUNING

High above Central St.,crews begin to remove these large dead spruce trees.

Pruning some lower limbs near Central and Main Streets.

Moving along to Main St. and Valley Rd.

Limbing out the hydro right of way along Main St. near Queen St.

The chipper is ready as crews work along Queen St.


Mon. Dec. 29'th Around the Village-----------------------Commercial Arborist crews were busy streamlining the hydro wire corridors at various locations around the Village to help prevent power outages and damage to lines due to high winds and ice build up. With much of this work long overdue,it is good to see these guys out and on the job. Whether legitimately delayed or a reactive measure by Nova Scotia Power in consideration of the latest power outages,customers of the utility monopoly should be relieved to see some positive measures being undertaken. Considering what is being paid for service from our one and only supplier of power,this and other maintenance should be carried out routinely.

NEW YEARS EVE FROM CYC

Matt gets the bubbly ready to toast in The New Year.

The skeleton crew on hand at CYC to usher in 2009. We were there!

Jan.1'st,CYC----------------------About a dozen brave,enthusiastic and hearty souls were on hand to celebrate New Year's Eve 2009 at The Chester Yacht Club. They did brave blizzard conditions to come out and celebrate so kudos to them for making the effort. It's not how many people you need to have fun,it's the fact that this many people did have fun. The next social function at CYC will be one of their winter potluck dinners. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.