Pauline Conolly

YES…SOMETIMES IT’S HOT IN BLACKHEATH!
Finally, ‘properly’ hot days in our little part of the world. At my place I try to keep the birdbaths fresh and full for my sweet, feathered friends. Mind you, the rosellas and king parrots just shelter up in the trees when the temperature rises above 35...
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FARMS FIT FOR HEROES?
Soldier Settlement was a federal, but state administered initiative which began during WWI. Land was purchased by government to provide small farms for returning servicemen, often on leasehold. One person who applied was my great-uncle Arthur Singleton, from Ulverstone. With the 12th Battalion he had taken part...
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MAKING A HASH OF IT
Hash browns are best eaten for breakfast in a New York City diner, with eggs over-easy and crispy bacon. I have tried to recapture the experience here in Australia at Maccas……take my advice and just don’t do it. By the way, in case anyone is confused, hash...
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JARDINS….LITTLE TREASURES OF THE LOT
It is mid winter here at Blackheath in the Blue Mountains, cold and very wet. I have been watching Monty Don’s TV series on French gardens. Oh dear, the longing it evokes is almost physically painful. How long will it be before we can enjoy that beautiful...
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O BAR AND DINING….HIGH ABOVE SYDNEY
Remember The Summit, that revolving restaurant towering above the city? It closed for renovations in 2012 and re-opened as O Bar & Dining. My partner Rob took me there recently for a significant birthday celebration. Due to the wretched Covid19 Rob and I hadn’t been to Sydney...
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CUCKOO DOVE IN SEARCH OF SHELTER
Honestly, it has been so damn wet in the Blue Mountains this summer, especially in Blackheath. Drip drip,drip, through the trees. It’s enough to drive you cuckoo….haha, that’s a joke because I am a cuckoo, a rather handsome brown one. 🤣 Well I’m more dove really…..defo not...
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LIEUT. JOHN WATTS; AIDE-DE-CAMP & ARCHITECT
Mention the term ’colonial architect’ in New South Wales and most people would respond with the name Francis Greenway. That is quite understandable, but let’s bring another deserving character out of the shadows. Who better to speak of John Cliffe Watts’ ability and character than Elizabeth Macquarie?...
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WHERE SHALL WE SPEND CHRISTMAS 2020? – BLACKHEATH!
After tough times with bushfires in the Blue Mountains last year we locals may have dreamed of celebrating Christmas in some exciting, faraway spot in 2020. Well, it was not to be. Time to hunker down in our own little world! 😍 DECK THE HALLS…. Who needs...
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