This week we had visitors from Canada. When we were in Canada last year we caught up with my 4th cousin Irene Cambridge who lives in the Vancouver area. This year we were able to reciprocate Irene's hospitality and have her and her friend Cathy (who was one of our chauffeurs) stay with us.
Australian fauna is so different from the creatures most people are familiar with that they really are fascinating to visitors and Irene and Cathy were no exception. We spent quite a bit of time observing kangaroos and their behaviour ... they can be really entertaining and they were. Cathy got very good at kangaroo spotting and the kangaroos just kept appearing.
Unfortunately we didn't manage to see any emus. They were not in any of the usual spots out at Tinbinbilla.
Irene and Cathy had spent a day in Brisbane before flying on to Canberra. We picked them up on Tuesday morning and waited for Antony, Nic and Astrid to arrive so that Irene could meet them before they flew out for Paris.
While Trevor took Antony's car, we girls headed off to see Floriade. It is amazing just how well the floral displays had survived both the time (it is now into the 4th week) and the weather.
On leaving the flowers we went over to the National Library to see their stained glass windows and also looked at their treasures exhibition.
Back in the car we zipped passed a number of places of interest before stopping for a look at Government House and then winding our way through the suburbs before arriving home.
Trevor took Irene and Cathy over to Antony's to meet Inti and Chimu and the other resident animals.
On Wednesday we headed out to the Tinbinbilla Nature Reserve where we were able to see lots of kangaroos but not a single emu. Next stop was the Tinbinbilla Tracking Station. The display was fascinating and the size of the biggest dish is something that needs to be seen to appreciate.
From the other side of the river we headed back into the city and the National Botanical Gardens. We were able to join a guided walk which was great. There were an abundance of plants in bloom, too, and great views across the city from a number of points.
Next came the Black Mountain Tower and views across the area.
On the way home we stopped at Woden to pick up an adaptor for Irene as the one she had did not plug in to our power points. We found an appropriate one in the first place we went to.
After we got home we picked up Trevor and headed out to Mt. Taylor for a spot of local kangaroo spotting. Our hoppy friends did not disappoint and even demonstrated the ease with which they jump over fences.
We were planning to have a BBQ for dinner however Trevor had not checked the gas cylinder which turned out to be empty. I'm sure that Irene and Cathy will have other BBQ opportunities before their trip is over.
The weather on Thursday was wet and grey but that did not stop us heading out into the country. We called passed the Family History Centre at Lyneham before driving to Yass and then back to Cooma Cottage and lunch in Murrumbateman. The afternoon was spent at the War Memorial.
No comments:
Post a Comment