I made some tiny advances (like really basic) in understanding the new Fujifilm X-T3 this week - and decided to try for some low light, more moody shots to test out my exposure compensation functions etc (so many function buttons to get familiar with!).
Front window view at 5.45pm (cloudy day) on April 4...….. and a dusting of Autumn colour on our Hassett Park trees.........
Apartment interior view same time of day ........
Just testing focus capacity in dim light (it's pretty good I think!) .……...
I wanted this shot to look really moody! .........
We've had a very social week with lots of lunches, (French) movies, and coffee outings too. It culminated last night in another dinner out at the Kingston Foreshore to celebrate Maddie L's 22nd birthday.
This is not my favourite part of the Foreshore - but I thought it looked very pretty last night in the dusk light (6.30pm) looking back towards the Carillon in the distance. Well done Fujifilm X-T3!
Two gorgeous sisters: Maddie the birthday girl and Sophie just a few hours off leaving for Vietnam on her ANU study tour.
Group shot at Le Rustica Kingston Foreshore - not bad for such low light!
Happy birthday Maddie! - glad my camera was up to capturing your birthday celebration last night.
Today marks the end of 17 days of Canberra's Enlighten Festival. Over the last 9 days more than 30 hot air balloons have been ready to launch over the lake each day at sunrise - as part of Enlighten's Balloon Spectacular. We've tried 3 mornings to see the balloons in flight - but without success; apparently the winds were too strong or in the wrong direction on these days!
But I did enjoy this beautiful sunrise ...………..
Old RG Menzies turns his back on the sunrise each morning …..
This morning we had one last chance to see the balloons in flight, on our regular early Sunday morning date climbing Mt Ainslie.
BUT the balloons didn't launch this morning!! APART from this one...... thank you CBR!!
The most appealing balloon of this year's festival - the Beagle Maximus - was waiting for ages in front of Old Parliament House, ready to fly. But it never launched today!
As a break from balloon watching we took Ollie to the German Club last Friday night. He got hooked on pork knuckle during his Munich stay at Christmas so we wanted to make sure he knew where to find the same dish here in his hometown.
A great dish for a growing boy!! Ollie is great company over any kind of meal; we had a lively conversation about a huge range of topics - he has a better understanding of global politics, history and complex social issues than most adults do - as well as having a better appetite.
So many good things came together this weekend: Ros and Pete stayed over a few days on their way down to Geelong (they've said goodbye to Sandy Beach), Maxie started to feel better after a horrible week with a cold, and Angus and Jody both had big birthdays to celebrate. It was super special to enjoy the celebrations together, all 14 of us, on Saturday at Josh and Jody's.
We had to take this shot to record how big these boys are growing!
In between soccer games outside with the boys, Ella gave us a great solo gig on her Tenor Sax..... Is there anything this girl can't do?
And Claire produced a cheesecake birthday cake (yes, made of cheese) - quite stunning and amazing!
Angus turned 12 this week. Beautiful boy!
And this gorgeous girl (Jody) celebrated one of those big birthdays too!!
Two gorgeous girls in a wonderful decade of their lives ……………..
Canberra was pretty mild by August standards for Ros and Pete's stay. In between family lunches, brunches and birthday celebrations we did lots of walking (mainly to the new Sanoma Bakery in Braddon) and coffee drinking. I thought we'd see the sun today - going by the sunrise ……..
but it wasn't to last long …..
.. but that didn't stop us heading for the lake for our morning walk …….
.. and a final coffee (and kimchi jaffle) from our new local, INTRA......
We're looking forward to seeing Ros and Pete set up in Geelong. That's only one day's drive away for us!!
You really can't ignore ANZAC Day living just a few hundred metres down the road from the National War Memorial. We've even been woken early the last few mornings with rehearsals for the dawn ceremony (bagpipes and trumpets carry a long way in the early morning calm).
So this morning we joined around 32,000 other Canberrans for the real ANZAC Day dawn service just up the road at the War Memorial. We found a viewing spot by around 5.00am and enjoyed listening to a half hour of readings (from servicemen and women's letters and diaries) to get us all into a reflective mood before the start of the service at 5.30. It is amazing how quiet a crowd of 30,000 people can be.
As we'd expected the service was very sombre and solemn, and very predictable (in a good way) - apart from the fact that this year a servicewoman delivered the key address - the first time ever! She delivered a wonderful speech; very warm and heartfelt. The dawn service is conducted in complete darkness apart from spotlights on the key players - very moody!
