Saying Goodbye to Canberra

Saying goodbye to Canberra was mostly about spending time with the people who mean the most to me, and hanging out at our favourite haunts.

Things I'll miss about Canberra:
- The people. I have made so many close and special friends here in such a short time and they will be sorely missed. However, when I buy my own place I will be sure to set up a spare room and host them so they can enjoy beautiful Perth. We'll definitely stay in touch.
- The traffic, or lack of traffic. It takes me 5-10 minutes to get to work at peak hour. Then I can park for free right outside my office - unheard of in any other city.
- The leafy streets of Yarralumla which look ever so beautiful in autumn, and the abundant bird life in the garden of our rental home.
- The flexibility of my job, flex-time, the study assistance they offer and the very generous sick and personal leave entitlements.
- The friendliness of people at work, and the relaxed environment (especially when compared to a large private sector law firm!)
- Leisurely morning coffees with work friends and my weekly muffin from Paperplate at the National Library.
- The many public events and festivals that are part of Enlighten and the Canberra festival. Canberra does well with its free family orientated events in summer, but they die off completely during the winter.
- House parties and home made mulled wine on cold winter nights.
- Cheap meals and cocktails at the Helenic Club / Labour Club / Insert Name Here Club.

Things I won't miss about Canberra:
- The lack of stimulation I felt at work, working at 50% of my capacity and sitting in the office being unproductive, due to a lack of work or a lack of stimulating work.
- The frustrations of being a public servant. I'll say nothing further, other than that other public servants will understand.
- The cold winters (especially scraping ice off the car windscreen before work, and the general hibernation mode that the city goes into. I spent a winter in Glasgow and we were still out and about in the snow- there were so many interesting indoor events, and the city is really geared up for chilly winter days and nights. Canberrans seem to stay indoors and do little during winter).
- The high rental prices, and the lack of proper insulation in a lot of the older houses and apartments (I don't know what they were thinking, Canberra has always been very hot in summer and very cold in winter...)
- The lack of shopping (although I made up for it with my online purchasing)
- The lack of funky cafes at which to enjoy amazing brunches. I really tried to find these spots in Canberra, but Perth and Melbourne put Canberra to shame in this department.
- The lack of good bars, pubs and other nightlife. 
- The lack of family friendly cafes (eg, those with playgrounds)
- Only meeting public servants (or journalists) and the lack of single male talent (I tried, really!)
- Lake Burley Griffin, which I'd swap for a beach any day.
- Being on the East coast. I thought I'd love this, but in reality life gets in the way of frequent leisure trips to Melbourne and Sydney. When I did spend a weekend away, I'd suffer from exhaustion for the next two weeks (I am old beyond my years, I know...)
- Catching the 6:30am flight to Sydney for draining all day meetings. Making alternative arrangements for Bub on those days was always a headache.

Some snaps from my final weeks here:

 Hotpot at a friend's for dinner = amazing!

 Making a mess at Max Brenner with their super sundae!

 Final play-dates with little friends

 Goodberry's frozen custard deliciousness

 The horror that is packing and weighing boxes

A delightful high tea with some girlfriends

The amazing laksa at Asian Noodle House