Monday, October 13, 2008

Down at the bottom of the garden

This weekend was a bit like the antithesis of the previous weekend. For rain substitute sun, bush replaces beach and mile upon mile in the car becomes pottering about in the garden and afternoon naps. The garden is coming on strong and though not la crème de la Captain Cook Crescent, there are some fine native plants along with some introduced species (the lettuce in particular expanding at the same rate the banks are collapsing…)





All this cultivation and spring growth is all a bit English-like, so for more contrast I arose early on Sunday for a short trip down to Namadgi National Park and a walk through the serene bushland to Square Rock, a rock who is a bit nerdy, likes maths and will dob you in compared to the other rocks around here.




Near here, tucked away in another quiet valley is the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, Australia’s answer to The Kennedy Space Centre, complete with little model spaceships and moon rock and the always fascinating vacuum packed food portions. It was a pleasant diversion, more for the coffee and cake than anything else, and the cake wasn’t the only big dish around here!



So last weekend was a long weekend and, as it turned out, this one was too as I took Monday off thanks to ‘Birthday Leave’. It reminded me of those blessed four day weeks back in England (damn you 457 visa!), the slightly guilty-kid-mitching-from-school feeling you get as you munch on brunch in Kingston and go for a walk in nearby Bowen Park. Here it seemed spring had ejaculated in a flurry of white stuff, wispy blossom and fluffy tree bits creating a snow like blanket amongst the trees.



The increasing wind was a major player and seemed to be creating havoc elsewhere with the public servant’s dog tags which they insist on wearing everywhere – clattering across shoulders once 12 noon came and transforming my nice quiet visit to the shops into a dodge the pube on their extended lunch break and hope I don’t bump into any clients challenge. With such paper shuffling thoughts, bureaucracy well and truly peaked as I attempted to complete my tax return in the afternoon and, I think it is a sign from above, the storm clouds gathered as the long weekend came to an end. I think I should stop writing there, as the lightning is getting perilously close and I can see this blog coming to a premature en

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