Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra

During the last few months I've 'met' several new bloggers from a number of countries. Therefore, I thought I'd post some more photos of the city in which I live. Canberra is the Capital City of Australia, with a population of approx. 320,000. It is situated in the southeast of the Australian continent, about 700metres (2000 feet) above sea level.

Lake Burley Griffin, named after the landscape architect who originally designed Canberra, is the centrepiece of the city. The Lake is actually a dammed up section of the Molonglo River. These photos were taken at this time last year.

(Click to enlarge photo.)

Captain Cook Water Jet

Commonwealth Avenue Bridge and Black Mountain

Flags of the world along the lake with the National Library in the background.

The Carillion (bell tower). A gift from the United Kingdom.

Mt. Ainslie framed by Manchurian Pears.

National Science Centre (right), white building on left is Old Parliament House (1927-1988) with the new Parliament House behind.

The High Court of Australia.

Kings Avenue Bridge and the Carillion.

The National Library of Australia.

Reflections in Commonwealth Park.

Flagpole above Parliament House.

Black Mountain and Tower.

View towards the city.

Looking southwest towards the Brindabella Ranges.

Guess where we went today .....

..... that's right - to Floriade

This year's theme was Australian Icons, Myths and Legends. However, it's very difficult to determine what is what from ground level, so I didn't even try and just took photos instead.

(Click on photo for larger view.)

Enough tulips to make a Dutch family homesick.

A model of the Australian War Memorial made entirely of sand.

This one is for Kerri. The Waratah is the State Floral Emblem of New South Wales.

The 'bathing boxes' feature Australian advertising signs, eg. Vegemite.

They have arrived!

Sara and Josh arrived safely in Belgium at 1.00pm (local time) on Tuesday, after a very long and uneventful flight - 37 hours after leaving home.

Their apartment in Antwerp is only about 5 minutes walk from Russell's so they won't feel too alone, and in a day or two it will be down to the business of playing and coaching hockey for Sara.

Farewell, Sara and Josh

Travel safely, enjoy your 3 months in Belgium, see lots of new places in your free time, make new friends, experience new cultures, learn to drive on the other side of the road, and have a fantastic time.

Oh, Sara, don't forget to win lots of hockey matches while you're there, too....

.... and don't let your big brother, Russell, tease you too much....lol.

Grand Final Victory

Sara's hockey team, University of Canberra Hockey Club (UCHC) won their Grand Final today against St. Patricks, 5-0. I was so excited watching the match that I forgot to take photos until after it was all over.

Victory Lap. (Sara is second from left, with the white water bottle)

Receiving their medals.

One very happy hockey player.

With girlfriends, Emma and Bridget, to help her celebrate.

Sara and Josh.

Following the Clouds

The billowing clouds this afternoon said, "Fetch your camera and come and take a look at us." Who could resist an order like that?

(Click on photo for larger view.)

View towards our house from across the road.

My usual walk follows this path around Mt Rodgers behind our house.

Not a typical Canberra home but the view is worth it.

View south towards the Brindabella Ranges.

Belconnen Town Centre, Lake Ginninderra and Black Mountain in the distance.

Over the suburbs to the Brindabella Ranges.

Follow the path into the west.

The storm clouds roll in. If only they would deliver their promise!

Looking back towards Black Mountain.

The suburb of Flynn.

Taking the path south...

.... and north.....

... leading homeward.

And back home a little rain fell ....

and made music as it entered the tank.

Update on the Crimson Rosellas - 'mother' laid her sixth egg today!

Population Explosion?

Look what we're up to now!

Meanwhile, these arrived yesterday. Each tank has a capacity of 2000 litres (500 gallons). One will catch the water off the deck and the other will take water from the house roof. The tank on the left is slightly higher than the other and will overflow into the lower one. Whilst this will be nowhere near enough to keep a garden the size of ours alive without rain, every little drop helps. The tank stands have been quite a family affair - I posted photos of the grandchildren doing their bit a few weeks ago.

Have the TRIPLETS become QUADS?

As Richard was working in the backyard today he couldn't resist the temptation to get the ladder and take another peek into the nestbox. He didn't expect to see ANOTHER egg - but yes, now there are four.

That immediately sent him to the computer to see what he could find here

Apparently Crimson Rosellas breed mostly between September and January. The nest is a tree hollow, located high in a tree, and lined with wood shavings and dust. The female alone incubates the four to eight, normally five, white eggs, but both sexes care for the young. The chicks hatch after about 20 days and, although they leave the nest after about 35 days, they remain dependent on their parents for a further 35 days.

On Maternity Watch

This is the birdhouse that Richard built a couple of months ago and hung in a tree in the back yard.

Shortly afterwards a pair of Crimson Rosellas began to visit regularly, attracted by the birdseed hanging nearby.

It wasn't long before the female found her way into the birdhouse while her mate sat on the fence or in the tree and waited for her. She would only spend a few minutes inside and then they would both fly off together.

Today we decided to see if they were still 'house hunting' or had become 'home owners'. After climbing a ladder and lifting the lid on the house -

LOOK WHAT I FOUND!!!

There were more wood shavings at the beginning and we're not sure if she has thrown them out, eaten them, or pecked them into smaller pieces. She doesn't spend much time in with the eggs so whether they will hatch out or not remains to be seen -

BUT WE'LL KEEP YOU POSTED !!!

