Pauline Conolly

THE WONGA WORLD – AN INDEPENDENT SPIRIT
This is Spirit, who nearly did not make an appearance as her parents nested in a tree about to be cut down. Happily, the tree was spared. Spirit and a sibling we called Hope hatched successfully. We think a hungry fox took Hope. This a continual hazard...
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DEATH IN THE YARRA
I’ve always been interested in family history. Sometimes a snippet received from a relative leads to an intriguing and in this case, very sad story. My maternal grandmother Nora was an Upston, from the rural district of Reedy Marsh, in north-west Tasmania. The family emigrated from Attleborough,...
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A COCKATOO’S REVENGE!
Now admittedly I have been conducting a campaign against sulphur crested cockatoos. Well not against the birds themselves, but against the artificial feeding of them. Over the past 15 years their numbers have skyrocketed in the Blue Mountains. They are now competing with other hollow-nesting birds here...
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CONSERVATION HUT AT WENTWORTH FALLS; BLUE MOUNTAINS
One of the most beautiful villages in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales is Wentworth Falls. It’s hard for a proud Blackheathen to admit this…but it’s true. My favourite destination is Conservation Hut, originally built as a resting place for bush walkers, and a meeting room...
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MOTHER’S DAY GIFT FROM EDITOR DES.
OK, so it’s difficult to know what to give my guardian Pauline Conolly for Mother’s Day. Well I’m in lock-down, and I can’t get to the shops. Yes, I could pick a bunch of flowers, but that’s a bit ho-hum. Anyway I decided to be creative and...
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SPIRIT THE WONGA CHICK
Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Wonga of Blackheath on the arrival of a healthy chick. It hasn’t been an easy journey for them. This sweet baby called Spirit arrived in the midst of the Covid19 pandemic after its loving parents had nested in a cedar tree about...
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IMAGES IN ISOLATION
Splendid isolation at the local duck pond in Blackheath – no tourists to feed the residents so I’m sure their diet has improved. Let’s hope that one day soon we will be free and the kids will be back on the swings. Such a simple joy. I...
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AN ‘EPIDEMIC’ OF BURGERS
Social historians will be investigating and interpreting the pandemic and the phenomenon of self-isolation for years to come. Lock-down has altered our behaviour in so many ways. It has lead to a phenomenon dubbed ‘iso-baking’ (and a scarcity of flour), but also to a huge increase in...
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