Another week

It's fair to say we're all feeling like there might be some light at the end of the tunnel, after nearly 7 weeks of pretty severe restrictions on all our social contacts and movements.. which, in turn has affected EVERYTHING!

We've heard today that restrictions are slowly being lifted in the coming weeks - with hopes that key aspects of our lives might return to the "new normal" by July-August??? 

Walking in our beautiful city has been a saviour for us over the past few weeks, and this week our friends Judy and Jurgen gave us a guided walk in the beautiful (and fairly wild) Stirling Park in Yarralumla - only a scant 2-3 kilometres from our city centre. 

We hadn't gone far before we spied this big old man kangaroo by the side of the path - well camouflaged by the colours of the bush.

The wild  park overlooks our Lake Burley Griffin so there are stunning views too in amongst the remnant bushland.

 ,,, over to the Arboretum on the other side of the lake ......

 .. and down to Yarralumla Bay.......

 ... and one of Canberra's distinctive landmarks ....

 We found it interesting to learn a bit about the Westlake development on the edge of Stirling Park. From the 1920s this was the site of several camps that were created to house the workers building the new nation's capital. The site wasn't cleared until 1965 when the worker's families were relocated.

Today the site has been cleared but remains undeveloped (much to the relief of the locals). There is a sign under these two magnificent gum trees: Westlake - Cocky's Tree Lookout for the SP Bookie. I bet there is an interesting story behind that sign.

 I had a coffee in our Hassett Park with one of our neighbours during the week and a stroll around our building's "front garden" - something we didn't feel comfortable doing before this even though strictly speaking it fitted within the 2 person X 1.5metre apart rule.

Our "front garden" is looking particularly beautiful at the moment.

And we enjoyed a beautiful l-o-n-g lunch today at Jennie and Wayne's out at Murrumbateman. Another sign that we are coming B-A-C-K. 

I was very charmed by Jennie and Wayne's young cows (they've only been weaned for 3 weeks!) who gave us a very gentle farewell at the gate to the Bush's Lane property. Aren't they beautiful!

 Part of the fun of lunch today was comparing notes on our sourdough bread making progress. Rob made his first batch about 10 days ago. He's made 4 loaves now - finding it very demanding and technical but absolutely delicious outcome! He really impressed Jennie with his efforts today!

 I have focussed on sorting photos, travel books and working out some new sewing projects in my quiet time in isolation. I'm also paying more attention to my indoor plants and propagating myriad Devil's Ivy plants. It's been very pleasant really - balanced by all the walking and Mt Ainslie climbing.

 And just to finish off our best week in a while I got this great view of our last supermoon of the year outside our winter garden windows at about 7.00 tonight

ANZAC Day was different

Our world continues to be quite strange - but everyone is adapting, some more easily than others of course. The news around the country continues to be positive with "the curve being very successfully flattened".

ANZAC Day (25th April) in our neighbourhood is usually HUGE with thousands attending the Dawn service just up the road at the Australian War Memorial and more thousands involved in the march down our Anzac Parade later in the morning.

This year for ANZAC Day many of us turned on our balcony lights or lit a candle at 6.00am, for the minute's silence and Last Post segments of the dawn service, which was live streamed by the ABC. Many people, in suburbs all around Australia stood in their driveways with candles and poppies and observed a minute's silence too.Those who could also played the Last Post - on all sorts of instruments apparently!

It certainly brought the country together in a moving and meaningful way this year - and hopefully some of these ways of commemorating ANZAC Day may continue when times are a bit less strange.

 After our dawn start to ANZAC Day yesterday we set out extra early for our weekly walk up Mt Ainslie with our friend David. It was our first foggy morning of the season.

 We're so lucky to be able to do these beautiful walks in the outdoors - even in these strange times. The bush seemed suitably moody for ANZAC Day.

 It was a day of many emotions, as it always is ........ Our dear Dad was born on the day of the ill fated ANZAC landing at Gallipoli in 1915, 105 years ago. But our Dad left us, way too early, on 21 March 1981. We were also thinking of our darling Maxie who left us 5 months ago now on 25th November 2019. We miss them both so much.......

I think this pic of Mum and Dad, Maxie and me may have been taken in 1954 - probably at a family wedding.... a nice memory from a long time ago.

 But on another note ........ we continue to enjoy our much quieter times with the young ones. They've been on school holidays for the last two weeks and enjoying a break from online learning. We've had a few days at our apartment - just a change of scenery for them as we can't do much. They seem very relaxed and happy though. Kids like them are so lucky in these times with their happy calm families and no pressure, although I know there must be a lot of kids out there not so lucky. I would say Ella and Abi are finding a lot to enjoy in these quieter times, although Ella is really missing her friends and can't wait for school to start again.

 Rob taught them to make bread - a very successful exercise.

