With the renovation of the Blackheath Duck Pond last year came the planting of native reeds and grasses around the perimeter. My sincere thanks to the volunteers who did so much to help. What a success it has been, and in such a short space of time.
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The other day two strange little, big footed birds came tumbling down the steps outside my kitchen window at Blackheath. When I described them to my partner he said, ‘Oh yes, I’m sure I’ve seen them too, down by the duck pond.‘ We live close by the
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Thai Silk, in the Blue Mountains village of Blackheath, is our closest restaurant. It’s housed in what was once a private residence, at 124 Wentworth Street. My partner Rob and I live just a few minutes walk away. OK, so a bit of a negative first. It
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Pieris japonica grows best in a cool climate, with mildly acidic soil. It loves dappled shade. For this reason, gardens in the upper Blue Mountains suit it perfectly. It has racemes of pearly white or pink flowers that resemble lily-of-the-valley. Here is my white flowering shrub, growing
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On a recent (very rare) sunny day here in the Blue Mountains, my partner Rob and I visited the recently restored Everglades House at Leura. I had read a feature about it in the January 2024 National Trust magazine. Even though we live nearby at Blackheath, it
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Widow Wonga is a bird very close to my heart….and is loved just as much by my husband Rob. She and her partner have been living and rearing chicks in our Blackheath garden over a very long period, sometimes producing several sets of twins a year. I
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I’ve only ever worn plain white tee-shirts, but I’m tempted to buy this one with a ‘hairpin’ banksia on it. The correct name is Banksia spinulosa. ‘Spinulosa’ refers to the spiny leaf tips, which are thankfully fairly soft, What a great plant; able to cope with heavy
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Gathering tinder for the fire is very satisfying. I have loved doing this I was child, gathering sticks in the Tasmanian bush. Behind the dear old dogs in the following photo is the woodheap on our farm. It was taken circa 1960. We had an open fire
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Many years ago I read a book called This Bed My Centre, by Melbourne born Ellen Newton (1896 -1972) In the 1960s Ellen ended up in a series of Sydney nursing homes due to chronic angina. There she remained for six unhappy years, longing to be in
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Celebrations in Australia for the 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth were on a scale it’s hard to imagine these days. Every town and city in the nation strived to do the occasion justice. The Blue Mountains, where I now live, certainly stepped up. At Katoomba there was
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