Anyone who lives in the world’s greatest city, that is, Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory will immediately recognise today’s “photo of the day”, as our annual flower spectacle, Floriade which is held each year in Commonwealth Park right in the heart of town. Taken this morning before the crowds hit.
“The world’s greatest city?”, I hear you guffaw as you choke on your cup of tea. Yes. According to OECD estimates, Canberra, the very place from which I am writing has been announced as having the highest standard of living in the western world!
If I was a good blogger and dedicated writer I would take the time to find out what the initials OECD actually stand for but as it is nearly 9pm and I need to have a shower, brush my teeth and unpack and re-pack a dishwasher before climbing into bed, I am not going to bother. But you can take it to the bank that it is an important global entity.
Of course not many people outside of Australia have heard of Canberra so anyone who actually takes notice of anything the OECD says is probably scratching their heads and wondering where the hell Canberra is!
The loudest jeers in the wake of this announcement have come from our fellow Australians, notably radio jocks who seem to only revel in their own ignorance and north Queenslanders who probably think the OECD is an offshoot of Islamic State and needs to be bombed into oblivion!
Yes, Canberra is a very nice place to live to be sure and although I do find it hard to believe that there is not a thriving settlement of a few hundred thousand people elsewhere in the world who may score higher on livability standards than us, I think Canberrans should be proud their city and the recognition this announcement bestows on us.
There is plenty wrong with Canberra to be sure but with it’s highly educated work force and the progressive social values of the majority of it’d denizens, it’s certainly not a surprise that it scores so highly in such a study.
I myself have been lucky enough to have the week off work and have been enjoying the lazy spring sunshine as I help Linda look after our grandson while his parents are off honeymooning on the Gold Coast. He is a rather adorable little chap, all of nine months old and as cute as a button. It is a big responsibility having him in our charge and although he is a very placid and well behaved little lad it is still a tiring experience. Better than being at work though!
And so, I will finish this brief blog post and get off to my late night chores and wish you all adieu from the world’s best city. London, Paris, Rome be damned! Canberra is the place to be.
Have a nice night.
Strange Notations From a Laborious Life 