In this modern age of hype and glitter where the salacious exploits of reality stars dominate our media and conversation, it’s sometimes challenging to recognize a real heroine when you see one. But society beauty turned rugged polar explorer Louise Arner Boyd (1887-1972) was the real deal.
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Writers of all genres have to endure patronizing remarks. If I had a dollar for every person who has told me they would love to write if only they had more time, I could throw away my (admittedly modest) royalty cheques. The inference is that they are
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Hello, I am very lucky to be alive and able to tell this story. The full details have never been revealed before. You are reading what is known in my profession as A SCOOP! Well down in the corner of our garden in the Blue Mountains there
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Mrs Edna Wood came into our lives several years ago, after an acacia tree was felled. Right from the outset she had a penchant for hats, especially with extravagant floral trimmings. We live in the beautiful Blue Mountains, where rhododendrons and camellias provided her with an unlimited
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WELL HELLO AUNTY JACK! The Blue Mountains town of Katoomba has always been a bit retro, so what better place to open a 1950’s themed restaurant/café? Aunty Jacks in Katoomba Street is sheer bliss for Baby Boomers like me, who grew up playing the juke box
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Magnolia – named for Pierre Magnol, a director of the French Botanic Gardens, during the eighteenth century. The American Magnolia grandiflora or Bull Bay magnolia is native to the balmy Southern states and the Gulf of Mexico. It is an evergreen, and flowers in early summer. It
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‘Hello Possums!’ has long been Dame Edna Everidge’s affectionate greeting to her audience. They are definitely very cute….in their place! Once my husband and I awoke before dawn to the tinkling of glassware and thought a burglar was making off with our crystal goblets. We peeped into the
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One Christmas when I was a child my father brought home a gum bough from the bush as an alternative to the traditional pine tree. We all loved it, especially the scent of eucalyptus throughout the house. My mother was delighted to have a break from falling
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Below is a photo taken in 1933, during the Great Depression. It is a field of Christmas lilies on a property at Pennant Hills, in New South Wales. The farm produced 100,000 cut flowers for the Australian florist trade that year. Ladies could pick up a fragrant
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I’ve always loved lavender. When I was a child in Tasmania we used to buy quaint cardboard dolls with muslin aprons full of the dried English variety. My mother didn’t grow it as far as I remember, but the island state is home to the remarkable Bridestowe
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