Spring is in the air and the Farmer's Market in Aurora is hopping

What a great start to the Mother's Day Weekend. Yes I said weekend.  One day isn't enough to celebrate all the beautiful mom's in the world.  After all everyday is Father's Day, so surely we can steal a weekend :)))).  

A little Nine and Dine golf on Friday night with good friends.  A beautiful night for walking the course and the meal at Kings Riding was excellent.  Lindsey and I did a splitsy.  My favourite way to eat.  This way you get to try two meals.  A little cobb salad and a butternut squash ravioli.  A perfect combination.  Then much to my surprise Rachel decided to come home Friday night.  David is in London, England so we connected via social media and the telephone.  Andrew was off fishing for the weekend and Jim had a golf date so Rachel and I had Saturday all to ourselves.  

The day started sunny and warm, a quick cuppa "water and lemon" and off we went to the Aurora Farmers Market.  We headed straight over to Cookery Catering for an egg, brisket and hash brown breakfast.  Absolutely delish, it was a hard decision between that and the banana bread french toast. Picked up some of Andrew Evans and Matt Orr's wonderful beetroot and a bonus of ginger molasses cookies which Rachel and I wolfed down, we weren't sharing with the boys.   

There were lots of families out checking everything out.  Lots of choices for food - pea meal on a bun, Mexican tortillas - etc, baking, and fresh veges just starting to come in.

Rachel picked up a couple jars of jerk chicken sauce.  She made it for Jay last night and said it was amazing, looks like I will have to make a trip over to get some.  

Coffee freshly roasted up in Georgina at the Green River Coffee Company.  I picked Jim up a pound, can't wait to try it.  

Hurst Bakery had a stand, needless to say it was very busy and smelled wonderful.

It was a little blustery, not sure how he was able to walk never mind juggle.  The kids followed him around like the Pied Piper :))

The stalls were so colourful, candy, knick knacks, fresh soup and how could we resist the Girl Guide Cookies.  2 boxes please.  

Picked up a few more things and then headed over to the garden centre to pick up some flowers to take over to my parents and brothers gravesite in Mississauga.  The day just kept getting more beautiful, somehow we ended up on the deck having a glass of wine before our trip to the Bluberi Beauty Lounge to pamper our fingers and toes.

Just a wonderful relaxing day.  Thank you Rachel for sharing it with me.  xo

Mating Season at MacKenzie Marsh

 My good friend happens to be the best "Welcome Wagon" lady you could hope to find in a small/mid sized town.  If I want to know something about Aurora I call MaryJo.  Swimming times, garbage pick ups, you name it she knows and if not she'll find out.  Well I was very surprised when she phoned yesterday to tell me I should take my camera over to MacKenzie Marsh on St. John's Sideroad on the east side of Yonge in Aurora.  She was quite excited that the geese had returned.  Seriously MJ, geese, this is Canada.  They are everywhere.  She promptly tells me to get my camera and get over to the pond, they are wandering around the ice on the pond and look like they are nesting. 

MacKenzie Marsh is part of a trail system that joins Aurora up with Newmarket and I gather it goes all the way up to Green Lane.  Definitely have to take a bike ride up in the summer - if only I had a bike. The trail system throughout York Region is called the Nokiidaa Trail   Here is a link to the  Town of Aurora Trail information. 

I wake up this morning and it's grey and cold, nope not going to the pond.  Well around 1:30 the sun is out and I'm thinking, if you don't do this you are going to be kicking yourself.  Get going.  I park my car on the road into the retirement building.  Looking at the mud, I am cursing MJ, she will be getting a phone call if I get stuck.  

There are actually other people here.  The first thing you notice isn't the geese (no - not the poop either), it's the noise.  HONK HONK.  The 2 ladies walking in front of me are being told off quite emphatically by this very proud looking Canadian Geese.  I am thinking I might have to use my camera as a weapon :)  - kidding, kinda.  

Most of the geese on the north side of the pond are either on the grass or quite far back in the pond.  I am a little disappointed that they aren't closer.  I'm thinking maybe of crossing to the other side, but boy there is a lot of traffic and these cars are moving pretty fast.  Finally there is a break and I dart across the road.  Right away the HONKING starts again.  

