Week One in Canberra

Our first week was easy going, a kind of a low-key-to-lazy vacation at our brother and sister-in-law's home in Canberra. After lunch at her sister's that first day, B went off to walk K's dog with her and then K joined us for dinner. B made a most delicious potato and celery soup that night and a day or so later made pumpkin soup - what we would consider squash soup. We puttered about for a couple of days, looking after household bits and pieces and catching up with one another. The weather is coming on to fall, mostly warm clear days with cold nights. The temperature drops rapidly as the sun sets and it sets early, of course. But it is not freezing the bird bath overnight like it did four years ago. On that last visit we would wake up to see the cockatoos trying to break the ice on their bath. However, the colder nights make running to the bathroom in the middle of the night an attempt to set a land speed record - there is no heat in the loo and the window remains open! Nonetheless, without central heating I tend to sleep more soundly once the space heater has been turned off for the night. How odd to hear that there is a heat wave back home.

We are seeing more than cockatoos of course...galahs, mynas, eastern rosellas, king parrots, rainbow lorikeets, for example. We have also spotted kangaroos, sheep, and cattle. But no luck so far in finding koalas, although we passed through a section on the highway between Canberra and Melbourne where signs were posted indicating koala territory. Our outings in Canberra have primarily been for family shopping. But that has included a number of trips to various groceries and markets. The range of fresh local produce is fantastic, even as the fall approaches winter. B and I did go out to find her a new jacket before they set off to Sydney on Monday for B's cousin's funeral. We did not go with them. S came over and took us to lunch at a cafe. We sat outside and ate Fried Flake & Chips and a Lamb Burger. Delish!

We spent a day with L at the War Memorial, a truly outstanding museum documenting Australia's history of combat from South Africa through to Afganistan. The museum sits atop a long incline rising up from Lake Burley-Griffin across from the Parliament Houses. It is the sort of noble prospect that should be due the great architecture in any major city. It was a privilege to visit the museum with L, a knowledgeable and experienced veteran. I wore my knee braces and took my walking stick but still needed to take a break before the guys were ready to quit. Fortunately, there was a handy cafe offering good coffee and something called a mud cake.

Going to The Glassworks was great fun. I bought a "Scrabbled Egg" cup, blown glass with a glass E scrabble tile on the side of the cup - E for Egg, for my egg collection. The exhibit was delightful and the works were in a fascinting old power plant. We watched a glass blower teach a young student how to gather glass and shape a paperweight. B has signed up for the same session but we will be gone by then. Behind the works is a huge market for produce and crafts which we hope to visit later.

One morning we headed out toward Yass and the Yass Valley to visit L & B's friends on Manton's Creek. T & J were wine merchants for many years but closed their shop when the mall was redeveloped. They have moved out of the city onto 100 acres of land. They are in the process of building their new home on the top of a low hill with an almost 360 degree view of the breathtaking surrounding landscape. We were invited to see the building blocks that comprise the frame of the spacious new house. A team of men had raised half the walls in only a couple of days using these oblong bricks of compressed polystyrene held in place and reinforced with rebar. Once the walls are constucted, a cement truck will come and fill the bricks resulting in a strong concrete wall pre-insulated by the polystyrene shells. Tres cool! It will be a beautiful place once the building is complete.

Between day trips we watched and encouraged while L & B planted their winter garden in several raised beds along the end of their back yard. They have broccoli, peas, onions, garlic, squash, etc. All ready to grow in their winter. Go figure! If we planted broccoli outdoors in November we would end up with green mush after the first deep freeze. Laundry done, linens changed, cat care set up, and we were off to Melbourne. That's our second week here and that is another story.