 Ella made Za'atar bread, Abi made olive bread - both yummy!

It's back to "school" next Tuesday, and the start of term 3. Who knows how long learning at home will continue?

A somewhat weird Easter

This Easter has felt weird - in a year that seems more crazy as each month goes by. Of course we're all following strict social distancing rules and being ordered to #STAYHOME

I've got into designer mask making (sorry about the scary picture) - a sign of the times ..........

 while Rob has got into seasonal baking. There has been a very long break in his bread baking practice (like about 40 years) but it all seems to have come back to him this Easter ........ more yummy Corona - kilos for us!!!

 ..and some rustic olive bread ....... more yum!

  I took this picture on Saturday evening from our laundry window, facing Provan Street and the Greenwich apartments across the road. It was quite a strange sight on an Easter Saturday evening to see virtually every apartment lit up and everyone #STAYINGHOME!

 But luckily, despite Covid-19, some things have stayed the same - a beautiful Easter full moon in the night sky and the first dusting of Autumn colour in the trees outside our north facing windows (on a cool and rainy Good Friday).

 After a windy Saturday, today emerged absolutely Canberra perfect: 17oC and not a cloud in the sky - and with that beautiful crisp, blue toned Autumn light. My walk around the lake this morning (maintaining my social distance at all times) was heart stoppingly beautiful from every angle.

 Ella and Abi have not seen anyone else but Josh and Jody and us for about 3 weeks now - so they are always pretty pleased to see us on our regular visits, Especially today with some Easter treats in the offing (after the customary Easter egg hunt in the back garden)!

 Abi's organic cotton sloth patterned PJs went over well.

 And Ella dipped straight into one of the face mask treatments I'd added to her bag of treats (the girl who least needs a facial of anyone I know - but who enjoys them anyway!)

 See how much younger she looks after that??

The girls have been practising their yoga/gymnastic moves A LOT over the past few weeks - which makes a good distraction from their home school activities I'd say. Anyway, they're both looking pretty fit ......

And Abi is always super aware of nature around her .......

 The girls are actually getting on well - better than we expected given they don't have anyone else's company these days. Both girls are scarily good mimics, and very sassy - and they each have a great sense of humour. Joshie cooked us a beautiful meal tonight  and the girls had us laughing to tears most of the night over dinner. I don't know how Josh and Jody stay in control of this pair (but they do).

What a week!

As the world changes all around us thanks to CV-19 our morning walks around the lake and up Mt Ainslie bring us great solace. It's actually a beautiful time of the year in Canberra, which we must stop and appreciate more often, particularly after our hellish January and February start to the year!

 Canberra schools (with no advance notice) became pupil free on Tuesday this week. We were due to do school drop off and pick up for Ella and Abi anyway this week, so that announcement made it easier and much calmer for all of us.

They made great use of our new (old) table set up in the winter garden most of Tuesday morning doing art work and construction projects. It should prove very handy over the coming months if ever the girls want to work on their "home learning plans" over here.

 We spent Tuesday afternoon outdoors, making sure we kept the mandatory "social distancing" from other people - together with lots of hand washing.

 Abi is a great nature/animal lover, and there are plenty of opportunities around here for her favourite bird whispering activity .........

  .... and plenty of puppies around for park play. There's every variation of poodle crosses in our Hassett Park. The big bouncy golden retriever/poodle cross puppy (Oscar the Groodle) was a big hit with Abi.

Abi and I checked out some of the memorials along Anzac Parade (the first time we've done this together).

  And I knew she'd LOVE the beautiful, larger than life size bronze horses in the National Boer War Memorial over the road from our apartment.

 And she did (of course)!

  The girls stayed overnight with us and then we started work in earnest on their "home learning plans" on Thursday. So far the girls (and us) have coped very well with enforced home schooling. They are very lucky - Jody is a trained teacher, they have great access to learning through their devices, there is a mountain of resources (paint paper games tape books) they can draw on at home and each of them is making regular contact with their teachers who monitor their learning. I am so impressed with what the schools are doing to support the girls' learning through Google Classroom and other means.

We did it all again on Friday, although by the end of this huge, disrupted week, with the world getting crazier and crazier by the hour, Ella and Abi decided to make it a "stay in your PJs day" - all day!

But it didn't stop them getting into work projects .....

 Ella's had all her after school activities cancelled, including her beloved Gymnastics - and Abi's horseriding class was cancelled at the last minute too today!!

Joshy was able to sign her up for a 30 minute, one on one lesson this afternoon instead, much to Abi's delight - on Tinsel.

I think Joshy will try to keep this arrangement going as long as possible (and pay the big bucks). She made extraordinary progress under the very watchful eye of her tutor - and LOVED it (of course)!

 Our girls are so lucky that their lives can be so good in these crazy times; fingers crossed we can keep it all working like this, despite how crazy it gets in future!!