Pauline Conolly

A HOPLESS FROG IN MY GARDEN!
In 1984 my darling mother Myra was suffering from the ovarian cancer that took her life. While I was visiting her in Tasmania I noticed a cheeky little frog on her bedside table. ‘He cheers me up’, she said. I could see why; he was adorable. Froggy...
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DEATH AT SEA; ‘I ONLY GAVE HIM PLUMS AND BISCUITS!’
On February 16 1901, the S.S. Talune was moored at the wharf in the New Zealand city of Wellington. It was ready to leave for Sydney. A young woman who had crossed with the vessel from Lyttleton, in the South Island, approached chief steward James Fletcher with...
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CIRQUE DU DUCK!
I live just around the corner from the Blackheath duck pond, in the beautiful Blue Mountains. I’ve developed a special relationship with the Australian wood ducks who live there. They are so good natured and engaging. It occurred to me that they must get a little bored...
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KADOORIE FARM AND GARDENS
ORIGINS OF THE FARM Following the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during World War II, many farmers were destitute and unable to produce sufficient food for the enormous influx of refugees. In 1951, Hong Kong businessman Lord Lawrence Kadoorie and his brother Sir Horace Kadoorie, formed an...
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A HOPLESS FROG IN MY GARDEN!
In 1984 my darling mother Myra was suffering from the ovarian cancer that took her life. While I was visiting her in Tasmania I noticed a cheeky little frog on her bedside table. ‘He cheers me up’, she said. I could see why; he was adorable. Froggy...
Read more →
SYDNEY’S VAPIANO – WHERE HAPPY HOUR IS JUST THAT!
CASUAL DINING OUT IN THE BIG SMOKE! This Italian eatery is located in King Street. It was so good that on a recent visit to Sydney my partner Rob and I dined there two nights running. The style is described as Euro-chic. It’s decorated with pots of...
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THE MURDER TRIALS OF JANE SMITH/BAIKIE
Poisoning – ‘Of all felonies, murder is the most horrible, of all murders, poisoning the most detestable, and of all poisoning, that causing a lingering death the most cruel.’ Chief Justice Sir Edward Coke, 1615 FOR THE FIRST PART OF THIS STORY, CLICK HERE Australian born...
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LIKE ANTIQUES? LOVE BLACKHEATH!
I spend far more time (and money) than I should in the huge, Victory Theatre Antiques Centre in Govett’s Leap Road, Blackheath. There is a vintage fashion section upstairs. Now I’m not a real fan, but this 1960s clutch bag has accompanied me to many functions....
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