An Afternoon Drive

I remember the first time I wanted to go for a ride in a classic car - it was when my friend and I would carpool to school in primary school. The street we'd park the car in before walking up to school had a classic car parked in one of the driveways. My friend and I adored that car, always talked about getting ones of our own, and driving everywhere in them, although our plans were (obviously) never followed through. Of course, I've been able to sit in vintage cars in museums since then, but I have never actually been for a ride in one, until today that is.

This beautiful car belongs to one of my dad's friends, and he has been restoring it for several years now. Today he brought it round to our house and took me out for a short drive - something I've been wanting to do for only the last 12 years of my life! It was kinda scary to begin with, because these cars have no airbags and no seatbelts, but once you start to relax, it becomes fun to feel the wind whipping your hair around, and to smell that classic car smell.

My trip in this car today has rekindled my little dream of owning one of these cars one day, so I'm going to have to start saving now! (although I should probably learn how to drive first...).

I wish you all a happy rest of your week, thanks for reading!

On Learning Dutch

My family on my father's side are all from the Netherlands, and for the last few years I have been really wanting to learn Dutch, but just haven't truly summoned the courage until recently. When we lived in the UK, we visited Holland several times, and I don't remember a lot of what we got up to, but the memories I do have are fond ones - going to the cheese market in Gouda, visiting historic sites, eating sooo many Stroopwafels and Speculaas... I would really love to be able to go back again someday, and be able to speak the language as well.

Resources I am using to learn Dutch:

• Duo Lingo - a lot of you probably know about this site already, but in case you don't, you can go on, create an account, and learn a whole variety of languages for free! I'm currently using it for Dutch and German.
• Future Learn - I'm currently taking part in a (free) 3 week Dutch course, which has been really helping out my speaking skills. It's not quite the same as being able to learn face-to-face, but it's giving me a good start, especially on pronunciation and day-to-day language skills.
• Quizlet - This place is a lifesaver for learning vocabulary! Whether you make your own flashcards, or search for sets that others have made, it has had great benefits for me.

Of course, there are many other resources you can use, the ones I listed are simply the ones I have found to be the most useful, informative, and easy to use.

Now, I'll be honest with you - after learning German for 6+ years, trying to learn Dutch is very hard, and I get the two languages mixed up A LOT! As one might imagine, this does admittedly, lead to some rather awkward situations. However, I also find the similarities between the two languages to be helpful, and I think that already knowing so much German helped me learn words and grammar faster as well.

I have such a great passion for learning languages, and although my schedule is going to be busy next semester with university, my friend and I are looking to do a class or two in Auslan (Australian Sign Language). So, we'll see how that turns out, and hopefully it will be much harder to mix up with the other languages I'm taking!

Apologies for the shorter post today, I've been a little short on time recently what with studying for exams and all, but my last exam is this wednesday, so things will be back to normal soon!

How I Was Productive On My Day Off

This week is one I have been dreading since the start of semester - the week of the statistics midterm. It's not that I don't enjoy statistics, because, as surprising as it may sound, I do I really like analysing things and finding out what's significant and what's not, what I don't enjoy is the 4 tedious hours of class every week, the exam, and the midterm test. Our test goes for 2 hours and for this test we are using the oh-so-lovely-and-simple SPSS (that one was sarcasm) (previously our tests have only been paper-based, and assignments were SPSS based). However, in saying all of that there is something good that comes of of statistics midterm week - no stats lecture!, which for me means I get an extra day off!

After an hour of getting up and procrastinating I decided to tackle my to do list for the day (note: my bullet journal in the photo below is looking much improved since I first started it). 

Despite the cold weather, I simply wasn't in the mood for tea today, so I decided to prepare myself some strawberry water in this cute little jar cup I got a few days ago (actually I got a whole set, but the others are currently storing stationery on my shelves). I know the whole putting-fruit-and-veggies-in-water thing has been a really big thing lately, but it's not as overrated as you might think. Until the start of this year, for me, it had become one of those things that you mean to try out someday, but never do. But one day I watched my friend drinking some one day and got jealous at how delicious it looked, so I made some for myself when I got home that night, and haven't looked back since!

