I have obtained permission from my two ‘boss’ brown thornbills to write a little story about them and their relatives. We have a resident group in our Blue Mountains garden. They are really small; about 10cm long. They weigh in at around 7 grammes apiece. My darling
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My beloved Blue Mountains village of Blackheath has long been the butt of jokes regarding its chilly location. Bleakheath, Lackheat…..yes yes, we deal with these corruptions of our name with good natured humour. But remember…we are closer to heaven than our neighbours down the hill!
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The Growers’ Markets in Backheath are always wonderful, but there was something a bit special about the twilight Christmas market last night. My partner and I arrived early when the stallholders were still setting up around 4.00pm. You simply cannot celebrate the festive season without cherries. We
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HOW TO GIVE A HELPING HAND TO FIRE IMPACTED BLACKHEATH Despite living in Blackheath for nearly twenty years, I’m embarrassed to admit that I still make new discoveries. Hard to believe I know….it’s not exactly a huge metropolis. In this instance it was the small business centre
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In the northern hemisphere, Halloween is celebrated during fall, when landscapes are wreathed in eerie mist. Here in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales we are supposed to be in the full glory of spring, but there can be some surprisingly appropriate weather. There are haunting
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The village of Leura in the upper Blue Mountains is famous for its main street avenue of flowering cherry trees. However, even higher up there is Blackheath, with its own, very special ‘cherry walk.’ From the Lithgow Mercury on October 12 1953; In 1953, the women residents
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JUST LET ME BE! Honestly, the resident pied cormorant at Blackheath duck pond is the crabbiest looking creature imaginable. I have no idea if this cormorant is male or female. I presume it finds a partner and breeds each year, but as far as I can see
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The bush was grey A week today Olive green and brown and grey; But now the spring has come this way, With blossoms for the wattle. By Veronica Mason. One of my favourite trees is Acacia pravissima, also known as The Oven’s wattle. It can withstand the
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THE VICTORY….HEART OF ‘OLD’ BLACKHEATH The Victory Theatre opened in 1921 as The Arcadia picture house. Locals even enjoyed an early form of 3D. It is now a vast antiques centre. The bear (Editor Des) is not for sale, though sometimes I am sorely tempted to put
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I rather like misty days, they remind me of cool flannels being placed on fevered brows. Our property adjoins the Blue Mountains’ National Park and sometimes bushwalkers become disoriented, blundering into my garden. I point them in the direction of Govett’s Leap, with a gentle warning to
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