Sweet Wayfaring

This sculpture is a strange contrast to the other pieces, but the little girl I saw playing nearby sure liked these dogs.

This pack of dogs marauding the city pavement seems quite sinister.  They seem to be made out of fibre glass bandages.

Another piece of city sculpture not to be outdone by the real thing nearby.  It's a tribute from the aboriginal people of this area who had the land before it became a sheep paddock and later a city.

Makes me think of Mary Poppins.  She has been getting a bit of a run again this year with the release of the film "The Saving of Mr Banks".

These fanciful animals were drawn on a window pane ... you can see the buildings and trees reflected in the unpainted portion of the glass.

I remember the arrival of this merry-go-round back in 1974.  It was an old one from Melbourne that was restored and has been pleasing young families ever since.

There was no explanatory sign but given that sheep is sitting in a squatters chair I think it is saying something about squatters . Perhaps also about the fact that the location of this city was just a sheep paddock 100 years ago.

On this trip I had some hours to kill in Civic and what perfect weather for doing so ... just sitting on a park bench reading a book in the golden autumn light rather than walking around the City Centre mall window shopping and buying things I don't need. Then I struck on an idea of finding Animals in the city like I did in Sydney so over the next week I'll show you what I found.

In a city centre as bland and neat and tidy as civic you almost long for the messiness of street art.  This was one bright spot I found.

When you see the myriad of outdoor eating spots in Civic you have to give a thought to Gus who when I first moved to Canberra was having a monumental battle with the authorities to establish European style outdoor eating which was against the regulations.  They took his tables and chairs.  They took his awnings and poles and he persisted. Now the windy alleys around Garema Place where his cafe remains has an almost Melbournian feel of conviviviality.

But there is no denying the dappled light of autumn in Canberra is just plain lovely, enough to bring poetry to the lips. I found these three poets in Garema Place once an empty lifeless kind of place and to me now better than it was though others still think it soulless. Judith Wright, David Campbell and AD Hope.  All poets I enjoy.  There were further poetical snippets set in the pavement, including one by Micheal Thwaites who I don't remember reading so looked him up.  Here is one of his poems Canberra in Autumn .

But no amount of spectacular autumn colour makes me feel comfortable with the office and apartment architecture of this city.  I guess the place is just too new, tidy and bland for my taste.

Canberra (our nation's capital) is of course well known for it's Autumn colour.

We visit Canberra each month so I am going to take you for a quick walk around the city as I saw it this week. However to begin, this was in the summer.  They looked nice but I can't understand why flower baskets in Australia never seem to be as beautiful as Europe.

I haven't been anywhere new to start a new tour but we went out to our block at Clandulla this weekend.  Poplars just sulk and drop their leaves in the mountains but turn glorious gold out west.  Drink in their beauty until I find a new story to tell.

I end this Anzac day series with a shot of this lovely lady, the modern face of our armed forces.  She is a Wing Commander and her medals are from service in Afghanistan.

The train was beginning to fill with people going home from the city march.  This lady was wearing a rosemary sprig.  She said she travels into the city each year in memory of her Dad who fought in New Guinea.

She is reading a letter to her friend.  That is one of the joys we miss in this modern age.  Christmas is about the only time we receive a personal letter in the mail.  My Mum/Dad used to write to me every week and I used to similarly write to them.  Unfortunately I kept very few of the letters.

Just about the only thing in Sydney that flags Autumn are the Plane trees.    That is the tower at Central Station ... we are on our way back home.

The food court was very crowded.  We had thought to have yum cha but the queue was snaking well outside the door.

I enjoyed a recent series by Winam of views from above so tried my own ... not very successfully.

We owned and lived in an apartment in that block towering over Market City.  On our way back from the visit with our cousin we decided to pop in for lunch and take a short trip down memory lane starting with familiar Asian smells (its in China Town) but I can't photograph those.

 I liked the monorail -  so sad to see its station is now just an empty hole.

An hour and a half later we are in the city ... after this colourful shot it's time for me to switch to black and white street photography mode.

Ooo Lawson Railway station has entered the modern world with electronic signage and Opal Card readers.