Memory Mondays Week 8

It is nearing the beginning of spring again and my Aussie blood can hardly wait. I love how different the seasons are in Canada compared to back home, you truly see the 4 seasons. Spring is where everything comes alive, especially the maple trees.

I was on couch surfing around this time last year and saw that there was someone from the Central Coast (where i'm from) in Halifax, I messaged him and he was living there also. We all decided to go to a place about 1 and a half hr drive out of the city called Sugar Moon farms and if that name doesn't make you want to go there then the fact that it is where they make real maple syrup sure should!

We happened to go there at the right time because on our particular tour was when they fired up the oven and started boiling the sap to make the syrup and boy was that one time that I wish I had more of a sense of smell! After learning all about how it is made we then made some maple candies rolling up the warm syrup from the snow on our sticks. After going for a walk in the woods we came back to the restaurant for an all around maple flavored lunch. To top it all off I got a maple leaf tattoo that night because I said I would if Canada won the Gold in the Ice hockey in the Vancouver Olympics.

Oktoberfest in September, In Feburary.

Yesterday my boyfriends good friend who is going to Europe this summer was asking me what places I think they really shouldn't miss out on and I realized I haven't done a Europe post in a little while so I thought I would this morning..

I realize that this post has A LOT of photos so I won't talk for too long about it but basically last year was the 200th year of Oktoberfest. It meant bigger crowds than usually but also more parades etc. I was there for the first weekend of it with the tapping of the first keg, which i wasn't able to see because they do it inside one of the beer halls and even though I got there at 9am to get a seat and the tappping wasn't until 12noon I still couldn't get in.

The first weekend is also known as Aussie weekend. Pretty much every person speaking english there on that first weekend had an Australian accent. I stayed at the topdeck campsite and it really was like a little Australia. It actually was quite soothing for someone like me missing home. It was pretty funny though because even though the campsite was probably 95% Australian, 3% New Zealander, I somehow ended up finding the only English people there to hang out with.

So what are my tips for Oktoberfest? If you're going to camp, make sure you are very intoxicated when you're going to sleep or have a very warm sleeping bag- It was freezing!!! Get to the beer halls early if you want a seat. and most but not least make sure you see more of the city than the beer halls or camping ground, Munich is an amazing place and my next travel blog will be about that!

Missing pieces..

Before Christmas I got obsessed with Etsy. I bought most of my Christmas presents on there and even opened up a store to sell my photography in. I haven't really been too active with it to tell you the truth and that is probably why I haven't sold anything yet but when I saw that some people were putting together a shop to help the people effected by the Queensland floods I had to submit something. I had been working on making Jigsaw jewellery for a little while, mainly for myself but when I saw this I thought it would be perfect as it would be nice and light to send anywhere in the world and I already had it made.

Unfortunately the shop will be closed Thursday night Australian eastern standard time so if you would like to help out a worthwhile cause and get something unique for your trouble then head on over to the Etsy flood relief appeal site!

Click on the picture below to go to my entry.

Memory Mondays Week 7

As today is what the Ontarian's call 'Family Day' which is a nice excuse for a public holiday and so I thought I would make a post something to do with family. While I was in England over the summer I picked up a book called 'From you to me Grandma' and I gave it to my Nana Kath for her 91st birthday. As she lived in England and I lived in Australia we only really saw each other on the visit Mum and Dad took me on when I was 18months old, which obviously I don't remember and the two times she came out to Australia So I didn't really get to know her as well as what I did my Nana on my Mum's side. That is why I thought this book would be great, I knew she didn't like to write so I went round to her small apartment one rainy day, cupcakes in hand, and sat filling out the book with her. It really dawned on me then how much more a person who is as old as she is has to say, all the things they've seen and been through. At times with some of the questions she didn't want to answer because 'You should only talk about the good times shouldn't you'. She pulled out a bunch of mum and dads wedding photos and said how beautiful mum was and leanne (my cousins girlfriend) kept saying doesn't Erin look like her mum, she didn't get it. was funny. She also pulled out some photos of one of her dogs and some paintings that my Grandad Douglas did.

The newest addition to her teddy bear collection

Her rockin 70's dining table with bright orange chairs.

Here are the questions that are in the book. I highly suggest doing a book like this wit your loved ones for generations to come to enjoy.

tell me about the time and place you were born

what are your earliest memories

i'd like to know about your parents.. names, dates of birth and tell me some stories about them..

tell me about your mothers parents and family

tell me what you know about your fathers parents and family..

please detail what you know of our family tree

what interesting information do you know about other people in our family

heres some space for you to add more about our family that will interest generations to come..

what do you remember about the places you lived when you were a child

what were your favourite childhood toys or games

what sort of pets did you have when you were young and what were thier names

what do you remember about holidays you took as a child

what did you do for entertainment when you were young

what did you study at school and what were you best at?

tell me about the things you did as a child that are different for todays children

what did you wnat to be when you grew up

what were your favourite hobbies when you were young

did you have an idol when you were young? tell me who and why..

what was the first piece of music you bought

what chores had to be done when you were young that aren't needed to be done today?

describe any family traditions that you have or maybe still have

what age were you when you started work tell me about the jobs you have had

how did you meet my grandfather

what would you do for a night out when you were dating

tell me about a special peice of music that you and my grandfather had just for you

describe your wedding

choosing the names of your children can be difficult how did you decide

i would love to know more about my parents what can you tell me

tell me about what my dad was like when they was younger

how did you feel when you were told you were going to be a grandparent

what did you think when you first saw me after i was born

can you see any characteristics in me that come from other people in our family

in what ways am i similar or different to dad/ mum

describe some of your favourite memories of the times we have spent together

describe what you like about me

is there anything you would like to change about me

tell me about the friends you have had in your life

what peice/s of music would you choose in your own favourite top 10

tell me about the furthest place you have travelled to

what are the happiest or greatest memories of your life

what are a few of your favourite things?

describe your memory of some major world events that have happened in your lifetime

describe the greatest change that you have seen in your lifetime so far

do you think life today is better or worse than when you were young? how is it different?

who or what has been the greatest influence on you?

if you were an animal.. what type of animal would you be and why?

if you won the lottery.. what would you do with the money

what have you found most difficult in your life

what is the biggest regret in you life? can you do anything about it now?

tell me about the things that have made you happy or laugh

with hindsight what would you do differently

describe something you still want to achieve in your life

tell me something you think i wont know about you

what would you like your epitaph to say

given your experiences what advice would you like to offer me

and now your chance to tell me some other personal stories that you want to share

these extra pages are for us to write any questions, memories or answers that may not have been covered elsewhere in the book

for the final record

full name

maiden name

dob

colour of eyes

how tall

blood group

what date completed