NATIONAL ARBORETUM......Canberra.

OK, I am still here and trying hard to get motivated to blog, thinking that it is probably pretty boring reading for most.  Not helping is the worldwide  disastrous news headlines about all sorts of happenings.  I'm going to do some catching up on our happenings over the last (6) months & will start with a visit to our son & family in Canberra, back in October '19.  On this particular visit we took ourselves out to the Arboretum (I've shown a little before) and discovered a few bits we'd not seen.
1.  The Bonsai House.

At the entrance to The Bonsai House.
I do love the candles all standing straight & tall.

Port Jackson Fig.

Bottlebrush.

River Red gum.

Coast Banksia.

The above four are all Australian natives grown in a miniature form.  I was quite blown away by these specimens, as most of the Bonsai I've seen before has been with exotic species.

We took a walk up to the lookout on top of the hill and saw these on the way.

Looking back towards the Visitor Centre and ancillary buildings.

Quercis trees or what I've always called The Judas tree.  They are so pretty in flower.

The views towards the suburbs of Canberra over lakes and towards the mountains.

Once at the top this is what we could see.

                                    The views over plantings of trees towards the mountains.

                                                           Framed by trees this time.

An Eagles nest made from scrap, which I found fascinating.  DH & I were discovering all sorts in                                                                             this  lot.
Back down towards the Visitor garden are a number of small areas dedicated to different organisations.  Now something I don't generally talk about, but feel it's relevant as this plaque (below), stood out as a reminder of my late younger brother. 

My brother passed away from AIDS in 1993 aged 41.  He did actually live in Canberra for many years, running a small restaurant, before he contracted the horrible disease.  I just found it emotional that this was in a place he lived & he also loved gardening when he had time.

                                     Part of the Memorial gardens with a red flowering gum.

             This was called the Labyrinth garden and had lots of lovely sweet smelling lavender.                 Walking up from the Visitor Centre carpark we spotted this little beauty.  How could I not take a photo, before we headed up to the opposite hill where my beloved rusty sculpture sits.

     A lovely Morris Minor panel van (ours would have looked a lot like this before it was pulled from the blackberry bush & the rusty van bit fell off 😊), and from near our part of Victoria.
Up the hill to this..............................

                     Part of the finishing words to the Dorothea Mackellar poem "My Country".

                                                                   The views from up here.

  One last photo, just because.......................

Well, that's it.  Promoting our capital maybe, but a place we visit when we can whilst up that way & never cease to be amazed by the growth of some of the trees in such a new planting & considering our harsh climate at times. Also discovering other areas I'd not seen before.   
Just at the moment we seem to be experiencing the worst of what mother nature can throw at us, as a country with drought, bushfires, flooding rains, storms & cyclones, all this season of summer 2019/2020..  We will survive all this!!!!
On the home front, it's been the same old & because of the strange weather, we've not been out'n'about as much.  I've had a dental checkup & need a few fillings replaced, possibly all done before I go onto a medication for my osteoporosis, which scares me somewhat, but should, I've been told, help with bone strength.  OK done for now as I've been sat here for too long doing this.
Take care all & big huggles from down under.  See you again soon.............
Susan.