down at the beach

more magic

On Friday it was a beautiful day in Canberra, after a very foggy morning. I went for a stroll at lunchtime to look for the magic mushie, and found that yesterday's beauty was today's mulch. However, some new ones are growing close by, looking like an art installation. 

biscuits

I forgot to mention that on ANZAC day I made biscuits, which turned out to be pretty tasty. Now nearly all eaten. 

magic mushrooms

Went for a walk yesterday near Old Parliament House rose gardens, and noticed a large red topped mushroom. The top of it was about the size of a bread and butter plate. 

According to this website it's called a Fly Agaric, and does actually have hallucinogenic properties. I might go back and take another pic as I can see I haven't captured the beauty of it. 

best place to eat in Canberra

... so far is in Tharwa. With a lovely mid week public holiday to enjoy (even if it was max 13 degrees), and our latest guest completing her Canberran trip, we took an afternoon trip to Lanyon Cafe and Homestead.

The cafe is in an 1830s building that used to be a barracks - it promised to be cosy, and it was, with two open fires. We even had to open a window. The food was uniformly excellent. And the service was friendly. This is what the desserts looked like:

Wattleseed pavlova

Choc pudding with choc sauce

Cheesecake with figs, apricots, port, rum and some other ingredients I've forgotten

 After enjoying our food we then had a look inside the homestead and surrounding buildings. It was cold outside but the sky was blue. 

Lanyon Homestead gardens

DIY furniture

On the way home we took a detour to Mt Stromlo to enjoy the views.  

and then Sunday

A great day out checking out the 'Hills of Hall' wineries - Brindabella Hills to buy some fab riesling and more, Surveyers Hill for a mostly tasty lunch, then Barton Estate (by appointment, special!) for some wine tasting and purchases - cool dog, fantastic wines. 

autumn view from Brindabella Hills

Too much rain - grapes rotting at Brindabella Hills

Cafe view at Surveyor's Hill

Marty at Barton Estate - modelling

Do you want me by the tractor?

Saturday outing

Had a lovely walk around Lake G and then to Jerrabomberra. Lots of Autumn leaves happening and plenty of bird life. 

Goodbye teepee

Woke up early this morning and was gazing out the window to Lake G, when I espied what looked like a police launch - one of those rubber ducky dinghys. Had a closer look through the binocs - and the three guys on board were looking around as they were quietly motoring along. What were they searching for? Somebody missing? A body? I keep watching, and then the teepee glided into view. 

It's right there, in the middle, behind the tree

Could this be the end for teepee man?

freedom, equality, love

My favourite Belco graffiti at the moment - in the alley way leading from Emu Bank to the library. 

coastal delights

Another great weekend escape to the coast - again to Vincentia, but to a different holiday rental. This one was very close to Orion Beach. 

Orion Beach, Vincentia

sunset, Orion Beach, Vincentia

The Shoalhaven coast is so beautiful - besides being close to Booderee National Park, we also had a lovely afternoon at Nelson's beach. 

Banksia robur, Booderee National Park

Banksia ericifolia, Booderee National Park

Cape St George Lighthouse, Booderee National Park

look out! Cliff! (little joke for Young Ones fans there) 

Nelson's beach

Pt Perpendicular with naval vessel

Why is there a naval base in such a lovely part of the world? Seriously? 

dolphin spotting

Hillary cool

Unfortunately I'm too much of a luddite to work out how to post the photo of Hillary that has caused a storm in internet world. A fantastic photo of HC texting has been used by others to imagine what and to whom she might have been texting. The meme (as they say) ended when Hillary herself (ok, her PR crew probably) texted her own response and invited the creators of the tumblr site to come and visit. 


http://www.metroweekly.com/poliglot/2012/04/madame-secretary-meme-goes-from.html
http://textsfromhillaryclinton.tumblr.com/


The tumblr site has ended (where could it go but downhill) but I'm sure there will be more of similar ilk coming soon to a computer screen near you. 

hot buns

Having a great time enjoying the E long weekend, especially as the weather has been fantastic (for Canberra in Autumn). 

Lake G sunset

Yesterday we took a trip to Mt Stromlo to enjoy the views and lunch at Scope Cafe. Many of the Observatory buildings were burnt out in the bushfires of 2003, but now provide interesting locations for events and weddings. 

Yale Columbia Dome interior (ruin), Mt Stromlo

Yale Columbia Dome exterior (ruin), Mt Stromlo

View of Canberra from Mt Stromlo

 Today I went all out and made some hot buns - no time to worry about crosses. They turned out ok, if a little heavy - but they'll be perfect for toasting. 

welcome

to whomever it is in Azerbaijan flicking past my blog. 
Salamlarini. 

botanic

This afternoon we took a stroll with our visitors to the Australian National Botanic Gardens. Even though it's autumn it was amazing to see how many native plants were flowering. 

back on the bike

This last week or so we have been riding most days. Which makes me much hungrier and less guilty about cooking and eating sugary treats. 


Such as self saucing banana pudding...

and Del's slice (coconut slice, but Del gave me the recipe)

I didn't have any cocoa for chocolate icing as per Del's recipe, so had to improvise with coffee. M says the icing gave him a bit of a sugar/coffee rush - and it was only made from Maccona! Cheap thrills or what. 

new art

On Thursday we went to the airport to pick up our visitors, leaving home a little earlier than necessary so we had time to check out the new sculpture unveiled there this week. Apparently this is Australia's largest cast bronze figurative sculpture, by Australian sculptor Andrew Rogers.

Perception and Reality 1

The sculpture looks great - check it out next time you're at Canberra airport.