I spent the morning working on my essay for sports psychology (and finally reached the word count!), took a break for lunch, and then came back to my desk to get my readings for the week done.

I successfully ticked everything in my bullet journal off for today, which I'm really happy with. I'm going to try and force myself to take the evening off doing study, and just relax a bit, play some games, maybe watch a few episodes of Dance Academy or Young Dracula (hehehe). I must say I'm rather proud of my efforts today, and I hope this post has inspired you at least a little to make good use of your days off.

Veggie Garden

Vegetable gardens. You may think they're easy and the only thing to it is putting some plants in the dirt and watering them every so often, but oh no, there is so much more to it than that (as I have discovered the hard way). Here's the thing - all my grandparents having a flair for gardening. And not just vegetables, but everything - flowers, veggies, fruit, and all other plants. These genes however, apparently did not get passed on to my parents, or to my sister and I. Whilst we all love the idea of having a little veggie patch out the back, and eating home grown veggies, it's just never really happened (successfully). We have tried and failed with plants more times than I can count, but this time we are determined to succeed.

So, to start us out, my dad built a planter box, which is really quite big. We filled it with pipes, sand, dirt, waterproof liners - the full deal. He even managed to make it so that we only have to water it every couple of weeks.

There is still a little more room in the planter box, but so far we have planted:

• Carrots (mulitcoloured and regular)
• Spring Onion
• Lettuce (salad mix)
• Capsicum
• Chives
• Lemon Basil
• Rosemary
• Parsley
• Oregano
• Thyme

Storm was most intrigued as to what was going on, and actually poked her nose outside for a look.

I am so hoping that we can pull off this veggie garden this time around, and so far so good. This weekend is the farmer's market and there's a stall there which sells these cute little labels for veggie gardens, so hopefully we'll be able to pick up some of those while we're down there.

If you have tried gardening before, or have any tips on how to grow veggies successfully, feel free to drop a comment below!

2015

Hello everyone, and welcome to a new year here at Apple Honey! A little while ago I was watching some videos by Kati Morton and in one of her journal topics she talked about coming up with a theme word for the year. Resolutions are hard to stick to, and I know that when I break them I just end up disappointed in myself. So instead I've decided to go with the theme word idea. The idea is that the theme word is specific enough to motivate you, but it also is able to give you freedom with how you interpret it in your day-to-day life.

In saying all of that my theme word for the year is:

I chose this word (after A LOT of thinking!) for many reasons, but I mainly liked it because, to me, it's about focusing on the good and on God. It's about letting go and finding peace, freedom. I tend to focus far too much on what I feel bad about, what I can't do, rather than what I'm good at and what successes I've had. To me, this is a really important aspect of self love and self care, so hopefully I will be able to 'live in the light' this year, so to say.

It reminds of that quote from Harry Potter:

"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light."

Hmm maybe that sounds corny to you, but I'm sure that there is a little bit of corny in us all!

Happy new years to all my readers, and may 2015 be a wonderful year for you.

What 2014 Has Taught Me

So it's the end of another year here on Earth and oh boy has it ever been a busy one for me! I honestly think this has been one of the most hectic years of my life, and one only has to look through one's photo albums for evidence of this. So much has happened over the last 365 days, and I feel as though a lot has been learnt (for me anyway). Not just academic facts, but things on humourous topics, as well as the subtleties of life. I'm here today to share a few of these with you, and hopefully by the end of reading this post you will have learnt something interesting too. And before you ask, yes, the number of points was intentional :)

1. The RSPCA advises 90 minutes to come in and choose a new furry creature to take home with you. Never has an estimation been so underrated. Instead of 90 minutes, plan for it to take 3-5 hours.

2. University is hard work, but worth it in the end. Studying is better than failing (or not doing as well as you would have hoped).

