Our Nation's Capital - Canberra

I am champing at the bit, waiting for 1st November until NaNoWriMo starts. I have been plotting, preparing, researching and dreaming. I just can’t wait to start. And guess what my darling daughter and her husband did for me! Take a look at this photo and you will see what I came home to after a three day visit to Canberra, the nation’s Capital. They set me up with a brand new office desk, so comfortable, so spacious, so professional. I don’t know about others, but I can definitely write better when in an uncluttered and inspirational environment. As you can see from the walls, I have all the maps, photos and research about China in 1914 pasted to my wall to inspire me and keep me moving forward with my story.

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Visiting Canberra after my last visit about forty years ago was fun. I went to a formal presentation in Parliament House, had dinner at the National Press Club, and got to visit the War Memorial. Canberra is a fairly sterile city with no discernable CBD, yet is meticulously laid out around a manmade lake called Burley Griffin. Very picturesque.

The War Memorial in Canberra is a very thought provoking and sacred place. Every Australian who has been killed in all the wars and conflicts, is remembered here. There is also a very good, but sometimes harrowing, museum with dioramas and displays. I even got to see the memorial plaque for Kenny Gant, a friend of ours who lost his life in the Battle of Long Tan in Vietnam. I was about 10 at the time, but I still remember Kenny. RIP Private Kenneth H. Gant.

Here are a few snaps from my visit.

Marble interior of Parliament House

The Australian Coat of Arms outside Parliament House

Pte Kenneth Gant

Bronze statue outside National War Memorial of Simpson and his donkey, ANZAC Cove 1915