This week

I am already getting taunted about the Ashes which is still nearly 3 months away. Anyone would think the Aussies were holding that little urn or something! To make matters worse though I managed to buy ‘warm’ beer on Friday, a faux-pas which will be marked in my “that bloody Pommie b*stard” record.

Saturday arvo what started out as a little walk along the lake turned into a full blown ascent of Mount Ainslie. This hill is the north side of the lake and rises up from the war memorial. I didn’t go in the memorial (save that for another day), but headed into Mount Ainslie, which is another section of this wonderful Canberra Nature Park. The hike up was tougher than you think, especially as it was the hottest day since I’ve been here (I’m guessing 20-21C). It was worth it for the panoramic views however, with the money shot being the view looking straight down to the War Memorial, along Anzac Parade, over the lake to Old and New Parliament Houses.



Good ol' Black Mountain gets everywhere...



Oh, and just to prove I am actually here...



Of course, there’s a road going up there too, so there was no escaping that yank squawking at the birds and those Japanese tourists, who look awfully familiar (think I saw them at the war memorial). There was also a delightfully tacky caravan which sold cuddly koalas and the like.

The sun was dipping as I walked back down the hill and it finally dipped below Black Mountain and set off a nice sky.