EP and I (JMP) have done a little more exploring around Canberra in the last few days.  Yesterday we went to the National Botanic Gardens, conveniently located about 8 minutes from our place.  It actually took a bit longer due to a wrong turn that literally led us up a small mountain.  It was not entirely a waste of time though because the view from the top was stunning, even from the car.  There is a tower up at the top that one can go up to get a better look and I’m hoping to do that (with the camera) soon.  Upon coming back down I found the correct turn and we had a nice time exploring the botanic gardens a little.  We didn’t get very far in because EP tends to zig and zag and get distracted but we saw some of the Tasmanian rainforest section, lots of wonderful smelling Eucalyptus trees, and a bunch of Paperbark trees which I had never seen before and looked just like their names indicate.  We also saw (and heard) some truly wild birds, I will try to get some pictures of them as well.

Today we tried to go to a story time at a local library but it didn’t take place because it is apparently a school holiday right now.  I wasn’t the only one who was confused, there were lots of other kids there roaming around.  This town of Dickson was only a short 10 minute drive from the center of Canberra but felt like an entirely different place.  Next to the library was a rather extensive pedestrian area with a butcher, baker, cafe or two and a pharmacist.  It was quite charming and it was a fun place for us both to watch the locals go about their days.  The best part though was the grocery store.  We’ve been going to a grocery store at the giant mall complex downtown and I had forgotten from our days in Indonesia and Malaysia how annoying it is to try to buy a week’s worth of groceries and then have to haul heavy bags through the mall and parking garage to the car.  Turns out this is even harder to do with a toddler.  So I am excited that we found a place with its own parking lot.  This and the fact that we found a Target (actually quite different from the ones at home) have been the things that excited me most since we got here.  Funny how times change.

EP Wreaks Havoc on Cockatoos’ Dinner Time