3. Never accumulate 47 spare notebooks. You will spend much of your free time searching for ideas on how to use them all.

4. Moving house is a pain. Throw out anything you don't need, and unpack boxes asap.

5. People are stronger and braver than they think they are. You always have the willpower to keep fighting whatever it is you are going through. With hard work and persistence you can make it through anything.

6. Friends come and go. That is okay. Not everyone you meet will be your friend forever. This is okay too.

7. Never lose your hope. It will come in handy when you least expect it.

8. Take every opportunity offered to you. Likelihood is that it won't come around again. This point stands whether you are talking about being offered a scholarship, the chance to go overseas, the opportunity to try something new, anything.

9. If you have the chance to be paid $30 for doing an online psychology study - do it! It may not seem like a heap of money, but that doesn't mean it's not worth it.

10. Talk to interesting people, ask them questions. You may not get the chance again.

11. Look at the washing & drying instructions before you wash your favourite dress. This may help avoid them from shrinking.

12. Don't procrastinate writing assignments. Often you lose marks for submitting them late. And get people to read through them before you submit. My teachers have talked about some very odd spelling and wording in essays they have marked in the past. Don't let yourself be one of those people!

13. Make a playlist of study and concentration music which works for you. This will be your saving grace when writing assignments and studying for exams.

14. Finally, don't let the world of academics swallow you whole! Take time out to have lunch, see plays, and laugh with your friends and family. They are your biggest support network.

And on that note dear readers I bid you all a happy new year. Here's to 2015!

5 Highlights of 2014

Since we are nearing the end of the year I thought it would be nice to have a little reflection of how it went, namely, what the best parts were.

1. Getting a cat

2. Going to Coronet Bay - this was just heaps of fun, a great way to relax with my friend before we started university.

3. Starting university

4. Going to Les Mis - nothing much to say about this, except that it was a heap of fun!

5. Visiting London - I think this was by far my favourite part of 2014. My family and I lived there for such a long time, and I hadn't been back since we left (7 years ago!) so it was so lovely to go back and catch up with old friends, and just explore from an 18 years old's perspective, rather than looking around as a 10 year old.

Let me know in the comments what your favourite parts of 2014 have been!

A Little Update

Hello dear readers! First off I would like to apologise for a complete lack of posts over the last week. Things have been really piling up over the last couple of days and I simply haven't had time to type up any new posts.

Yesterday my family and I celebrated Christmas. Now, most of our family lives overseas so there's only five of us in the house, which I honestly quite like - I don't know how on earth people manage to host Christmas lunches for the entire family!

We started out the day in true tradition, opening our stockings and watching some old family videos, before gathering around the tree to open our presents. Then lunch. Ohh lunch! This year we had a barbecue Christmas lunch for the first time and I must say it turned out deliciously. Everyone contributed a little bit - through salad making, sausage cooking, dessert baking. And all the food turned out great!

Anyway, I know that hearing about what I did for Christmas isn't the most exciting thing in the world, so I'm going to end this post in a moment. But first, a quick overview of some upcoming posts.. German Christmas biscuits recipe, Christmas photography, Lost marathon wear, and highlights of 2014.

I hope you are all having a happy holiday season and I'll see you next time!

Summer Holidays

The only good part about exams is being able to make plans for when they are finally over. I thought I would share with you all the things I plan to do over the summer because I am drowning in study right now and need something to look forward to!

Things I Will Do Once Exams Finish:

1. Beach Day

Since starting university my friends and I don't get to see each other very often, simply because we aren't at school together anymore and there is always someone who has an essay due the next day that they haven't started yet. So, this will be one of the first things we do to celebrate the end of first year. Barbecue, swimming, and just general catching up. Should be fun.

2. Christmas Shopping

I am really behind on this. And by really behind I mean I haven't got anything for anybody yet. I'm not very good at buying presents for people at christmas time. I think birthdays are easier, because you only have to focus on one person at a time, but at christmas you gotta get them all done at once!