Now one thing I am willing to admit is that I am not an expert on geese.  But as I watch these guys I am willing to speculate that the big one is the male and is quite bossy.  The little one which I am presuming is the female decides to leave the reeds and go for a swim.  Well what a fuss the big guy puts up.  Her whole swim he is just honking away at her.  

Myself, I think she is crazy, 

All of a sudden 2 more geese land and start approaching.  Not happening, they are still 100 feet away and Mr Goose attacks.  He is downright vicious.  No way are they getting near his little goose.  

Honking at them the whole time.  Now I know what that word "cacophony" was invented for.  

Gotta say it doesn't look like it would be much fun landing in the slush on top of the ice.  

Once they leave, he gets her back in amongst the reeds and seems to calm right down.  It is going to be quite the spring over at the marsh.  The neighbours overlooking the pond may have to keep their windows closed if they want to get any sleep.  Mating season is just starting.

On the way back home I decide to stop at the little pond on Willow Farm.  Lots of memories of my kids playing pond hockey there.  Amazingly it is still pretty frozen, being nestled in amongst some beautiful evergreens, it doesn't get quite as much sun as the MacKenzie Marsh does.  

One lonely hockey net has been left on the pond, hopefully the owners rescue it before the pond melts totally.  

This pond is so quiet compared to the big pond and I start to head back to my car, when just out of the corner of my eye I catch some movement.  The Great Blue Heron has returned.  Not sure why, but he just seems male :).  He is standing quiet as can be back amongst the reeds.  Beside him 2 quiet little ducks.  So dainty compared to their cousins the Canada Geese lol.  Every spring this heron (for sure the same one) stops for a break in his trip at our little pond.  (I am sure he is heading up to the Muskokas).  And then the same in the fall as he heads back south.  I am thinking he may have made his appearance a little early this year.  Wishful thinking on his part, spring may have arrived, but winter hasn't left yet.

Thanks MJ, it was well worth the visit.  Take a trip over to some of the beautiful ponds we have here in Aurora and let me know who has arrived.  

Warning:  Might be traumatic for small children  :)

Sheppard's Bush - the Maple Syrup is gone

Sunny and 7 degrees today and my camera was itching to take me for a walk.  Sheppard's Bush home to many a girl guide/brownie hike and some great maple syrup seemed like the place to go.  

It is located right smack in the middle of Aurora, although when we 1st moved here it was the eastern outskirts of the town.  From 1989 to 2000, our family spent nearly every Monday to Thursday there, along with what seemed like everyone we knew in Aurora.  The western side of the park is home to 13 soccer fields, from Mite to Standard.  There were times when all 3 kids were playing at different size fields.  So convenient when they were all there rather than having to race around town to drop them off and pick them up.  Those fields are still there, one even has lights and a grandstand (ok a small grandstand).  

Not sure what these are, looks like some crazy form of torture.  lol, along the pathways there are fitness exercises you can do as you enjoy your walk.  In the summer the pathways are full of runners I am sure trying out all of these.  Maybe next year O:)

Today there weren't any soccer players but surprisingly there were people walking the trails in the forest.  I had forgot it was March Break, so there were a number of kids and parents and people just taking a break from their busy day having a lovely walk through the 3 kms of trails.  

As I started along the trail I could smell a wood fire and right away I started picturing pancakes and maple syrup.  Usually the maple trees would have taps and buckets hanging from them, not today.  Every March the Aurora Lions Club used to do a pancake cookout in the park.  There was a fully functioning sugar bush and the building to cook it.  Unfortunately Sheppard's Bush doesn't operate their sugar bush anymore.    

This used to be bustling with lots of pancake eaters.  Now it can be booked for functions both private and public.  Lots of time spent here with the Guide program.

This is the building where the syrup was boiled.  

This is an old log home that was moved from Pefferlaw.

There were signs saying to watch for wildlife, the only animal that scurried across my path was the little black squirrel.

It is just as beautiful in the summer and the fall and totally different compared to today.  Here's some more information on beautiful Sheppard's Bush.  

If you do want to enjoy some local maple syrup then check out Scanlon Creek, it's still running their maple syrup demonstration during March Break, another beatiful area in York Region.    Click here for some information on Canada's Maple Syrup business.   

Beautiful Aurora - so many places to enjoy :)