coming back from canberra a week ago - 1

So I returned from Canberra via a bus-train arrangement going down what is known as the right-hand part of Australia, a $34 ticket that took up the whole of Friday but offered rich rewards. As you see. More soon.

a week ago in canberra - 6

 

So this was really a brief research-related trip, and I had barely any time to do anything, just two long days in the library, which went really fast and, of course, I only got about 60% done of what I wanted, but that's how these things go. I was very pleased with what I got anyway. 

These are just a couple of pictures I took of the tram works as I was heading to the Jolimont Centre to get the bus back to Melbourne. That was a whole process in itself, as I will relate. 

a week ago in canberra - 4

Leaving the NLA on Thursday evening 15 October at 7:10pm

From the bus:

Just so I could say I'd done it, I took the tram all the way to Gungahlin. I had no reason to go there. I mean I went to Coles and bought some cashews. Then I got the next tram back. 

I can't remember what kind of restaurant this had been, or even if it was in the Sydney or Melbourne building, doesn't matter, just a kind of sad place now. 

This was weird, coming back through ANU campus coming across this statue and someone fully blasting out what I discovered (thanks shazam) 'The Pot' by Tool, absolutely full boar. 

ANU campus at night - very nice

(Once they stopped that fucking racket I mean)

a week ago in canberra - 3

Leaving University House on the morning of Thursday 22nd. 

Building of the second Canberra tramline. Can't wait to see how this ends up. It's going to be great. 

Briefly accidentally ended up in Manuka, noted the death of the Kingston newsagency, this is its corpse. 

This (below) is what I was trying to get to when I accidentally sidetracked to the above - the Salvos near the train station. This bookshelf full of videos is not really telling anyone anything much but you can believe me when I tell you all of these DVDs apart from three vols of Offspring are American movies and tv shows. 

I don't know what these houses (below) are/were but they interested me. 

The brick on the buildings looks mid-late 70s, but the wooden wall inside the doorway looks much older, don't you think? 

a week ago in canberra - 2

The remainder of my Wednesday 14 October in Canberra was smoothish sailing though, having been up since before 4 I was frankly a little bit of a wreck but holding it together more or less. I mentioned a great op shop in Dickson, well, this is proof of that: 

I mean I'm not saying there's anything on those shelves I actually wanted (hopefully there's nothing you really wanted, either, because I didn't get you anything) just that it indicates remarkable bounty. I have no space for stuff or things, honestly. 

This is a set of stackable baked goods containers which pass the bechdel test but I imagine they probably also make the baked goods smell horrendous and become covered in mould in an instant. Real skew towards scones here too which is interesting. Why are scones only for old ladies? 

Oh yeah and also I found another one of these. 

Most of the day was spent, actually, in the National Library, which is one of my favourite buildings ever. It has a particular beauty to it, as well. I never have a bad time there. 

I'm staying at what is now known as the University House Hotel, it's very nice indeed. This is the late afternoon view from my little balcony. Anyway most of the rest of today will happen in the National Library again. Two of the most important things I requested for yesterday didn't show, for different reasons. One was my mistake (I requested box 3 not series 4, and got box 4 with series 3 in it, very confusing) and the other was maybe no-one's mistake? I requested an item that was embargoed until the death of the interviewee, and the interviewee died 11 years ago, but no-one had told the National Library so this had to be sorted out. I think it'll be fine. 

a week ago in canberra - 1

A week ago, or right now when I'm writing this, I was in Canberra, doing research. The first day was excellent (thought ultimately a little warm). I got up before 4am, which was mad, and got to the airport around 5:20, which was similarly crazy, and was in the Can by, um, 7:30 I suppose. The National Library, which was where I was ultimately headed for most of the day, doesn't open till 10am which is a bit backward but I coped. I got on the tram and went to Dickson actually and had some breakfast, then went to a very amazing op shop, didn't buy anything, but it was amazing. Anyway the pictures below are from before that time.

I do kind of love the bus stops but really... surely you have more to give than just peculiar bus stops, Canberra. This one is in the Canberra Centre i.e. it's not a bus stop a.t.a.l.l.

I don't hold out much hope for the future of these buildings:

More on this character (the one on the left) later: 

Can neither confirm nor deny:

i didn't do this

It's pretty interesting though.