MY BAD BARGAIN WITH RAFFA IN 2012

MY BAD BARGAIN WITH RAFFA IN  2012

Seven years ago I was seriously ill in a Sydney Hospital with a hideous, undiagnosed condition. It was affecting my brain, my heart, my muscles…. and just about everything else. Part of my stabilizing medication was a very high dose of the steroid Prednisone. Among the  side

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BEYOND THE LETTER SLOTS AT THE SYDNEY G.P.O.

BEYOND THE LETTER SLOTS AT THE SYDNEY G.P.O.

Now I’m pleased to report that you can still buy stamps at the Sydney G.P.O., and post your letters in those wonderful old post boxes facing George Street. But these days the privatised, refurbished  G.P.O building  is also home to bars, restaurants, cabaret shows, cafes and high-end

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STRANGE TWIST IN THE TALE OF MR BOWERBIRD.

STRANGE TWIST IN THE TALE OF MR BOWERBIRD.

It has been a long courting season for the bowerbird in Blackheath’s Memorial Park.  I began monitoring his ‘boudoir’  in mid August 2018. Without doubt it was one of the most beautiful,  symmetrically arranged collections of blue treasures I had ever seen. WOOING IS A WEARYSOME BUSINESS

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GANG-GANGS; CLOWNS OF THE TREE TOPS.

GANG-GANGS; CLOWNS OF THE TREE TOPS.

WELL HELLO AGAIN GANG-GANGS! After not seeing Gang-gang cockatoos in my Blue Mountains garden for several years I was delighted when  a lively group arrived.  There were lured by the ripening seeds on my various wattle trees  (acacias). They have been returning almost every day. So far

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STAR JASMINE

STAR JASMINE

WHAT A STAR! I have  the gentle climber Star Jasmine  (Trachelospermum jasminodes ) growing all around my garden (ten plants at last count). It is extremely hardy, and survives our Blue Mountains frosts and snowfalls without the slightest  problem.  In the photo below  it is tumbling down

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HONOURING THE FALLEN; THE SYDNEY UNIVERSITY CARILLON

HONOURING THE FALLEN; THE SYDNEY UNIVERSITY CARILLON

In 1924, fundraising began for a carillon at Sydney University, to remember the undergraduates, graduates, and staff who died in World War One. When they hear the glorious peals of the carillon, young men will see visions and old men will dream dreams. Justice Street. The project was

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A REVIEW OF SUSAN GLASPELL’S A JURY OF HER PEERS

A REVIEW OF SUSAN GLASPELL'S A JURY OF HER PEERS

Susan Glaspell wrote  A Jury of Her Peers in 1917. It is  one  of the most powerful short stories I have ever read. The  three female characters have  remained in my heart and mind  since I first came across this early  piece of feminist literature  over twenty

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Cinnamon Bells; a Strange Little Aussie Orchid

Cinnamon Bells; a Strange Little Aussie Orchid

Cinnamon Bells is the common name of  a very strange orchid in my Blackeath garden. Its botanical name is Gastrodia procera. This  leafless, Australian native has been dubbed the Potato Orchid, as the tubers the plants grow from were  roasted and eaten by Aborigines (particularly the Wurundjeri 

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