The Canadian Flag Pole

As Tara mentioned in an earlier post we stumbled upon Floriade last weekend. We were really in search of the Captain Cook Memorial Water Jet and the Canadian Flag Pole. We have been able to see the water jet from all of the tourist places we have visited around the city. We thought it would be cool to see it up close. On the map I was looking at there was a spot marked as the Canadian Flag Pole near the water jet, so I wanted to investigate.

We have only been able to see the top of the jet on our other sight seeing adventures. I must admit I was expecting something a little more impressive than the square black block the water was shooting out of.

After seeing the water jet I was looking around for a Canadian Flag but there was none to be found. When they say Canadian Flag Pole that is what they really mean, only the pole is Canadian. I just assumed there would be a Canadian Flag on it, but I was wrong it was the Australian Flag at the top.

The pole was presented by the Government of Canada and the Canadian Timber Industry to Australia as a constant reminder of the ties which unite Australia and Canada. The pole, a single spar of Douglas Fir logged from a forest in British Columbia, is 128 feet in height although the first 10 feet are under ground. (I got that info from the plaque at the bottom.)

The flag pole is the third present we have found here in Canberra that Canada has given Australia. Does anybody know if they have given us any presents back?

To Gnome Me is to Love Me

So, the extra added bonus of Floriade?? The GNOME CONTEST!! Stacy and I decided to make a contribution to the crowds of gnomes painted by Floriade-goers. We used our combined artistic skills (which are not much sadly) to create our Canadian gnome, and had tons of fun doing it!

Sparkles!!!! Just to add a some razzle-dazzle to the little-fella!

A maple leaf is pretty difficult to paint on a gnome's face- but I think we managed to at least get the idea across. Introducing... Bob McKenzie, our all-Canadian gnome!

Bob joins his friends in the '22 and over' category. (Does artist skill peak at 22 or something? What a strange age limit.)

Some examples of corporate entries. The convict-founders of Australia gnomes above and 'Where's Waldo' gnomes below.And these are my FAVOURITES! The fabulous entries of local pre-schoolers!

Floriade

Saturday was a GORGEOUS day. Warm and sunny with a great breeze. Absoulutely perfect shorts weather. Stacy suggested that we head down to the lake for a stroll. We did take the stroll, but we stumbled upon Floriade on our way. It is advertised as "The Southern Hemisphere's Largest Flower Festival", but it was really much like the summer festivals at home. There were craft and jewellery vendors, food stands and buskers. There were also flower displays- this year's theme is "Movies that Shaped our Nation". They were nice, but nothing spectacular. Stacy and I toured the vendors and got ourselves some fudge (YUM!). We also painted a gnome for the gnome painting contest- but more on that in a later post. It turned out to be a nice little Saturday.

Kangaroooooos!

One of the first questions people ask when they hear we are in Australia is "Have you seen any Kangaroos yet?" The answer... YES. I spotted the first one while we were on the train from Sydney to Canberra. A few days later we saw the ones below while we were out trying to find a house to live in.

This kangaroo tried to attack me and Tara beat it to death with that stick. OR Unfortunately for this 'Roo he got hit by a car and we saw him on the side of the road. Our first roadkill sighting.
We didn't see any for quite awhile but the weather has started warming up which means we and the kangaroos are out a lot more, therefore we have more opportunity to run into each other. We bumped into these ones on Campus at Tara's school.
They had Joey's in their pouches but we didn't think it wise to get any closer for a picture.
Walking home the same day we came across this group only 5 minutes from our house. They just watched us as we went by.I have been back past the same spot since and saw even more kangaroos in the same clearing. If you come and visit we can take you to see them. We wanted to get a video of them hopping but the slow creep was all we could get on this day.

The Cut!

I have been growing out my hair for the last couple years. As many of you know, I have been growing it with the intention of donating it when it was long enough. I don't really enjoy long hair. It takes too long to do anything with it, and I have been working the frizzy ponytail for far too long. This morning I ran out of hot water in the shower because it took so long to wash and then condition my locks. And then it took me about an hour to blowdry and straighten my mane. Stacy and Billy had left me alone for the day, and I had had enough!

I grabbed my scissors and my ruler. I downloaded the donation instructions from the Pantene Beautiful Lengths website. I made sure my ponytails were long enough and I.....

CHOPPED MY HAIR OFF!!!!
Then I stuck my two ponytails in ziploc bags, threw on a hat, and went to a professional at the local mall to fix my hack-job home haircut.

It takes 6 ponytails to make one wig, and because my hair is so thick I will be sending two!

This is the post-professional haircut. Its a bit shorter then I intended, but I got a little crazy with the initial hack-job and left myself a little short patchy spot. I am pretty pleased with my new look, and even more pleased that I was able to donate my hair to this awesome cause. Please read more about it below, and consider making a donation yourself. Although you should probably consider enlisting some help with the cutting!

