Milford Track and Queenstown

After a year in the making, Shannon's 'Fellowship of the Sound' gathered from around the Globe to hike the Milford Track together over five days. Shannon and Mirielle wanted to do something memorable for their 50th birthdays so planned a big trip to New Zealand and invited us all along. In the end Eleven of us said yes and made out was to Queenstown to begin the adventure. 

Family + Fun { Shannon and Mireille Visit }

This summer was our busiest yet. Holidays were had, our baby was born and all of my siblings visited. There is nothing more beautiful than Nova Scotia in summer and I was so glad to share it all with Shannon, Mireille, Taylor and Cierra, and then later Courtney joined us all too. I gave birth to Quill on the Tuesday and then the Ryan's arrived on the Saturday! The timing was actually great. I had a few days to recover from the birth and then I had lots of people to cuddle Quill, keep me company and clean my kitchen! (my least favourite household task). The Ryan's are great at seizing the day and as seasoned adventures took off in the directions I suggested and found the fun. I joined them for the shorter trips and some of my fav spots and in between there was lots meals together, making smores by the fire, lake swims and paddle boarding, reconnecting and sharing.

The Sun and her Flowers

Summer this year coincided with the last few months of my pregnancy and despite not feeling great I was really determined to enjoy every moment and opportunity that it presented. As we came to the beginning of September and very close to our baby's arrival, the weekend of his due date in fact, there was two things I wanted to do from my summer bucket list. One was to visit the sunflower farm in the valley and the next was to eat pasta and bread and butter pudding from our favourite little restaurant set on the banks of Williamstown river. So we set off on Saturday, our last adventure as a family of four and took the beautiful drive once more to the Valley.

Summer in Nova Scotia

There are all the BIG moments of summer, weekend trips away, visits to other provinces, visitors coming and exploring but there are also so many SMALL moments that put together the story of living summer in Nova Scotia, a whirlwind of fun, beauty and adventure. A time and place that will be in my memory and my heart forever and ever. 

On the Road { Tate and Hanna Visit }

I think that the Cumberland Shore is one of the best kept Nova Scotia secrets. Just a few days early we had been on one side of the Bay of Fundy, now we were on the other, winding our way along the shore and stopping at all the treasures along the way. 

So Much to Love { Tate and Hanna Visit }

Any and every direction you travel in Nova Scotia will bring you to amazing and diverse beauties. I love that you can travel just an hour in any direction and find beautiful things to see and do, so unique and quintessentially Nova Scotia. I had spent the previous few years compiling a list and seeking out the very best of Nova Scotia and the Valley is right up there as one of my favourites. 

The Lighthouse & Lunch { Tate & Hanna Visit }

There is so much to see and do in Halifax in the summer and no Halifax visit is complete without Peggy's Cove. It's the most photographed lighthouse in Canada and a beautiful place to explore. It still holds on to it's quaintness as a little east coast fishing village despite the incredible amount of tourists who make their way through it. The kids had lots of fun playing on the rocks even with a few puddle falling incidents. The rocks are so unique and it's a beautiful place to walk around and gaze out on the Atlantic ocean. One of my favourite things at Peggy's Cove are the Lobster rolls which we had for our lunch after wandering through the little town and taking in the beautiful views of fishing life on the coast. 

Hello and Off We Go { Tate & Hanna Visit }

The Ryan family coming to Halifax was the most anticipated event of the summer. The kids could not wait! It had been almost two years since we had last all seen each other and we were beyond excited to come together again. In preparation we made a welcome sign, made beds and made plans. And on the day they arrived we were ready for the fun to begin. 

The Lake of Shining Waters

After leaving Palmyra and travelling back across the boarder to Ontario we found we had half the day and some energy to do some more exploring and drive over to some of the sites that the Anne of Green Gables movie was filmed at. Although the story is set on Prince Edward Island and some of the filming did take place there, much of it was done in Ontario. Lucy Maud herself said after she had made her home in Ontario that it was the only place that came close to the splendors of the island, so I suppose filming there was okay : ) I have always wanted to see the Green Gables house of the movie and the beautiful bridge that many sweet and moving scenes take place on and this was my chance.

At This Very Place

We took a little sojourn during our visit with Jen and Stew to head into upstate New York and spend a few days at the church history sites around Palmyra. This was a trip years in the making. Levi and I use to speak about taking this trip when we were missionaries and throughout our marriage it has been a discussion we have returned to. The idea of seeing where key events in the church's history took place was really exiting to us and provides beautiful context to the events important to our faith. It wasn't until I realised how close Toronto is to upstate New York (3 hours) that it became obvious that this would be an easy trip and one we could combine with seeing our dear friends the Lokers.

Summer Visit to the Lokers

Living just a short plane ride away from our dear friends the Lokers has been an absolute highlight of moving to Canada. Each year we have either gone to them, or they have come to us and this summer we headed their way for a great catch up and some Ontario must do's too along the way.

Island Treasures

We feel as though Prince Edward Island is a home away from home now. This was our third visit in as many years and with many of our bucket list items having been visited and revisited we had a really special opportunity to just go slow and enjoy some of the hidden gems of island life. 

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. 

A Tribute to the Best ( Italian Getaway Part 4 }

There was so much to love. It really was a near perfect holiday. We love you, Ciao Italy! Til next time.

Favourite activities

Wanderings through streets of Rome ❤️

Pantheon ❤️

Campo di fiori ❤️

Sat on the Spanish Steps, walked to the top for a great view of Rome ❤️

Walk to colosseum / wander the exhibits and levels ❤️

Under the Tuscan Sun { Italian Getaway Part 3 }

Oh Tuscany, you are a hazy, sunlight filled, lazing dream. But the journey didn't quite start that way...

The Cinque Terre { Italian Getaway Part 2 }

After a bit of a rush to make our train it was nice to sit back and relax; reading, drawing and knitting as the train wound us along the coast to our destination. Arriving in the Cinque Terre is really breathtaking. These incredible little towns are literally perched on cliff faces by the sea. The terrain in mountainous and exploring means lots of meandering which suited us perfectly.

When in Rome { Italian Getaway Part 1 }

Before I go to a big famous city I'm always a little nervous that navigating it is going to be tricky. I think this comes from having lived most of my life in Sydney and even working in the city and still feeling a bit lost when I am in there. So I'm always pleasantly surprised when it's actually easy as pie and right away I feel at home. This was my immediate experience in Rome and I fell in love immediately. And what's not to love? The cobblestoned streets lead you through narrow lanes that open into wide squares holding the architectural treasures of Rome. You can't help but feel you've just stumbled across them. The same goes with gelato and food, every corner holds some new delicious wonder and while your eyes and mouth feast on all there is to see and eat, you experience a little piece of heaven.

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.