Have you noticed that things have a tendency of happening in quick successions of three? This was certainly the case at our place just before we left to visit our capital city. First the dishwasher flooded the kitchen floor and could not be repaired. What a mess! Then, the water filter sprang a leak as well. More mess! And then, to add insult to injury, my mobile phone could not be charged no matter how many different charging cords or outlets we plugged it into. We opted to send my phone in for repair rather than buying a new one but this meant its camera went with it. Less landfill! I was given a replacement phone to use but the camera was not fantastic and so I've ended up with more blurry photos than usual. Here are some of the better ones:
While the photos turned out to be a tad disappointing, our trip to Canberra was not. It was very easy to navigate and travel around this planned city, to stroll around the shores of its lake, to glimpse the sky through the bare branches of so many deciduous trees and to visit cultural centres which tell of our collective story and experience. It seemed to us, that wherever we were in the capital, a view opened up towards the towering spire of the new Parliament House with the Australian flag fluttering robustly in the cold Winter wind.
Meg
New Parliament House
(On the one day when there was no wind to lift & flutter the flag.)
The Aboriginal Tent Embassy
(Established in 1972.)
Old Parliament House
(Now a political museum.)
Canberra's iconic Lake Burley Griffin.
(Kings Avenue Bridge.)
The lake is such a prominent feature of the city.
(View from atop Mt. Ainslie.)
(55 bronze bells play the most beautiful music.)
Telstra Tower
A single deciduous tree.
Many Winter-bare trees.
Australian War Memorial
(The dome of the Hall of Memory.)
Inside the Australian War Memorial.
(The Roll of Honour extends the length of each side, under the arches.)
A colourful entrance at the National Museum of Australia.
National Library of Australia.
(My kind of heaven!)
Fountains outside the National Library.
Suspended ball outside the National Gallery of Australia.
Flags of the Commonwealth flutter in the wind.
Australian flag flying atop Parliament House at sunset.
(View from our apartment.)
Meg
Canberra certainly is well planned, Meg. What a shame about your phone. We have a water filter that sits beside the sink but it is in the road so the cabinet maker doing the renos said to get an under the sink one but my hubby doesn't like them and I wondered what would happen if it leaked. Obviously you now know ;-)
ReplyDeleteWe had quite a bit of mopping up to do! I am pleased the phone could be repaired as it is only a year old and cost was less than replacement. Have to buy a new dishwasher though! Canberra was an easy city to visit, free entry to many cultural centres too. Meg❄
DeleteSorry to hear things have gone wrong for you Meg, yes it does all seem to happen at once doesn't it.
ReplyDeleteNice to see your photos and see a bit more of your country.
I think it's an unwritten rule that things go wrong all at once. Good news is that I am not expecting anything else to break! I had lot of trouble with zoom on replacement phone I borrowed but still have few more photos to share later in week. Meg☺
DeleteLooks like you had a wonderful trip. Thanks for sharing the photos. Sorry to hear you've had some challenges at home recently. Hope things turn around for you.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stephenie. Things happen and its just about being prepared for it. Our dishwasher was very old and so it wasn't a surprise, just messy! We have funds to replace it so will do our research and then look for a bargain. Meg ☺
DeleteSorry to hear about the broken dishwasher and water leaks Meg. Hope all is back to normal now.
ReplyDeleteStill you had a wonderful trip as that's what matters. Thank you for the photos. I hope you will get your phone back soon. My phone is pretty old and it's camera is not good at all. And frequently there's a message about a missing SIM card, though the card is there. Still the phone works, so I'm too cheap to buy a new one. :)
We had a great trip, Nil. There were many places to visit that were full of interesting historically. I am glad my phone could be fixed because I only bought it a year ago. Our dishwasher needs replacing as it can't be fixed but these things happen. Meg😊
DeleteLooks like you certainly took in all the major attractions. The War Memorial is one of THE most beautiful buildings, a fitting tribute really.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Ulladulla, on the Coast a few hours drive from Canberra, we had good family friends in the Army there, and I spent many a school holiday at Duntroon barracks, it was a happy carefree time, we'd spend our days at the Army pool, riding our bikes around the place, and playing in nearby parks, it's all changed now. I remember avenues of plum tree's (of all things) planted along the streets at Duntroon, and it was my greatest delight to pick and eat as many as my little stomach could handle LOL, I was a forager even back then! It is a nice city, but way too cold for me in Winter!
It was very cold, Cheryl! I don't mind rugging up in winter woollies though. ❄
DeleteI agree with you about the war memorial, a beautiful and important place. I will do a post on our visit there later this week. Meg
Looks like you had a great time and the photos are lovely.
ReplyDeleteYou are most kind, Kathy. I struggled to get decent photos, particularly anything requiring zoom. Meg☺
DeleteI'm glad You enjoyed your trip, and that you were able to get your phone repaired. I hope there wasn't to much damage done to the kitchen from the dishwasher and water filter.
ReplyDeleteWe had a lovely trip away. It's always nice to explore a new city. Thankfully, we were home when the dishwasher leaked and noticed it reasonably quickly. I think we used every available towel in the house to soak up the water! Meg☺
DeleteMurphy always seems to poke his way into things whenever we're about to leave on a planned and booked holiday too Meg. We've had.. a broken thumb, a serious flu, a cancelled hip replacement operation, and a case of double pneumonia, all to ruin or put pressure on various overseas holidays. All of the above were my precious Brian, so I'm going on my own next time. Thanks for sharing the photos, it looks like you had a wonderful holiday.
ReplyDeleteMurphy's law definitely operates round here, Sally. Now those three things have happened, I'm sure there'll be no more breakdowns or breakages for a while;) Meg:)
DeleteOh no Sally, sounds like Brian has been through the wringer! Hope he is on the mend AND that your holiday plans can now move ahead. Have fun x
DeleteGlad to hear you had a great trip to Canberra Meg, despite the little hiccups leading up to it. Also glad you got a few sunny days - the biting cold is easier to take when the sun is shining I find. Looks like you got around to lots of good things.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Laura
The sunnier days were lovely, Laura. We drove down to Bateman's Bay on one such day and it was gorgeous! Meg☺
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