I rolled to my side and stretched as I heard the birds chirping outdoors. In my mind I ran through the list of things I hoped to accomplish today. I wouldn't be starting work for a few more days so first on the list was to find the nearest grocery store to stock up the kitchen. Luckily the cottage came furnished so I wouldn't need to worry about any additional furnishings.
I also needed to make a dry run to find the McCarty's house where I'd be working as a nanny and tutor. After hitting a dead end trying to find a teaching position on the Island, I happened upon an ad online for a family looking for a nanny/home school instructor for their two children. A Skype interview later and I had the position secured. Rosalie and her husband Emmett ran a local garage. The previous nanny just moved off the island so the timing could not have been better. I'll take it as a sign. They lived in Cornwall, which is only 20 minutes from the cottage, but given my poor sense of direction I wanted to make sure I could find it easily on the first day.
Making up the bed, I realized that I needed to grab my Keurig machine out of the car. I may not need much, but I wouldn't be helpful to anyone, including myself, until I had my cup of coffee. The only Starbucks on the island was back in the city so I'd be relying on my k-cups for the morning boost. Setting up the machine only took a minute. Soon I was making my grocery list while sipping coffee out on the front porch. A quick run down the path to the main house and I had directions from Carlisle to the local grocery store.
Growing up in a small town I was used to everyone knowing each other's business, but now I was the outsider. I remember newcomers to our town being gossip for weeks when they first arrived and I was sure this is what I was causing as well as I browsed the aisles. There wasn't much to the store but it had the basics I would need. As I checked out at the register, the girl with the nametag saying "Jessica" began to ask the basics of my trip. As friendly as she seemed, there was something about her tone that had me keeping my answers short.
Since I was already close by the McCarty's, I took a ride to find their house. I passed by their house on the main route and could see a few cars up at the house in the distance at the end of the drive. It was a beautiful house, right on the river, which I'm sure their children enjoyed. I wasn't sure how I lucked out. Driving back through town I saw the local post office, pizza shop and a Tim Horton's coffee shop. Maybe I should have been a bit friendlier to Jessica at the store. It may be difficult to make friends in a new town when there isn't a place for nightlife to meet anyone.
Arriving back at the cottage I dropped off my groceries and changed for the beach. It was a long walk down the drive and across the street to get to the National Park beach. A set of stairs ran down the cliff onto the red clay beaches. The tide was out, which allowed for a long stretch of beach open. I set up my beach blanket, umbrella and cooler along the cliff wall and strolled along the waterside. Only a few people were out along the beach, a few children splashing in the water further out. Back home these beaches would be overcrowded with families soaking up the end of summer. Something truly was magical about the red cliffs diving down into the open warm water. Yes, this move was exactly what I needed for my new life.