This is Canberra on a cold wintery day, with a dusting of snow on the Brindabella Mountains and the Australian Parliament House in the foreground.
Fog is more common than snow in Canberra, and this is often very stressful for politicians flying into Canberra, or indeed, Canberrans flying out to Queensland to get some warmth and sunshine!
Paul and I go to the markets every Thursday, but it has been a cold night, so Paul is checking the birdbaths, and removing the ice.
The birds are very dependent on us for water in these icy conditions…
The cockatoos are socialising and drinking from the neighbourhood’s gutters.
The lovely King Parrots are always here in winter..
They love to feed on the leftover leaves from the Japanese Maples..
The markets are very quiet this morning. In summer these corridors are full of people in shorts and T-shirts by lunch time! The markets specialise in food and lunches for all nationalities.
Today we are buying fresh vegetables, nuts, milk and yogurt and a few nice sauces for casseroles.
We had a chat to a new person at the cash register. She is from Germany, and has not long been in Australia. Today, everyone in the market is in coats and warm clothes, I asked her if she was expecting this cold weather…. her reply “I never thought it would be this cold in Australia.“
The good news is that although Canberra has cold winters, it often has clear blue skies, and four seasons, so you know spring is coming.
This is often a good time for riding around the lake, or walking along the bridge..
Before long the Manchurian Pear trees will start to blossom, a real sign of spring!
This photo was taken at the beginning of spring, more and more people venture out to enjoy the sun…
Thank you for taking the time to read my post today, and may the sun shine on you today.
Copyright: Geraldine Mackey : All Rights Reserved..
A good set of photographs answering the question
Thanks Derrick, although it does get cold in Australia, it is absolutely nothing compared with some bloggers I follow from, Maine, New England, Canada, Scotland etc!
So nice to see pictures of Canberra – I’ve only been there once but really enjoyed it. I remember my husband saying how cold it was in the mornings (early spring). Wish I had known about the markets which look fabulous.
Thanks Barbara, yes, I thought of you when I was taking photos at the markets, you would love them!
Thank you for taking us to market with you because it looks quite spectacular for fresh items. Your photos remind me of Pike’s Market in Seattle. We have a lot of what we call Farmers’ Markets and local farmers bring items for sale. I love the birds for sure, and those parrots are spectacular. Cold temperatures but blue skies is something I can live with. Our challenge in the winter are the cold temps and the dark gray skies that seem to suck the life right out of you. Sunshine makes all the difference in how you feel. Enjoy your beautiful landscape and thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the comment Judy, you certainly have a really tough winter compared with us, we have nothing to complain about considering your long snowy winter, with dark gray skies! Sunshine definitely makes a difference. Yes, we are lucky to have these markets because they sell quite a range of fresh fruit and vegetables, and plenty of other foods as well. At Easter time they have delicious chocolates of all kinds, and cakes which are lovely.
Happy gardening and I guess you are making some lovely quilts and/or doing some craft/sewing at the same time.