Most Aussie wood duck couples produce very large broods. There are often a dozen or more chicks, but a local pair here in Blackheath have ended up with just four. I really don’t like to think what happened to the rest. The F word comes to mind,
Read more →It’s such a wonderful idea don’t you agree? Set up a community site where residents can seek and give advice, promote local events and businesses, support each other in times of crisis. Fantasic! Thousands of people join, but before long the trolls take over; those who simply
Read more →We at Blackheath heaved a collective sigh of relief after the worst of the bushfire threat passed. A community afternoon tea was organized to express appreciation for the Rural Fire Service and all the other service groups who rally during these disasters. Yes, the damage to our
Read more →I was reluctant to even consider that my partner Rob and I may have to evacuate during the Christmas bush fire at Blackheath. However, in the end there were burnt leaves and bits of charcoal flying everywhere. We were determined to stay and defend our new home,
Read more →Time to be out and about now the fire risk has subsided. My own garden is a disaster, with only the natives and hydrangeas holding up. But how is everything else going in this awful heatwave I wonder? Well, to my great surprise an ibis has taken
Read more →And so Christmas in the Blue Mountains village of Blackheath has come to an end. The saddest, happiest, strangest and scariest festive season I’ve experienced in the twenty years we have lived here. In mid December my husband Rob and I attended a delightful nativity play at
Read more →Here in the Blue Mountains we have a powerful emotional attachment to the glorious Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens. I remember how surprised I was when the entry fee was removed. How often does that happen anywhere? It’s not the issue of saving a few dollars that delights
Read more →Here in the Blue Mountains the boughs of Leura’s main street avenue of cherry trees have been decorated for Christmas in a unique manner. Admittedly the seasonal creations have created some controversy, but I love them. They seem to suit Leura’s trendy, boutique shops and are quirky
Read more →My maternal grandparents James and Nora Larcombe raised a large family on a sheep farm at Reedy Marsh, seven miles from the small town of Deloraine in northern Tasmania. The pair married in the tiny Anglican church at nearby Exton just before WWI. For some reason Archdeacon
Read more →When my parents bought their farm in Tasmania in 1952 there was an ancient apple tree in the garden. As far as we could tell it was a Bramley cooking apple. It produced a huge crop year after year, which my mother used in every way imaginable;
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