Kingsbrae Gardens and Gallery

Day two in Saint Andrews started with a wonderful breakfast at the Kingsbrae Arms and a beautiful sunny day! We strolled over to the gardens to have a look before popping into the gallery.

Kingsbrae Garden is listed as one of the top five to see in Canada!

It covers 27 acres and was donated by John and Lucinda Flemer. The public garden opened in 1998.

There are more than 2,500 varieties of trees, shrubs and plants. So gorgeous.

There is even a small area with alpacas and goats. Meet "Liberty", a wee alpaca that was born on July 4th.

There are also many smaller gardens within Kingsbrae one I loved is called Scents and Sensitivities, which was created for blind people. In it are beautifully scented flowers and herbs. You are invited to stroke and smell and gently crush for scent. There are interesting plants like Lamb's Ear and spikey succulents that are wonderfully tactile. The garden is waist high, built on a horseshoe shaped wall so one only has to walk along it and touch and smell. Brilliant!

Open spaces and tons of sculpture everywhere. This fountain caught my attention!

And look at this creature high in the trees!

There were formal rose gardens and wild beds of colour. Orchards and demonstration gardens.

I LOVED this moose!

And of course how could I not take a picture of this wee whimsical doggie plunked next to a water hydrant

Finally we found ourselves at the cafe/gift shop and gallery. The reason for this trip!

Ta dah!

This Folk Art show will run until October 8th.

The other artists are Brian Allen Adams, Jantje Blokhuis Mulder, Beatrice McFadden, Maureen McIlwain, Holly McKay, and Maureen Newman.

Love the saying on the hooked rug ~Never Let Yesterday Use Up Today~ true...

Can you pick out mine?

Saint Andrews, Part 1

A little taste of LUXURY.....in Saint Andrews

Last week I had to go to Saint Andrews, New Brunswick to deliver some paintings to the Kingsbrae Gardens Gallery. It was a five hour drive so my mum and I decided to to spend a couple of nights.

This is where we stayed, the Kingsbrae Arms.

It was absolutely gorgeous and I felt pampered and special.

The house was originally built as a summer “cottage”in 1897, by a prominent Nova Scotia businessman. He and his wife had lived for many years in Shanghai where he owned a fleet of cargo boats loading and unloading trade from foreign ships. His daughter created a salon for artists, poets, writers, and statesmen during her years in residence and was herself, an expert on Chinese art and culture.
All throughout the house are interesting things to look at and books and out the many windows are vistas of their beautiful garden.

This is the dining room and at the far left ( which you can't see), the floor is raised like a stage and there is a grand piano in the corner. The original family liked to perform little plays and have music in the evenings after dinner.

The staircase leading up to our room.

Ours was on the left just beyond that arch.

Voila! So beautiful! There was even some soft jazz playing on a cd playerwhen we entered the room. I could feel the stress literally fall away.

But wait.....there's more..... a window seat!!!

With a view !!!!

And then we had dinner......just had to show you the menu for our first evening. A five course meal with a cleanser of lemon sorbet topped with iced vodka after the gazpacho and butter basted lobster for the main. Creme brulee topped with flambéed bananas and roasted cashews for dessert. Yum. Most of the veggies came from the kitchen garden. The second night we elected to eat on the main street.

It was heavenly....

More to come about the gallery,The Kingsbrae gardens, Saint Andrews and the historic Algonquin Hotel ( We even went on a ghost tour there)
Part 2