...a few more mini-streams and updates that come to mind... with pictures!
Capoeira
Julie and i started capoeira a few weeks ago, here at the ANU gym. It's great fun, and reminds me a lot of my 2 years dancing at the state theatre in Pretoria, and primary school gymnastics. It's a kind of mix between dance, martial art and music. Very tiring and enjoyable. Look it up on YouTube.
Kubb & Ben Boyd
Last month we went camping down to the coast with some friends. It was Sally's 30th, and about 15 folks trekked 4 hours to Ben Boyd National Park, just outside of Eden. It is a beautiful coastline, and i hope to get down there again soon. It was also so good to be out in a tent again. We ate, hiked, spoke, slept and played Mafia around the campfire. Good times, good times. Sally's brother in law is German, and he brought along his Kubb set. The game is a bit like pétanque, but with a bit more strategy. Maybe pétanque cross chess. We played it on Sunday morning before leaving, and i seemed to do rather well! Now to make my own set and teach my friends.
a breathtaking view of 'disaster bay' at Ben Boyd
looking out to AntarcticaI realised last week that the new guy in the ACC&C office is actually rather famous. I knew his name was Clive Hamilton and he was from
CAPPE, but didn't know he was
the Clive Hamilton of
Affluenza fame. Next time he's in his office I'll have to have a chat and hear his story. I like what he
writes.
GardeningCanberra seems to come alive in Spring. The city looks fuller and greener when the weather warms up, daylight savings kicks in, and you can enjoy the long evenings outside. The spring feel also seems to get people into their gardens. We don't have a garden, but that didn't deter me from spending Saturday planting some seedlings on the patio. The garden will still develop, but for now i'm happy with my tomatoes, rocket (arugula), yellow capsicums, basil (in an old frying pan) , celery and carrots. I also plucked a few cuttings, a small oak tree, and some bulbs. I'll try to keep them alive until we have a place with a garden. Here is a pic or two:
rocket pot and basil frying
FloriadeAnother neat thing about springtime in Canberra is
Floriade - a display of over 1 million bulbs and tulips. Breathtaking colours! We visited 2 weeks ago - it was quite a sight. Take a look at this flowery goodness (click to enlarge):
Wheels(this stream is very outdated, but still worth mentioning)
3 months ago Julie and i went shopping. After successful negotiations and test drives etc, she has four wheels and I have two wheels.
Julie's transport is a '04
Mazda2 Maxx, with really low kms, 1.5l, 5speed automatic and CD changer. We looked at a lot of old Subaru station wagons, but in the end chose something newer, lighter on fuel and less maintenance risks. I hadn't really noticed the Mazda 2 before, but now i see them everywhere. It is neat little car that is very spacious inside. It's in the same fold as the Honda Jazz, Toyota Echo/Yaris, Hyundai Getz etc and often
reviews as best in its class.
My transport is a second hand road bike that i got from a frisbee guy here. Although not as retro and character-full as my
previous bike, it does the job just fine. Canberra has the highest proportion of population in Australia that cycle to work, and extensive cycle paths and lanes throughout the city. Law here requires helmets, and front and back lights fitted on each bicycle, so in addition to the actual bike ($150) I spent almost double that on 'extras' (lights, helmet, lock, pump, puncture kit, pannier bag ... the list goes on). I'm almost fully kitted out for the daily (25min) commute to work.
As always, once i'm more financially settled, i still hope to get a
fixie, and a mountain bike - there are great off road tracks in the
mountains hills around Canberra.
So, things are developing rather well here in Canberra. We seem to be meeting people, making friends, learning new things etc etc. Still miss home and my family and friends there, but i'm trying to be as present as possible here in Aus-land.
More importantly, tomorrow i'm off to the MCG for the final day of the test match against Australia... where SA will (hopefully) make history and win the series! Who would have thought this possible after our dismal batting on day two? Forgive me if i have a smug grin on my face for the rest of the week!
