Capital Idea

I am in the middle of a few days off work and have been away, hence the lack of blogging from me.

The first thing to say is how restorative that particular combination is. Not working and going away - in my experience you have to do both - is a wonderful tonic. The perceptive Peter Martin has written about the value of not working, that is, the value of not working to a person who usually works. He could not be more spot on.

I get to not work for seven weeks a year. In Australian terms, that's rather a lot of not working. (In American terms it's an astronomical amount of not working). It tends to break down into a four-week break over summer and three one-week breaks through the year. I get up later and spend more time with the kids. There's always a child-friendly movie and an associated visit to a certain global fast food chain which the kids love and I enjoy more than I should. There's usually plenty of time out doors, though this week in Sydney it hasn't been good.

But we haven't been in Sydney. We've been in Canberra, my home town. I have lived exactly 6 and a half years in Canberra. But six of those years were 14 to 20, a pretty crucial period in most lives. Because of that, and because my mum is there, (and two of my sisters with attendant nephews and nieces) it is my home town. Years ago, I felt like a Londoner, an Australian Londoner, but it did feel like home. I like living in Sydney and it is home but it will never be my home town. Canberra, with it's distinct, proper seasons, hills, bush and family very much is. It's a city that mostly has blue skies, and true to form, it was glorious.

We stayed at my mum's house. My son and I walked up the bike track from O'Connor to the facility that most people still think of as Bruce Stadium, and we watched the Brumbies come home the stronger against the much fancied Sharks from South Africa. The next day we went to some friends' house for lunch, then on to my niece's 8th birthday party as the afternoon became evening. On Monday we went to the wonderful Questacon - there was just us and about 20-thousand kids there - then I caught up with a Canberra bloke who lives in Sydney for lunch. Another friend, down from Sydney to visit her sister-in-law, popped in for an hour, and then my sister came around for a cup of tea. It was wonderful.

Canberra is a much maligned town. It's news shorthand for the government. Everybody knows jokes about public servants. It is one of the few places in our hot country with really cold winters. But it's actually a great place to live and a fantastic place to bring up kids. It's clean and green, though not as green as everyone would like (it really needs some rain). Compared to all of the state capitals (bar Hobart) it's easy to get around, and because it's the national capital it has wonderful facilities for such a small place.

At lunch yesterday with my friend, I met a senior public servant who came from Sunshine Coast in the mid 80s. His oldest is in year 12 and other child is in year 8. He'd be about 50, so in a few years when the kids have finished school he could do the 54/11 and live anywhere he wanted. Or, he could keep working and get a transfer. Go home to the sunshine on the Sunshine Coast. He's not going anywhere.