Blue Mountains – latest article

  • Collage of Blue Mountains Birds.
    ‘THE STUDIO’ AT ACER CORNER
    The Studio was home for myself and my partner Rob  while we built our new house at Blackheath, in the beautiful Blue Mountains. Now that we have moved out we have decided to let the detached property to birdwatchers, bushwalkers and nature lovers on a short stay...
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History – latest article

  • ULVERSTONE'S LA DONNA & LORNA DOONE
    ULVERSTONE’S LA DONNA & LORNA DOONE
    ‘La Donna’ was a journalist for many years at The Advocate, a Tasmanian newspaper known affectionally as ‘The Spud Digger’.  In 1935   she wrote a fascinating, lengthy article on Mary Shadbolt, widow of my relative Linden Shadbolt. I always wondered about La Donna’s real identity, and have...
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Humour – latest article

  • SANDWICHES - TAKE 2 SLICES OF BREAD
    SANDWICHES – TAKE 2 SLICES OF BREAD
    It is said that sandwiches were popularized by John Montagu, 4th earl of Sandwich (1718-1792).   Well they were named in his honour,  so presumably it’s true.  It happened due to the fact that the British peer  was addicted to gambling.  A French travel book claimed he requested...
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Travel – latest article

  • Collage of Blue Mountains Birds.
    ‘THE STUDIO’ AT ACER CORNER
    The Studio was home for myself and my partner Rob  while we built our new house at Blackheath, in the beautiful Blue Mountains. Now that we have moved out we have decided to let the detached property to birdwatchers, bushwalkers and nature lovers on a short stay...
    Read more

Latest Blog Posts

  • THE BOOKBINDER OF JERICHO - A SOMEWHAT SINGULAR REVIEW
    THE BOOKBINDER OF JERICHO – A SOMEWHAT SINGULAR REVIEW
    Shame on me for treating Pip Williams’ The Bookbinder of Jericho so badly. In my defense, it wasn’t in pristine  condition when I picked it up from our local street library. I was reading it among the giant rhododendrons in the park at Blackheath, in the Blue...
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  • ENID BLYTON - TOUCHING A NOSTALGIC NERVE!
    ENID BLYTON – TOUCHING A NOSTALGIC NERVE!
    I recently wrote an article for this website about Enid Blyton. If you haven’t read it, here is the link.   It was inspired by  a piece I came across  in the wonderful  Australian newspaper archive  TROVE.  Written in  1952,  it was a reaction to the South Australian...
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  • Enid Blyton
    ENID BLYTON – A BLIGHT ON CHILDREN’S LITERATURE?
    Enid Blyton was an integral part of my rural Tasmanian childhood, as she was for most ‘Baby Boomers’ around the world. In later life we discovered that the prolific author entertained us at  great cost to her own children, but that’s another story. My siblings and I...
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  • ODE TO BILLY TEA
    ODE TO BILLY TEA
    Yes, there really was a brand called  Billy Tea. And what a great advertisement. The company was established by James Inglis in the 1880s. ICON OF OUR COLLECTIVE MEMORY We are an increasingly urbanised society, but the image of the Aussie swagman watching his billy boil will...
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