Sometimes you wear your brand new sparkling white Converses because it looks like it’s going to be a sunny day, only for it to start raining torrentially as you step out of your second class, still with three more to go. Sometimes, the Chifley printers don’t want to work for you, so you go to Hancock instead. Sometimes, you print off a hard copy of your history assignment at Hancock, walk all the way to the Coombs building to hand it in, and, upon arrival, realise that you didn’t change the formatting of the text to double-space. Sometimes, for the love of all that is good in the world, you just want to walk from one side of Union Court to the other without being mobbed by ANUSA candidates hoping to convince you to vote for them at the elections. Sometimes, you need to take your mind off all this. So you make a list about some of the good things coming up in the next few months:

(1) Spring

This winter, more so than any before, has felt never-ending to me. Even though it was most definitely snowing just last week ‒ none of this “sleet” business, thankyouverymuch ‒ signs of spring have begun to pop up around the city, and I could not be happier. I was walking around without a coat the other day! If this spring marks your first in Canberra, let me tell you right now, you’re in for a treat. Canberra knows how to put on a serious show in spring. The days start to get warmer and last longer, the nights no longer require you to put on a million layers to stay alive, and everyone is just a lot happier. (But, if you suffer from hay fever, I feel for you majorly. Stay strong in the next few months. And carry tissues.)

(2) Nara Candle Festival

I love Floriade (um, the honey doughnut stand, anyone?), but I know that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. If you’re not keen on the flower festival, or you’d like to get out and about a bit more in this spring, another great option is Canberra’s annual Nara Candle Festival. 2000 candles light up Lennox Gardens on 24 October, celebrating Canberra’s sister city relationship with Nara in Japan. Stunning doesn’t even begin to capture what it’s like to walk through Lennox Gardens at nightfall during the Nara festival.

(3) The Cat Café

I was walking through Braddon a few weeks ago when I saw a poster that I was not prepared for. “Coming soon”, it read, “CAPITAL CAT CAFÉ”. Cats and coffee, two of my favourite things, linked together in a way I didn’t even know was possible. Be still, my overly excited heart. I’ve already started counting down the days until opening, and I’m not even ashamed to say that.

What I’m trying to say, is that even when you have those “sometimes” days, if you can look ahead and think about the good things coming your way, than those days are just that: sometimes.