Afterwards we walked a small distance up Mt Ainslie to the site of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (A & TSI) bush memorial for a commemorative service for A & TSI servicemen. It was so different in character from the formal service at the War Memorial: warm and personal, lots of stories and smiles, smoke and didgeridoos, and this beautiful bush setting!
By the time we were walking back home the morning sun was making everything glow.
We stopped for coffee and a toastie afterward at our new C5 café (although just a pop up at this stage). We were amused by the magpies who did everything they could to convince us to give them a feed. They would be so easy to tame! Despite how it looks in this pic there were lots of people around walking back from the dawn service - there was a lovely friendly vibe to the morning.
Time for a shower and change and then it was back out on Anzac Parade to observe preparations for the march past and commemorative service. We were surprised by how warm it was today - the hottest ANZAC Day on record.
All the important action was up at the War Memorial - our Anzac Parade was really just a marshalling area for the groups of veterans and service men and women getting ready for the official march past (the Governor-General took the salute).
ANZAC Day ceremonies have always been tightly controlled by the Returned Services League (RSL), and in latter years increasingly more by whichever political party is in power. In the process some veterans have been marginalised and militarism rather than sombre reflection has become more of a focus.
So it was interesting to see this year a group commemorating the Frontier Wars in Australia lining up at the rear of the other marchers ...... recognising so many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lives lost in massacres and acts of genocide over the colonial period. This group was not allowed to participate in the official march past however. It is the war we dare not name!
We know of at least two family members (ANZACS) whose names are on the Honour Roll of the Australian War Memorial. William Dutton was our Mum's Uncle. He was killed "died of wounds" on the 21st August 1917 at Hell Fire Corner (the most dangerous crossing on the Ypres - Menin Road). William Dutton is buried nearby in a small cemetery just outside Ypres on the Menin Road (Brandhoek New Military Cemetery No 3 Ieper, West-Vlaanderen Belgium). He was only 25 when he died - in the prime of his life - such a waste.....
All the talk this Anzac Day has been about the 100th anniversary of the battle at Villers-Brettoneaux (near Amiens in France) and the opening of the $100,000,000 Sir John Monash Centre there. William Dutton was killed about 120klms north of there in Belgium - and about 9 months ahead of that momentous battle. Another casualty in a war that took over 60,000 young Australian lives for a cause that is hard to justify in the cold hard light of day. It gives us all such a lot to think about!!!
Ros and Pete usually visit us in Canberra at this time of the year for our Mum's birthday. We've kept up the tradition this year even though dear old Mum is no longer with us (RIP Betty K - bless her).
We were able to spend a lot of time together over the past three days, although the threat of an imminent sniffle or cough meant some of us had to absent ourselves at times.
There were ten us of us for dinner last night here at the apartment. Ollie and Angus are looking so tall and grown up now......
It's so good to see Maxie out and about and able to socialise - most stylish girl in the oncology ward - indeed most stylish girl anywhere!
Darling Ella and Abi had to pull out at the last minute because of the risk of infection, but still managed to deliver their handmade dessert: gluten free cupcakes, chocolate fudge and fresh berries - all made by Ella and Abi (and Jody). We MISSED THEM so much at our family dinner!!
It was Mum's actual birthday today (103 years ago). We woke to a spectacular sunrise...
...and made our way up to the bushland at the base of Mt Ainslie, amongst the kangaroos, cockatoos and Mum's beloved magpies...................
where we carefully spread Mum's ashes around the base of this very elegant Scribbly gum......... in loving memory of this fearless and remarkable woman......
RIP Betty K from your three "girls" and all the members (and partners) of your beautiful extended family.
Apartment interior view same time of day ........
Just testing focus capacity in dim light (it's pretty good I think!) .……...
I wanted this shot to look really moody! .........
We've had a very social week with lots of lunches, (French) movies, and coffee outings too. It culminated last night in another dinner out at the Kingston Foreshore to celebrate Maddie L's 22nd birthday.
Two gorgeous sisters: Maddie the birthday girl and Sophie just a few hours off leaving for Vietnam on her ANU study tour.
Group shot at Le Rustica Kingston Foreshore - not bad for such low light!
Happy birthday Maddie! - glad my camera was up to capturing your birthday celebration last night.