A real-hair wig allows a woman to look in the mirror and at least see a familiar face while she fights to regain a sense of normalcy in her life. The Canadian Cancer Society is pleased to distribute the Pantene Beautiful Lengths real-hair wigs. While this new program aims to assist as many cancer patients as possible, ultimately the number of free wigs that become available will depend entirely on the number of ponytail donations received.
Go to Make the Cut to find out how you can donate your hair. Creating a real-hair wig takes approximately three to four months, and each wig requires at least six ponytails to make.
As Pantene Beautiful Lengths wigs are created, they are distributed for free through the Canadian Cancer Society’s national network of community offices. Women facing cancer can find out about the availability of a Pantene Beautiful Lengths wig by calling the Canadian Cancer Society at 1 888-939-3333. The Society’s toll free line can also provide callers with access to many resources, including information about cancer and emotional support for those dealing with the disease.
The Canadian Cancer Society is a national community-based organization of volunteers whose mission is to eradicate cancer and to enhance the quality of life of people living with cancer. Visit the Society’s website at www.cancer.ca to learn more about its mission and activities.

Beyond Reasonable Drought

Quite by accident, Stacy and I came upon the photo exhibit Beyond Reasonable Drought last week. It was set up in the old parliament building (as well as other locations around the city) and we arrived with enough time to check it out before our tour of parliament started. I am really glad that we stumbled on the collection.


Australia is in a drought. Its hard for us, as Canadians, to really understand the gravity of a country in this kind of crisis. This exhibit had some really remarkable photography that helped to introduce us to what effect it has on the country and the people living here. They were really powerful images.

The exhibit was also scattered with quotes on the walls. Some were recent, from politicians and activists. Some were from poets and artists. The quote in the picture above is this...

I love a sunburnt country,

A land of sweeping planes,

Of ragged mountains ranges,

Of drought and flooding rains,

I love her far horizons,

I love her jewel sea,

Her beauty and her terror-

The wide brown land for me.

-Dorthea MacKellar, 1906

No Loons or Canadian Geese?

This is a post about birds.

The first thing that I noticed was different when we got to Canberra were the birds. Not the magpies, I didn't know about those horrors yet, but their rather colourful counterparts. These are bonifide tropical-type birds! On any given day, walking to school or to the shops, we will see mostly all of these birds. Its become pretty commonplace now, but i still think they are beautiful and blog-worthy This guy is called a Gala. When I first saw a bunch of them milling around on the ground they reminded me of the pigeons on Animaniacs because of their pink and grey colouring. They seem to be pretty chill birds- no squaking or swooping from these guys.

This is a King Parrot. Yup, a parrot! There are a couple that like to hang out in the tree just beside our front door. They are gorgeous, and a little more skittish then some of the other birds. Its tough to get close, but you definitely don't miss them in their bright reds and greens. They also fly overthings with a very small amount of clearance. This, in our magpie-paranoid state, can cause you to think you are being swooped when you are really just below the flight path of these colourful fellows.

I think I was most shocked to see flocks of Sulfur-crested Cockatoos on the side of the road. I mean, at home these things are only seen in expensive pet stores! These cockatoos win the award for most terrifying noise. Their squawk is SO loud and SO grating that I have sometimes mistaken it for a scream. It will certainly make you jump!

This is a little guy we don't see very often. The picture doesn't do it justice, because the Blue Wren's colourning is an almost flourescent, electric blue. He is probably only the size of a tennis ball. We have seen him a few times flitting around our back porch. But he is far too skittish to ever catch him for long!

How Many Politicians Can You Fit In A Phone Booth?

Thursday afternoon we decided it was time to play tourist again and check out the Parliament buildings. Tara is standing in front of the current Parliament buildings which have been in use since 1988. This building is built on a hill that looks down towards the city.

These stairs are in the entrance way of the building. Although construction started in 1985 the building seems very modern. Building materials from all over the world as well as every State and Territory in Australia were used in the design.
The flagpole is the focal point of the building. It stands above the very centre of the building and can be seen from various points around the city. I am actually standing on the top of the building and could see out for miles. It was far more impressive than what we could capture in a picture.

Old Parliament House was used from 1927-1988 and was full of history. This building is near the bottom of the hill right in front of the current building.

Phone Booths like the one above were added to parliamentary work rooms when the telephone became common use. The members did not have their own offices so the booths were sound proofed so they could have privacy when they were on the phone. However because of the sound proofing 3 or 4 politicians at a time would cram themselves in here so they could have conversations without being overheard. How many politicians can you fit in a phone booth?

The chair at the head of the table in the Senate of Old Parliament House is made of solid Canadian Maple and was a gift from the Canadian Government to the Australian Government when they moved in, in 1927. As soon as our tour guides at both buildings found out we were Canadian they were excited to point out some Canadian content for us. It was a good day and we took a lot of pictures so more to come.