Monday, December 31 New Year's Eve in Canberra

      We had gotten a couple of rooms at a hotel in Canberra for the last day of the year since it had been impossible to find anything in Sydney - campground, hostel, hotel or apartment.  Sydney has massive fireworks that attract hundreds of thousands of viewers each year.  It would have been nice to see, but we'd have to settle for Canberra.
     It was nice to have four walls and a roof (actually eight, since we had two rooms),as well as a free washer and drier.  We napped, laundered, watched a movie (Cowboys and Aliens) and fixed dinner.  Then around 10:30 pm we drove downtown to view the fireworks.  We walked around town for awhile checking out the action; loud music, bright lights, and lots of young women in skimpy party outfits and young men swaggering in a mild alcohol-fueled miasma through the central business district of the city.  You know, just the kind of stuff we Burts search out.  We moved away from the city center and after some wandering found a nice spot on a hillside near the freeway to view the fireworks.  We joined families and couples sitting on blankets or grass, and after a few minutes wait oohed and aahed the underwhelming display.  Oh well, Canberra is only the nation's capital, what did we expect?
      Afterwards we returned to the apartment and toasted the New Year with sparkling wine.  Our celebrations were complete when we found the 1980 musical comedy film "Can't Stop the Music" detailing the Village People's rise to stardom showing on the TV.  In our opinion, this should be a new addition to the annual New Year's Eve festivities, the entertainment value is unparalleled.  Incidentally, it was awarded the very first Razzie for worst movie of the year.
      So, we missed bringing in the New Year the proper way,  in costume with our family and friends, consuming mass quantities of delightful beverages and delicious food, and dancing the night away to the greatest musical hits of the past 50 years.  We can't wait until next year.