Daydreaming in our pandemic iso-world is a national pastime. Here is an imagined dinner, hosted by myself and my partner Rob in our new house at Blackheath, in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. There are four courses (well sort of), and four dinner guests from
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Deciding to produce chicks in mid winter was never going to be a good idea. However, our resident Wonga pair would not be dissuaded. We invariably get snow here in the upper Blue Mountains and sure enough, down it came in mid August. The eggs had only
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I recently posted a photo of a silver wattle on our Blue Mountains Community Facebook page. At the time I suggested that Wattle Day, now held on September 1, might be the answer to the vexed question of celebrating Australia Day on January 26. An increasing number
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The native Wonga pigeons here at The Gums in Blackheath have already produced two chicks over winter. The third nesting failed due to that three day rain event in July, but they are discussing whether to try again. Unbelievable! Amid all the Covid-19 angst we humans are
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The fellow below turned up after the curtain came down the other day and said he wanted to try out for the show. ‘I can balance on the railing‘, he said, and hopped up. Well even I could do that if I had feet like yours, I
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The Avalon Restaurant and Cocktail Bar at Katoomba is housed in the old Savoy Theatre (constructed 1936). The venue is full of vintage memorabilia. What a sense of fun there is here. It has a definite Alice-in-Wonderland quality. Upstairs is the dining room. For a sense of
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I have been thinking about design lately, purely as a layperson you understand Let’s start with the good. How perfect is this little hotel shower cap? It so satisfyingly springs open? Who came up with the idea I wonder? It deserves a Nobel prize. But here alas
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In this extraordinary year of 2020, our resident Wonga couple have been producing chicks throughout winter. Remember Peter Costello’s quote on offspring, ‘One for Mum, one for Dad and one for the country?‘ Well, they have truly taken this to heart. There have been two single ones,
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I’m pretty sure these old tweed pants are the most ancient piece of clothing I own and still wear. I bought them at Bloomingdales on a visit to New York about twenty five years ago. I was delighted, because they were only size 4. Mind you, this
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Isn’t this just the most wonderfully constructed bower? Good, thick walls and a perfectly shaped, oval ‘front door’. You might say Mr. S. has home construction pegged (sorry, I couldn’t resist). He is a builder extraordinaire and a credit to the community of Blackheath. JULY 21 —
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