WOW! Things move on! I well remember that around 1994 I acquired a 1 gigabyte hard drive to store my files. It was literally about the size of a brick and I wondered how many years it would take to fill it. It turned out that it was not many.
My new hard drive for my current needs can store 2 terabytes (2000 times that of the brick). I found it occupies a volume one 86,400th of similar storage in 1994.
Covid has disrupted so many plans. Mark had been hoping to get up to Maryborough to visit his Aunt Audrey for some time. It finally came together so he was able to visit her for her 92nd birthday. She has been slowly losing her edge and as she was an important part of his childhood, Mark was very keen to see her as soon as he could. A happy result!
Returning from Canberra we had tried to see Greg in Echuca but a Covid lockout prevented us from visiting. Today we tried again. This time successfully. The Covid protocols were all in place so we were tested at the door before entry.
As Adam, Kate and the family were away for a few days, we went over to feed and check on the dogs. It was too hot. They could hardly be bothered and Louie decided on the cool of the concrete as his preferred spot.
My win in the Christmas Game came to my aid today as I broke out my Jesus Soap! No need for church today as I was washed clean by the soap instead.
We have bought much of our food at the Blackburn North shops for many years. The centre has been getting tired and has been under redevelopment. It is starting to come together with a fantastic fruit and veg store in the middle of the complex. Not before time but good to see.
While Mark is in Queensland visiting his Aunt, the rest of the family came to dinner. Clearly someone has been putting fertiliser in their corn flakes as the boys were all bigger than they were at Christmas. Jack has certainly passed me, Cooper is taller than Lisa and Lachlan has almost pegged Granny back.
Lisa, Mark and the boys took a house at Bonny Doon so they could catch up with Vicki for some skiing on the lake. Lisa looks a natural in the Captain's seat as they plan their move to Gough's Bay and the purchase of a similar craft.
We have had a mild summer so the slow period after New Year was ideal for a camping trip. Adam, Brett, Lisa and Mark headed for Mt Stirling and the most idyllic camp site ever!
Lachlan was keen to have his Covid vaccination as soon as he was eligible. It took a bit of searching before Lisa found a clinic with supply but he is on his way.
While we were elegible, we had been unable to get an appointment for our third Covid jab before we went to Canberra. Today was the earliest we could get it at the local Doctor. So now the deed is done and hope reaction does not lay us too low tomorrow.
Brett has had an abundance of beans and we were the beneficiaries of this oversupply. Nothing as good as fresh new beans!
To make use of the holiday period, some of the more adventurous members of the family took off on an overnight camping trip to Kings Spur. It is a beautiful location overlooking a cloud filled valley. All returned safely with the exception of the drone that enjoyed the views so much it decided to stay.
We left Canberra and stopped at Tarcutta for coffee where we came across the most mathematically challenged shop assistant we had ever met. However we did get a reasonable cup of coffee.
We started our final day with a walk along Lake Burley Griffin (and a coffee)
The Canberra weather had been quite warm but change was coming. We had left the Thorp residence and lightning started grass fires and dropped tree branches in his drive. Terry and Tricia left their friends house and a large tree branch fell where their car had been parked.
It has been many years since I last saw Malcolm Thorp, the son of my (deceased) cousin Bill. He was ten at the time. Malcolm was interested in family history and we had arranged to pass photos of his ancestors to him. We went for lunch. "Lunch" is hardly an adequate description of the meal that was magnificent. Malcolm also likes his wine so he is my type of people!
On the way to the Botanic Gardens we called in to see the (ageing) Telstra Tower. It still functions as a communications tower but the Observation Deck and the Revolving Restaurant are closed and unlikely to reopen.
Nowhere is it more evident that Canberra is a fully planned city than on Mt Ainslie. The orientation and the lines are laid out like an architect's model.
The War Memorial is one of the iconic buildings of Canberra so we had to go along and see what was happening with the massive re-development plan. While the central main building will remain, it will be flanked on both sides by huge double story galleries to display more of the collection including a range of aircraft.
