Tag: Memories

Coffee Catch-up #6

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If we were having coffee I would tell you how I am enjoying getting back into regular blogging by participating in Blogging from A – Z 2016. My theme is loosely based around Australia and my travels, so it has been fun remembering and sharing my knowledge and fun. Despite being a bit behind I will complete the task by the end of April.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how surprised I was to find white spots on the underside of the water filter when I finally changed it last night, later than it was meant to be changed. My son is convinced it’s just the charcoal changing colour and I am happy to go with that theory as the thought of me swallowing anything else filtered through my water is a bit much for me to cope with.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that this week I clicked over 20,000 views on my blog. When I started Inspiring Max less than 2 years ago I didn’t dream this was possible. Now I ask myself how long will it take me to reach 50,000 views and I tell myself that if I work hard at it, maybe 18 months. I would also tell you how grateful I am for my regular followers as well as random viewers I receive. I would also tell you that I love that my blogging community grows daily.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how frustrated I am with the inconsistencies around new parking laws in Australia. In New South Wales at least I was recently booked for parking less than 10 metres from the curb. The ironic thing was that my daughter and I had discussed in the morning the distance we were parked from the curb and estimated it to be 10 metres. However looking more closely, after the fine, we realized we had parked less than 10 metres from the curb, but we weren’t happy that all the cars parked on the 4 corners of that street should have been booked not just us — no one else was.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how much I enjoyed catching up with our special friends last Saturday drinking French champagne together. I am grateful to have special friends that even though we only catch-up with them randomly these days due to commitments with life, we always just pick up from where we left off after our last visit.

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If we were having coffee I would ask you what you have been up to this last week, let me know in the comments.

E -Emu

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Emus are our national bird and take pride of place with the kangaroo on our coat of arms.  They are our largest bird, second only to the Ostrich in the world and can range in height up to 2 metres and weigh up to 45 kilograms. Outside the cities especially in rural and remote Australia, emus are a common site as they roam free and can survive in extremes of temperatures.

Country singer John Williamson penned his famous infectious tribute Old Man Emu many years ago and it has become part of everyday culture. In the song he compares the emu to other animals and birds, focusing on its assets not what it can’t do — fly. I think this isn’t a bad philosophy to live by.

By nature, emus are curious creatures and aren’t shy in coming forward. If they want something, they will come at you quickly. Here are a few examples:

  • Back in the 1980’s my husband was driving on a dirt road when an emu began running beside him. Initially, he thought nothing of it, then suddenly for no reason the emu suddenly turned and crashed into his car.
  • In the 1990’s we were visiting Wagga Wagga Botanical Gardens talking to the kids about emus when one suddenly leaned over the fence and pecked my father’s red shirt. He wasn’t hurt but the kids thought it was very funny and have never forgotten it.
  • In 2000’s we were visiting a private zoo in Tasmania where they had trained the emus. We joined a group of about 20-30 people to ride around the emu pen in an open truck and feed the emus. Everyone had a bag of feed and held it out in one hand. Then suddenly the scariest thing happened. All of the emus descended onto the truck eating the food from the white bags. All you could see was emu heads in your face. They were very delicate and didn’t hurt anyone but the noise between the screams and the emus was deafening. An experience I will never forget. Australia also has a big emu, Stanley who guards the highway just out of Lightening Ridge. If your driving past don’t forget to give him a wave.

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https://www.inspiringmax.com/stanley-the-emu/

If you have any fun emu stories I would love to hear about them. Let me know about them  in the comments.

D – Driftwood Sculptures

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I came across these amazing driftwood sculptures while driving through the countryside in North Island New Zealand. The artist appeared to work from his home which was surrounded by these beautiful creations. I remember feeling creative just looking at them.

C – Cockington Green Gardens

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Cockington Green Gardens located in Canberra—Australia’s capital is home to meticulous crafted and highly detailed miniature buildings and landscapes. It is a wonderful place full of creativity with replicas of many international known buildings or scenes. If your ever visiting Canberra take a couple of hours and enjoy a roam around the gardens and be inspired.

B – The Big Banana

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B

 

In yesterday’s post I mentioned that Australia has over 150 big things. The original big thing — The Big Banana opened in 1964 and recently celebrated its 50th birthday. John Landi came up with the idea initially to get more people to stop at his banana stall on the Pacific Highway, Coffs Harbour. It worked. Australians and international visitors stopped in droves to visit the Big Banana and taste the iconic chocolate coated bananas. I remember my first trip as a young and impressionable 10-year-old travelling north on my first road trip. There were bananas everywhere and the Big Banana itself looked so much like a real banana. Then I discovered why, the designer had cut up the most perfectly shaped banana into 40 pieces to build the pattern.

