The Blue Mountains village of Blackheath has a new attraction. Her name is Princess, and she spends much of her time at the newly extended Blackheath Interiors and Homewares, in Govetts Leap Road. She’s a border collie cross. I’m not sure what the cross bit is, but
Read more →Losing one’s footing on tennis courts has always been a problem, especially on grass. On one occasion at Wimbledon, leading Australian player Alfred Dunlop was forced to take drastic action; Evening Star, Wednesday 24 June 1914; Dunlop lost the first set owing to the slippery ground and
Read more →Where would we gardeners be without our wheelbarrows? I have early memories of being carted out in one by my older siblings. They have always provided fun for kids. I was interested to discover that the development of the wheelbarrow began in China around AD200. Chuko Liang,
Read more →It’s almost the end of May, and the village of Blackheath in the Blue Mountains is looking its best. Tourists are enjoying the colourful foliage in Wentworth Street. Even the shaded little maple tree growing above the satin bowerbird’s lair is changing colour. What a fantastic location
Read more →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
Read more →For the background to this story, CLICK HERE. 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 JANE SMITH –
Read more →I spend far more time (and money) than I should in the huge, Victory Theatre Antiques Centre in Govett’s Leap Road, Blackheath. Back in the day it was the local movie house, then called The Arcadia Picture Palace. The name changed to The Victory following WWII. VICTORY
Read more →I was inspired to write this piece when Lorraine Tongs Clifford posted the photo below. We both grew up in Ulverstone, Tasmania and amazingly she had saved all her Easter egg foil wrappers from the 1950s. Oh my goodness, I was hit by a wave of nostalgia.
Read more →By April, autumn is well under way in the upper Blue Mountains. Today I checked some likely spots in Blackheath for ‘fairy’ toadstools. This was taken at the intersection of Wentworth Street and Gardiner’s Crescent. There are lots more popping up. The bowerbird in Memorial Park is
Read more →Honestly, blue wrens could take over my life if I didn’t keep strict control. I should really give them their full title; Superb Fairy Wrens (Maluras cyaneus). And yes, they are as delicate as fairies. Once I had a blue wren stained glass window made for the
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