Canberra at last!

< Eastern Grey Kangaroos in Weston Park
We've been in Canberra a week now, so I suppose I ought to write something. The first thing you notice as you approach the city is that it appears encircled by blue mountains. There have been a few days of extremely cold weather, so some of the mountains are dusted with snow. Parliament House and Lake Burley Griffin, with its Captain Cook memorial jet (much like the water jet in Lake Geneva) are splendid in the late afternoon sunlight. I'm surprised by how familiar things seem. The gray-green-brown colors of the vegetation is very Michigan winterish.

< Golden Wattle in bloom
Spring is at hand, however. Wattles are blooming. Their clusters of yellow pompom flowers brighten every street. Tiny jonquils are blooming in the grass in front of the house. Soft purple iris line the garden path like little lanterns. The rhododendron buds are swelling. I'm so happy to be here.

We drove to Weston Park to look for kangaroos and found a mob of eighteen of the delightful animals. I know I'm really in Australia now. See image above and the photo gallery (no people photos yet, but at least these are animals! Photos taken with the little Canon G9, which David had in the car, just in case.)