Van Gogh Magic

Living close to Australia's capital brings lots of exciting things to our doorstep with the added bonus that they usually aren't too busy. Canberra has changed a whole lot since I lived here almost 15 years ago and I love it more with each passing year. Lots to see and do, so easy to get around and something new always popping up. The Van Gogh Alive exhibition came so Finley, Primrose and I took Grandma and shared the magic experience together. It really was beautiful. 

Capturing the Moment

We really had such a wonderful summer with Mum and Dad with us. They gave us the motivation to make the most of each day and explore so much of Nova Scotia that we had wanted to see. I really feel like we didn't waste a moment. Down time was spent in the best way possible, swimming, talking, reading, knitting, puzzle making, playing. And all the the go time was just so diverse and wonderful, every day bought us something new and different. Things we had never seen before made all the more special by seeing it together. 

Scarecrows and Apples

Fall in Nova Scotia is such a beautiful time of year. It's a wonderful time to go for drives and appreciate the changing leaves as well as visit small towns that don't let the beauty of the season pass unmarked. One such town is Mahone Bay, famed for it's much painted view of three churches and home to the Scarecrow Festival. 

Giving Thanks for the Bounty of Fall

Fall is definitely my favourite season. I think I love it so much because it is the most vibrant season and you never see or experience anything like it at home. The days are sunny with that crisp air ushering in the change of the season marked by the beauty of the leaves, all shades of red, orange and yellow. This year we picked apples, with apple pie in mind and visited Dill's Giant Pumpkin farm to marvel at the pumpkins and pick a few of our own to carve for Halloween.

Lunenburg and the Bluenose

Lunenburg, the historic colourful town set on a hill is one of the gems of Nova Scotia and home to the Bluenose. September weather is hit or miss and we chose a chilly day to embark on a sea voyage, but we bundled up and joined Jack and Deborah for a sail on the iconic ship. Dad got to try out his op shop Canada Goose jacket which seemed to do the trick and off we went. The best part is being able to see the view of Lunenburg from the water with all of it's colourful buildings and being out in that fresh sea air.

Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island is definitely our favourite place to visit in the summer and it was exciting to take Mum and Dad over for their own experience. There is so much to see and do there, we have hardly scratched the surface ourselves, so we planned some new things for all of us and some island must do's too.

Travellers Trails

Peggy's Cove is the number one tourist destination in Nova Scotia and the most photographed lighthouse in the world. The reason for it's fame isn't only the picturesque lighthouse standing atop a beautiful rock formation but also the little fishing community it is home to, so quintessentially maritimes, and the story of how the village got it's name - an orphaned little girl named Peggy who the village took in.  

Advocate Harbour

My wonderful friend Blanche is also my unpaid Nova Scotia travel guide and she had long been telling me to visit Advocate Harbour and stay at a little campground she loves. My parents coming seemed the perfect opportunity to go and with it only two hours away we went for the weekend and booked one night where she suggested. It was fun to be exploring somewhere totally new to all of us and it turned out for me to be one of the highlights of my whole time in Nova Scotia.

Blueberry Crush

Last year we discovered a fantastic blueberry farm only 30 minutes from our house with blueberries for only $2 a pound. So we headed back this year only to discover it was an incredible season for blueberries and they were not only in abundance but they were huge and delicious! With my berry picking experience thus far, I have to say that they are the easiest and most fun to pick. You look for big ripe clumps of berries and brush them off the stalks. This year it was so easy and in no time at all we had a huge haul.

Cape Breton

Cape Breton is one of the true gems of Nova Scotia. We had visited with Jen and Stew last summer (read here) and we were excited to take Mum and Dad to share in it's beauty too. It's about a 4 hour drive from Halifax and with car packed to the brim and a kayak on top we took off for a long weekend. This was the first of many road trips together and we had the energy and excitement that comes with that. Some singing and question from my 'get to know your spouse' book gave us amble entertainment for the drive up and we arrived in Baddeck to our little cottage on the lake with time to spare to enjoy the afternoon.

Maud Lewis and her Little House

Maud Lewis is an iconic Nova Scotia folk artist who perfectly captures the feel of the Maritimes. There is so much about her story that endears her. She lived in the tiny house above, that is on display in it's entirety in the Nova Scotia Art Gallery, and painted despite crippling childhood arthritis and quite a tragic life. She is a little tiny ray of sunshine and despite her troubles was said to always be cheerful and positive. This is all reflected in her art that once sold for 10 cents a picture and now goes for closer to $20 000. 

Tall Ships and Markets { Mum & Dad Visit }

Mum and Dad came in the perfect year. The stars aligned on lots of great events and sites with the 150th Anniversary of Canada including the Tall Ships Festival which only comes to Halifax once every four years. Our first experience seeing them was in Halifax and then later we saw a few again in Louisbourg on our weekend visit up there.

Splendors of the Valley

The Annapolis Valley is one of the true gems of Nova Scotia. It hugs the Bay of Fundy and right along it there are beautiful sites to see and awesome things to do. I have been lucky enough (as tour guide) to see so much of it. Levi and I have hiked the Cape Split Trail, we have camped with the Quists at Blomidon, we have discovered the best pasta outside of Italy at an unsuspecting little eatery and we have apple and berry picked the finest. 

Otters and Reindeer and Moose, Oh My

One of our little summer adventures took us to the Shubenacadie Wildlife in search of their moose, Sable Island horses and Shubenacadie Steve, their resident groundhog. We had a beautiful day and a lovely roam around discovering all sorts of fun and wonderful creatures. Steve wasn't coming out of his hole, nor would the moose stand up! But we found our favourites in the dear, the white wolves and especially the otters which were so playful and fun to watch. We even got to see a reindeer which was a real highlight and some very sleepy bears.

Welcome to Halifax, Nova Scotia

I'm writing this entry months after Mum and Dad have left and returned home but I'm putting it at the beginning of my posts on their visit because the pictures and the thoughts really symbolize just how anticipated their visit was. We could not wait for them to arrive and when they did we had such a fantastic time together. We did and saw so much and in between we had experiences that bought us all together. There really is nothing like having the people you love with you.