Wednesday's Woes - Thursday's Thrill

Yes, I admit it, I am so spoilt.

Wednesday's Woe was the screen on my iPod (left in photo) disappearing behind a series of lines making it nearly impossible to select any music. I've also been having battery problems for months with it needing to be charged about every 4 hours. It still played the music perfectly so it looked like I would simply have to turn it on and take pot luck as to which of the current 889 songs was going to play.

Thursday's Thrill was that after taking it to one dealer I was told that it would be almost impossible to repair, but I could ring the manufacturer and try and persuade them that it was eligible for a recently introduced replacement program (which it wasn't). Oh dear, how could I live without my iPod?

Later in the morning, whilst taking a break from *Christmas shopping, we went to another place where I was given a similar prognosis, but shown the new iPods that have only been out for about two weeks. They have twice the capacity of my original one, and will also play videos in the remote likelihood that I should ever want to, and cost only slightly more than a new battery and a possible repair to the old one. So, Richard, in his usual fashion said, "Go on, you might as well get a new one." Oh, it's so snazzy and such a pretty green, and only measures approx. 7cm x 4cm.

* Now, for all members of my family and friends who know that I never begin Christmas shopping until 23 December, you can pick yourselves up off the floor. With Sara heading off to Belgium on 24/9 we figured we could send the presents in her luggage for free. You didn't really think I would be that organised without an ulterior motive, did you?

First there were two ....

...... and then there were seven.

Two black swans and five little white cygnets.

Whilst driving along the road near Dalmeny last week I spotted these two black swans on a nest not far from the road. We stopped further up the road and walked back for a better look, by which time three other cars had also stopped - local residents who had been keeping 'maternity watch' in the last few days. They were even more delighted than us to discover that these 5 babies had hatched overnight. A lady told us that foxes took the eggs before they hatched the previous year.

It's always a special thrill to unexpectedly encounter nature in its natural habitat rather than in a zoo.

I hope these cygnets will remain safe and grow into beautiful mature black swans.

River Tranquility

The Wagonga Inlet at Narooma is a picture of peace and tranquility, sheltered from Pacific Ocean winds and a haven for fishing boats.

Private boatsheds line the banks.

All this leisure brings on an appetite.

Sun, Sand, Sea and ....

.... the beautiful Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens, which are situated on a 42 hectare forest site five kilometres south of Batemans Bay on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia.

The gardens grow and display plants which occur naturally in the region. The site abounds with a wide variety of flora and fauna including many of the 2000 species of plants, trees and shrubs of the region. There are kangaroos, wallabies, bandicoots, possums, echidnas, snakes, lizards, frogs and many birds. Features include display gardens, walking tracks, picnic and barbecue areas, a Visitors Centre and café.

The gardens have only one paid employee, who acts as overall supervisor, and all other work, including construction, landscaping and maintenance, is carried out by volunteers. These gardens a joy to visit, and a credit to all who love and care for them.

The tiny bird on the rock is a male Blue Wren - his 'wife' is smaller and all light brown in colour (where is the justice?)

Next two photos are part of the sensory garden featuring water in various forms and perfumed and textured plants.

It isn't all ROCK, although the waves do ROLL

I may have given the impression that our whole coastline and beaches are all rock. Not so. I tend to take photos of rocks because I think they make a more interesting photo than endless stretches of clear, sandy beaches.

However, here are a few photos, taken on several visits, to beaches at Tomikan, Mossy Point, Broulee, North and South Head at Moruya, Tuross, Narooma and Mystery Bay. All of the beaches, covering a 50klm stretch of the NSW south coast, are typical* of most beaches around 30,000klm** coastline of Australia.

*Tanya has just commented that these beaches are in fact atypical of beaches in northern Australia where the waves have to cross the reefs. (See her comment.)

** This is an approximate coastal measurement. Different methods of measuring produce different results, also depending on whether islands, esturaries, etc. are measured too.

We're back and .....

.... you'll be happy to know that the scenes from my last posting were still there - plus another 280 new ones! Ok, ok, I promise not to post them all...lol. Just a few occasionally.

The weather was mixed - fine and raining, windy and calm, sunny and cloudy - what more could a photographer ask for?

Thank you, too, for the good wishes from so very many friends. Who else but a blogger would receive all those holiday wishes from across the world? Thank you dear friends - I hope you are all well, and enjoying life wherever you are.

You can just see this bridge on the left side of the 4th photo in the last posting. Here you can see the bridge as it spans the Clyde River. The centre of the bridge can be opened to allow tall-masted boats to pass through.

Where the Clyde River and the Pacific Ocean meet at Batemans Bay, on the South Coast of New South Wales.

Tanya - this one's for you.

Seagulls and pelicans waiting for dinner.

Later on the same day beside the Moruya River, about 20klm further south....

.... same river, same time, other direction. What a difference clouds can make.

Around the cliffs at Mossy Point.

You can see why Osteospermum are now regarded as an environmental weed.

More to follow ....

We need to check that these scenes are still there...

... so we're heading off to the South Coast for a few days.

Haven't been down there since January so we're really looking forward to it, except that I will have so many blogs to catch up on when I return that I'll probably need a holiday to recuperate.