September 4: I wish I could tell you that I live in an area called Jerrabomberra or Tuggeranong or Wagga Wagga.  At least then I could pretend I was in a foreign country where English was not the first language.  But I don’t. I live in Reid (pronounced “reed”), a suburb in the district of North Canberra, right next to Canberra’s city centre.  I rent a room in Donna’s house; she also rents out a garage-turned-apartment as well as part of her house that has been closed-off from the main area.  Built in the 1930s, her house is known as a “heritage house”, and it has a beautiful garden (front and back) that she spends a lot of time maintaining.  With spring upon us, she is very busy pulling weeds, planting flowers, and pruning the shrubs.

Backyard view of 10 Currong St., Reid. My room is to the left.

Donna’s two cats, Gus and Pushkin, are fat but happy and make all the rules, as expected.  Since I’m missing my two kitties back in Michigan, it’s nice to have these furballs around.

Pushkin (left) and Gus (right)

A quick walk down Currong, Boolee, and Akuna, through Glebe Park, brings me to  City Walk (i.e., Civic), a pedestrian mall full of shops, cafes, and other vendors.  It makes for some good people watching but I’ve (already) noticed that it clears out after 5 pm and that it’s not very crowded on the weekend.  Saturday, however, with the afternoon sun shining bright, more than one person was sipping a latte at a sidewalk cafe (including me!).  Canberra Centre , just adjacent to the walk, was quite crowded.  Its website claims that it is a “cultural hub” – hey! It’s got a Target! – and I think it deserves further exploring. Full of clothing stores, cafes, and even a grocery store with fresh meat and seafood markets, I think this might be a good place to spend a rainy afternoon.  In any case, it’s a good place to spend money!

It’s very dry here, something I did not expect.  About 40% of Australia is covered by sand dunes and the rest of the continent is also very dry; I have been drinking a lot of water.  It has been cold here at night – in the low 30s – and the skies are clear! During the day, it is nice and warm in the Sun, reaching temperatures of about 60 F.  Switching from the warm-and-humid Michigan August to the dry-and-cool Australia August has been a shock to my system, but Donna thinks the weather is “quite lovely” and has all of the windows and doors open.  Just  between you and me, I keep the heater on in my room!

It’s pretty cloudy here today (Sunday) with rain possible.  For me, this is a good day to check out the movies.  Red Dog might be just the entertainment I need!