Remembrance of things past

I firmly believe the universe conspires and works in patterns.

Today is my Remembrance of Things Past Day, it even unfolded in a backwards-moving chronology!

It started this morning on the way to work when I ran into one of the first friends I made when I moved to Canada. A girl I think is absolutely wonderful, but as happens, I don't see or speak to anywhere near as much as I would like.

I got to work and received a message from a girl I went to high school with, who I haven't spoken to for well over a decade.

Half-an-hour later, I received a message from my brother that included a link to a website of photographs taken by a guy I went to elementary/primary school with, a lonnnnnng time ago. I remember Shane playing air-guitar on his ruler in Grade Five, who knew he would go on to become such a talented photographer! To see Shane's truly beautiful photos, click here

To make the day complete I just need to hear from the friend I have know longest - our mothers knew each other when they were pregnant with us - though that would be cheating as I never lost touch with her in the first place. That said, I always like hearing from her.

I just hope that's where it ends, not sure how I would feel about 'long-losts' from past lives contacting me.

Grzyb Hunting With Uncle Roman

On my recent trip away I added many 'firsts' to my life-list of accomplishments. One of the experiences, that I enjoyed the most, was mushroom picking or "grzyb" picking ("grzyb" is mushroom in Polish).

Grzyb picking requires patience, an excellent eye, water-proof boots, and an Uncle Roman.

Uncle Roman has the keenest eyes for grzyb imaginable; his magnificent white moustache and stylish hat; made the experience totally fun and chic.

Whenever he found a grzyb he would proclaim "ahhhhhh ha!"... it sounded so cool, that we took to imitating him whenever we made a find too, but we didn't sound as good.

Unfortunately, my ability to find grzyb that weren't Nie dobry (not good) was a bit pathetic but Uncle Roman was very patient.

Later on I asked Uncle Roman if any 'special' mushrooms grew in his forest and if so, if he had tried them. He said no, the 'special' ones are small and white and don't grow there. He laughed with a twinkle in his eye when I asked "if you haven't tried them, how come you know what they look like?"

Regardless, the mushroom scrabbled eggs we had for breakfast the next day were extra delicious because we'd found the mushrooms ourselves.

Thank you Uncle Roman!


Photo Above: Uncle Roman in action.

Father of Facts!

Take two fact checkers, Bill Murray and a query about warm milk and you have FCU:Fact Checking Unit

Click here to watch it., Fact!

Chaser - Apec gag pays off in ratings

I've been a fan of the Chaser for ages and have written about them before. However, it didn't stop me from being surprised when while watching CNN International in Poland I saw a news item on a stunt The Chaser pulled during the recent Apec summit in Sydney.

Although the news piece focused on how outraged all the officials were it also included the finding of a newspaper poll showing that the majority of Australians thought the prank was hilarious. I found it particularly hilarious because part of the prank involved them using a Canadian flag in their 'disguise'.

Despite being arrested it looks like the stunt has paid off, as an average 2.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the program this week, making it the the fifth most popular show screened on Australian television this year.

Salt Mine Magic

The Salt Pine in Wieliczka, Poland has operated since the end of the 13th century and was placed by UNESCO on the First International List of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Even though tourists only get to see 1% of the mine during their two-hour tour it's absolutely amazing. The tourist route includes salt sculptures including Goethe, a lake, shops, a cafe and a cathedral.

I am very excited to add 'ate lunch 125 metres underground' to my life list of things I've done.

The two things I was most enamoured with were: the chandeliers (pictured above) that are made of salt instead of glass; and the legend behind how the mine was found that I will attempt to retell.

Poland's Queen Kinga married the Polish king Boleslaw the Modest in the 13th century. Originally from Hungary the legend says that before leaving Hungary to go to Poland Kinga threw her engagement ring into the Hungarian Maramures salt mine. When she got to Poland she instructed people to dig in particular spot. When they did they not only discovered the salt mine but Kinga's engagement ring. The salt mine was Kinga's wedding gift to Poland and she became the patron saint of miners.

Not a bad gift given that at the time salt was more valuable than gold.

Sunflowers.. decorative and edible

Sunflowers are my brother's and one of my closest friend's favourite flowers; they've been immortalized in paint by Van Gogh; and are nifty in the way they turn to follow the sun.

They are not my favourite flower but I've always liked them. I'd also never thought of them as being a gift beyond a floral arrangement.

While I was away in Poland recently we spent a day in the countryside. One of the other guests brought as a gift to the hosts the biggest sunflower bloom (would you say bloom?) I have ever seen.

It took me a while to catch on but I eventually understood that the flower wasn't for floral decoration but to be eaten. During the course of the day everyone picked at the sunflower's core, extracting and eating the sunflower seeds within it.

I thought this was the most amazing thing since slice bread. Now, I want to take sunflowers to everyone I know as a gift. Eureka!

Jetlag Gibberish

I'm used to doing the Australian long-haul 24-hour flight from Australia to Europe, so you would think that a time difference of a mere six hours would be a piece of cake.

Although recovering from such a short time difference is no way near as arduous as long-haul time adjustment, it still makes me light headed and somewhat aware of the gibberish my thoughts descend into.

Therefore for the next day or so I will wait for the gibberish fog to clear before I attempt to write anything else.