Wow, long time no update
Wow! Sorry again for the huge delays in updating. Things have been busy!
This weekend had been good. Lauren and I are house-sitting at the Treddinicks, the family whom we babysat for. What that means is that we’re actually living at their house while they’re on vacation at the coast. Hence it’s been a bit difficult to get to the internet! But overall so far its been very relaxing and time to catch up on some much needed work. Yesterday (Sunday) in particular was nice because the weather was gorgeous (low 70s) and I spent most of the day lying on their huge trampoline getting a tan and reading for developmental psychology. Also spent time playing with Lucy, their golden retriever and envying her life and the huge backyard she has to play in! (Pictures to follow).
Today (Monday) was a public holiday in Canberra. Evidently it used to be celebrated on the 12th of March to commemorate the day when the Governor General’s wife opened the envelope that gave Canberra its official name way back when it was first settled. But due to Canberran’s love of the long weekend, Canberra Day is now celebrated on the third Monday of March… sounds a bit like home with our holidays! Anyhow, most Canberran’s go to the coast so the town has been pretty quiet. I was very fortunate, however, and today I got a private tour of the Australian National Botanic Gardens! The Sander’s are friends with a retired couple, Pat and Warwick Wright, who volunteer at the Gardens and give tours. Stephany, Anna and I met them at 10 and spent two wonderful hours walking around the gardens. Unlike most national gardens, the ANBG houses (for the most part) only native plants. They were originally planted schematically, putting all acacias in one area and gum trees in the next, but the more recent plantings have been done according to ecosystem. We saw more plant species than I knew existed (the ANBG houses 1/3 of Australian species) and learned a lot about the Aboriginal culture and how they used plants. One sort of interesting example was a purple pea plant that the Aboriginal men used to drop into muddy fishing holes. This reduced the oxygen content of the water, temporarily stunning the fish and causing them to rise to the top to be easily captured. Another example was a lily plant that produced fermented nectar and when the birds drank it, they became ‘drunk’ and allowed for easy capture. Aboriginal’s were the original conservationists.
updated 24/3- Sorry for the long time between updates again! Unfortunately I haven't gotten to finish this entry because I'm off to Sydney in 6 hours! But I'm really missing everyone from home these days, so no worries, none of you are forgotten!
Updates when I get back on Tuesday or Wednesday! Happy Easter!
Lo
This weekend had been good. Lauren and I are house-sitting at the Treddinicks, the family whom we babysat for. What that means is that we’re actually living at their house while they’re on vacation at the coast. Hence it’s been a bit difficult to get to the internet! But overall so far its been very relaxing and time to catch up on some much needed work. Yesterday (Sunday) in particular was nice because the weather was gorgeous (low 70s) and I spent most of the day lying on their huge trampoline getting a tan and reading for developmental psychology. Also spent time playing with Lucy, their golden retriever and envying her life and the huge backyard she has to play in! (Pictures to follow).
Today (Monday) was a public holiday in Canberra. Evidently it used to be celebrated on the 12th of March to commemorate the day when the Governor General’s wife opened the envelope that gave Canberra its official name way back when it was first settled. But due to Canberran’s love of the long weekend, Canberra Day is now celebrated on the third Monday of March… sounds a bit like home with our holidays! Anyhow, most Canberran’s go to the coast so the town has been pretty quiet. I was very fortunate, however, and today I got a private tour of the Australian National Botanic Gardens! The Sander’s are friends with a retired couple, Pat and Warwick Wright, who volunteer at the Gardens and give tours. Stephany, Anna and I met them at 10 and spent two wonderful hours walking around the gardens. Unlike most national gardens, the ANBG houses (for the most part) only native plants. They were originally planted schematically, putting all acacias in one area and gum trees in the next, but the more recent plantings have been done according to ecosystem. We saw more plant species than I knew existed (the ANBG houses 1/3 of Australian species) and learned a lot about the Aboriginal culture and how they used plants. One sort of interesting example was a purple pea plant that the Aboriginal men used to drop into muddy fishing holes. This reduced the oxygen content of the water, temporarily stunning the fish and causing them to rise to the top to be easily captured. Another example was a lily plant that produced fermented nectar and when the birds drank it, they became ‘drunk’ and allowed for easy capture. Aboriginal’s were the original conservationists.
updated 24/3- Sorry for the long time between updates again! Unfortunately I haven't gotten to finish this entry because I'm off to Sydney in 6 hours! But I'm really missing everyone from home these days, so no worries, none of you are forgotten!
Updates when I get back on Tuesday or Wednesday! Happy Easter!
Lo
posted by Lauren @ 3/24/2005 11:53:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home