D'you know, Australia has fabulous shower heads. Almost everywhere I've been, they've had the same design of shower head: part good old-fashioned zinc watering can, part super-stylish polished chrome anglepoise reading lamp, they combine a hearty downpour of water from myriad nozzles with the 3-D manoeuvrability normally associated only with the more complicated skeletal joints.

Yes, I like cleanliness in this country. Shame they don't have Euro-style mixer taps though. But that's just me being picky. Actually it's nice to have the excitement of perhaps getting the mix of hot & cold wrong and then shuddering or burning up, as appropriate. But that's just me being sarky.

Canberra is a much-maligned city. Being built from scratch as a capital, there's none of that ancient heart feeling in the centre of town that we have come to expect from 'proper' cities in Europe and even in the New World. But there's no doubt that in a hundred years' time Canberra will look a lot different to how it does now: already suburbs are growing outwards towards the NSW border, and the empty spaces left in the central blocks of the city are fast filling up with shiny new office buildings.

Dave has been kind enough to lend me his pushbike for the duration of my stay with him, and I must say it's been a great way to get to know the city. Mostly because every time I'm either on my way into town or on my way back out, I manage to go the wrong bloody way and discover whole new swathes of city! It's a good hour's ride into town from Dave's suburb, mostly slightly downhill, so I've been getting plenty of exercise this week.

Canberra boasts an extensive network of cycle paths - another benefit of being a planned city, along with lots of greenery and minimal congestion. It's great to be on a bike and find yourself cutting through an area of native bush, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, without even the distant whisper of motorised road traffic to distract you from spotting wildlife as you zoom by. The delicate scent of eucalyptus that pervades the hot, dry air of Canberra’s green areas is a delicious accompaniment to the visual feast of trees and bush that carpets the hilly terrain hereabouts.

I've seen so many birds since I've been here! From sulphur-crested white cockatoos through all sorts of other cockatoos, to loads of ones I don't know the names of, to cookaburras and magpies. There have even been some really pretty rainbow-coloured pigeons. Canberra really is a wildlife lover's paradise, and deserves its sobriquet of "bush capital". And it's not just birds, either: the other day there was a blue-tongued lizard crossing one of the bike paths! All I need now is for a kangaroo to hop out in front of me, and I'll have the full set.

In human terms, Canberra also has lots to shout about. There are some great restaurants, a nice cafe culture and plenty of culture. I've visited the National Art Gallery and the National Parliament so far. Yet to come are the National War Memorial and perhaps the Law Courts.

The Gallery has a fantastic collection of all sorts of art, from indigenous through early Colonial to national and international modern pieces, with paintings but also photography, sculpture and furnishings. I came out of there with an intense desire to get good at art and have my own exhibition. (Perhaps, one of these days, I’ll be able to persuade people to actually pay me money to look at my photos!) It was a disquieting feeling, truth be told, and left me wondering once again what I should be aiming to do with my life.

The Parliament is a dazzling confection of marble, concrete, glass and timber, designed by an Italian American who came to love Australia so much he settled here after the project was finished in 1988. It commands spectacular views into the centre of Canberra, and is beautiful from all angles. I've gone a bit crazy with photos of bizarre shadows & reflections - not to mention the life-size statue of HM Elizabeth II standing in a coffee-shop courtyard!

By the time I've dragged myself back uphill and out to Dave's suburb to the northwest, I've generally been pretty knackered. Dave has obliged by organising food near at hand: on Monday night we had a knock-out Turkish mixed grill with all the trimmings, and on Tuesday we had Pizza Hut delivered. How decadent!

It has been most enjoyable getting to know Dave better. In all honesty, the day we spent quadbiking together in Queenstown all those long months ago barely gave either of time to talk. I mean, it's pretty tricky holding a conversation whilst careening over slippery mud tracks on huge quadbikes. Dave's house is much more conducive to chatting. It was also great to meet (and have my dinner cooked by) Dave's housemate Simon. After my time in Sydney meeting hardly any real Aussies, it has been a refreshing change to talk with locals about life in Australia's capital city.