Fine food in Fyshwick and a visit to Floriade

You wouldn't expect that the bakery that is arguably Canberra's best, would be located in the industrial suburb of Fyshwick. Across the road from a warehouse and next door to a concreting place. But there it is, Flute Bakery. An oasis of refined taste, uncompromising excellence in patisserie and breads. Here's an example:

This St Honore was so delicious.

We were not in Fyshwick simply for the benefit of our stomachs, you understand. Serious outdoor paving research was going on, plus we bought some filing cabinets second hand from ReCon Furniture. Such retail outlets are thin on the ground in Forster or Taree.

All that excitement was yesterday. Today's outing was to here.

Canberra's weather report described today as "perfect Floriade weather", so we were lucky.

Lots and lots of white hyacinths this year. This bed was in front of "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Tea House" (which also served coffee)

Here is the interior. Most of the patrons were in the Judy Dench and Geoffrey Palmer category. Smart marketing.

The first week of Floriade is the time to visit, in my humble opinion. Why? Because of the hyasniffs. The blue ones are the best for sniffing. David and I sniffed our way around the beds like a couple of old basset hounds. Completely shameless. Olfactory pleasure of the purest kind.

There are other kinds of visual pleasures than the flowers. We always enjoy the sculptures too. This one is called "Resting Place of the Dragonfly" by Mary Kayser. It is steel, painted in that iridescent paint you see drug dealers' cars done in, that looks a different colour depending on the angle. Beautiful.

These white bird sculptures dazzle against the dark shadows of the conifers behind.

King Alfred daffodils. Simple and vibrantly yellow as a daffodil should be. We had bunches of these on the tables at our wedding, nearly 23 years ago.

The mixed beds are my favourite. This jumble of different bulbs and colours is just a delight.