My Articles

TINY TREASURES IN BLACKHEATH’S OLD TYTHE BARN

TINY TREASURES IN BLACKHEATH'S OLD TYTHE BARN

Up by the railway station in the Blue Mountains village of Blackheath is the sweetest, most delightfully idiosyncratic gift and hobby shop imaginable…. the Old Tythe Barn. If that name conjures an image of a vast agricultural building (it did for me), then you are in for

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DRIVING LICENCE DREAD

DRIVING LICENCE DREAD

We all dislike our driving licence photo don’t we? I look like a terrified, but hard core criminal in mine. No, I am not going to display it here. Why on earth aren’t we allowed to smile in these photographs? Just a shadow of a grin would

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CURRAWONG CASHES IN ON CICADA SEASON

CURRAWONG CASHES IN ON CICADA SEASON

MID AUGUST 2020 – I was creating a new garden bed recently when I spotted a currawong gathering roots for its nest. A yellow robin on the look-out for worms was watching on with a wary eye. The currawong nest was constructed high in a eucalypt (local

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WHERE IS WINIFRED?

WHERE IS WINIFRED?

Winifred Julia Singleton (Winnie) was born near Ulverstone, Tasmania on November 29 1918,  the first child of Arthur and Elizabeth (Lizzie) Singleton. Arthur Singleton was my great uncle. There is only one known photo of Winnie. It was taken in 1924, when she and her little sister

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The Lunch Basket

The Lunch Basket

Anyone growing up in rural Tasmania in the old days would be aware of the lunch basket, often taken out to the paddock by small children. And if a piece of cake or a biscuit disappeared on the way….well who could blame them? My farmer’s wife mother

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THE MCG’S REVERSIBLE GRANDSTAND

THE MCG'S REVERSIBLE GRANDSTAND

The picture shows a model (not to scale) of a very unique grandstand. The model is held in the Melbourne Cricket Ground’s museum, which opened in 2006. Sadly, the stand itself is long gone. THE BACK STORY OF THE GRANDSTAND The grandstand was designed by architect George

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HOW TO DISAPPEAR IN SYDNEY

HOW TO DISAPPEAR IN SYDNEY

Hello Peeps, Editor Des reporting. Well I had a Covid escape to Sydney from Blackheath a while back….OK, a LONG while back! 😨 Cities are strange places, did you know that? You could disappear from one completely in the proverbial puff of smoke, or something even more

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STOP THE WANTON WONGAS!

STOP THE WANTON WONGAS!

WANTON – Collins Dictionary definition……..Sexually loose or unrestrained. I’m afraid this label must now be attached to the. resident Wonga couple in my Blackheath garden. Here is mother Wonga with her very new chicks. They were brought down from the nest about ten days ago. But now,

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A LANCASTER BOMBER ON CHRISTMAS EVE…..

A LANCASTER BOMBER ON CHRISTMAS EVE.....

The crew of Lancaster Bomber PB 255 was made up of six RAAF personnel and an RAF Flight Engineer. The oldest on board was only twenty five, Mid Upper Gunner Cyril Deed, who had enlisted in Hobart early in 1941. He had left a girl behind, Philma

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BRUNCH AT THE BLUE MIST CAFE

BRUNCH AT THE BLUE MIST CAFE

The Blue Mist Cafe is located at 8 Station Street, Wentworth Falls. Have to say it looks very old-world and inviting. My partner Rob and I had been to a kitchen showroom up the road, and needed to discuss a few things. Coffee always helps consensus. We

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