 

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Over the years the Big Banana has grown into the biggest tourist attraction on the North Coast of New South Wales. It is now called The Big Banana Fun Park and includes Laser Tag, an Ice Skating Rink, a Wild Toboggan Ride, a 36 hole Mini Golf Course and Water Park. There is also “The World of Bananas” multimedia experience, plantation and a packing shed, nursery, café, gift and souvenir shop, a Candy Kitchen and Cheese Making Workshop. There is definitely something here for everyone including a mandatory selfie in front of the iconic Big Banana.

Last year I returned with my family and enjoyed sharing my fond memories of the Big Banana with my children, and created some new ones. I was also excited to discover the Big Banana’s monkey who helps entertain the million visitors each year is called Max.

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It’s no wonder the Park’s slogan is “It’s a bunch of fun.”

 

A – Australian Fun Facts

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What better way to start the April 2016 A – Z challenge than with some fun facts about my amazing country, Australia.

  1. Our population hit the big time this year when we made it to 24 million people.
  • Australians love to shorten words and add an O to the end, for example ambulance driver becomes ambo.
  • The first selfie was taken in Australia.
  • The box jellyfish kills more people annually than sharks, stone fish and crocodiles combined.
  • Australia has over 10,000 beaches. you could visit one a day for 27 years.
  • The Emu and the Kangaroo are on our coat of arms because neither animal can walk backwards.
  • On Christmas Eve, 1974 Darwin one of Australia’s capital cities was destroyed by cyclone Tracy, a category 5 cyclone.
  • In 1973, the Australian government spent $1.35 million dollars to purchase Jackson Pollack’s Blue Poles. At the time, this was a very controversial decision, however it is now recogised as a great work of art, worth all the money and more.

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  • Melbourne has the world’s largest Greek population outside of Athens.
  • 83% of Australia’s population live within 50 kilometres of the coast.
  • Since 2012 Australia has been recognised as the world’s most obese nation with 26% of the population obese.
  • Australia was the second country in the world to allow women to vote.
  • Australia has the world’s large supply of camel’s with one hump and exports them to Saudia Arabia.
  • Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world.
  • There are over 150 big things in Australia.

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Landscape

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Some of the many and varied amazing landscapes of New Zealand’s North Island.

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https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/landscape/

Snapshots of Fanta Wild, China

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Tell a broad story using a series of short, focused scenes.

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This was our day at Fanta Wild Adventure Park, Zhenzhou, China. We came to watch our daughter in the diving show and enjoyed immersing ourselves in another culture, creating many amazing memories  as we were stopped by many of the locals wanting to take a photo with us and practice their English as we toured the park.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/discover-challenges/snapshots/

Weekly Photo Challenge: State of Mind

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I can still remember the excitement my husband and I felt when we found the Flamingo Pond in Kowloon Park, Hong Kong. We had walked past the park everyday however we didn’t realise what it actually was until our second last day when we entered and found a secret treasure. Prior to this experience as Australians we had only seen the odd Flamingo in a zoo. These beautiful creatures in a flock were majestic. We stood watching them for more than twenty minutes leaving because the sun was beginning to set.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/state-of-mind/

Share Your World – 2016 Week #7

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What are you a “natural” at doing? 

I am naturally good at the balance sport—trampoling, roller skating and ice skating.

I am naturally good at resolving conflicts and being the go to person when people want a friend to talk to. I would get the ex best friends talking again and suddenly I was being ignored again.

I am a naturally good at knitter. The first time I created something my teacher didn’t believe that I had done it because it was too perfect and looked like my mother had knitted it.

Would you prefer a one floor house or multiple levels?

Having lived in both I definitely prefer an open plan single storey house.

What was your favorite subject in school?

I don’t remember having a favourite subject at school although possibly home science. I did okay at school but I had to work at it.

Complete this sentence: If only the rain.. would stop or turn into snow. This is what my husband and I said to each other last Christmas when we had traveled to Canada for a white Christmas and the rain kept washing away the small amount of snow we got.

 “What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?”

Last week I was grateful for the many learn opportunities I had at work through mistakes made. This week I am looking forward to giving my 10th advanced speech and receiving my Advanced Communicator Bronze award at Toastmasters.

Share Your World – 2016 Week 7