3. Decorating

Also along the lines of shopping for christmas presents is decorating the house and setting up the tree. This is our first christmas we are spending at this house since we moved earlier in the year, so I am getting excited to figure out where the tree will go and what decorations we will put up around the place.

4. Try out new dance studios

This is just something that my friend and I have been meaning to do for a very long time (this entire year), and we just haven't found the time yet. There are a few we want to try out, but we just need to actually get off our butts and go.

5. Read more!

I ordered a few books a couple weeks ago and three out of the four have arrived, so hopefully I will be able to get around to reading them over the holidays. (10 points to the person who can guess what I'm studying based on the above photo! - the are all related in some way)

So that's about all I have planned at the moment. Let me know what you are going to be doing over the holidays!

A New Family Member

Today my sister, mum and I did something we have been wanting to do for years and years, we adopted a cat! This is the first pet my sister and I have had so we have both been absolutely full of excitement all day.

Storm happily getting cuddles from me.

Storm is a beautiful tabby who was a stray, brought to the RSPCA by the family who found her. She is just two years old, and is apparently likely to remain quite a small cat since she had kittens at a young age.

My sister playing with her - she loves this toy!

So far Storm is fitting into our household very well, taking a huge interest in her carry box, and hiding in her bed. She may have just arrived but, cliche as it sounds, I know that as a family we will make many happy memories with her.

An Outing in the City

We (my friend and I) began the day by going to the Les Miserables exhibition at the State Library, which was really interesting. We learnt about the history of Victor Hugo, and the events that compelled him to write Les Mis. They also had the actual book he wrote it in there, which was incredible to see, and officially the biggest book I have ever seen!

After we had finished looking around the exhibition we headed over the The Windsor Hotel for a high tea lunch. Expectations were high and we weren't disappointed! We were treated to a feast of finger sandwiches, scones, fresh pastries, tea, and so much chocolate and dessert food. We were even given champagne, but neither of us had much of a taste for it.

Overall, the show was amazing! After five years of waiting to see it (I refused to watch the anniversaries or the movie until I had seen the stage show live) I cannot say I was disappointed. As your typical theatre kids my friend and I had a big discussion on the train about it on the way home - there were some things we didn't like so much, but some things we loved (but I think this is just what happens no matter what play/musical you see).

I had a wonderful day yesterday and I already want to go and do it all again!

London

I arrived back from my holiday in London a couple of days ago, and I thought you might like to hear about it. I had a wonderful time, and visited many of the places I went to when I was a kid, so it was nice to see what had changed and what had stayed the same.

One of the first places I visited was Hampton Court Palace. The grounds were beautiful, full of flowers and fountains. Everything looked so green compared to our nature in Australia, which was nice to see for a change.

The following two pictures were taken at the Science Museum, as part of an old technology display. The museum was much the same as I remember it being, although at the same time was much different.

The Barbie doll came out in 1997. You could connect the doll to a computer with the cord, put the CD in the disk drive, and download a topic of phrases for the doll to say.

This is something that we may not even think about using today. The Plan Your Kitchen Kit was to do exactly what it sounds like, the goal being to save on water & electricity consumption when redoing your kitchen through careful planning.

This book themed bench is one of many currently scattered around the city of London based on books & authors (including Jacqueline Wilson & Michael Morpurgo).

I feel that the following two images are fairly self explanatory, so I won't go into detail except for saying that the souvenir shop they have is marvellous!

The final photo is of the Rosetta Stone which is currently located in the British Museum. It was really neat to be able to see such a historically significant object in person.

These are just some of the highlights from my trip to London. Hopefully within the next couple of days I will make a post of some of the more photography shots I took.

This week is fairly busy for me as we have family visiting from overseas and I am planning some things for us to do together, sorting out my timetable allocation (such a big drama - everything has gone wrong!) then I have my birthday party on the weekend, which should be exciting!

Anyway, I seem to have rambled on long enough,I hope you all have a great week!