Who would imagine that dear old hydrangeas would hold up so well during the 2019/20 fires and heatwave conditions in the NSW Blue Mountains? The origin of the name seems to contradict the very notion that they would! ‘First discovered in Japan, the name hydrangea comes from
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Hello, Editor Des here with a ‘sort of’ Christmas story. I’m really writing it to annoy my employer/guardian Pauline Conolly, because do you know what she gave me for my present? A plate that I’m supposed to paint. Good grief, I’m 22 not 12! And how am
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AN UPDATE ON THE FOLLOWING STORY…. It can be a bit of a worry when your long term neighbours sell up, especially if they were really nice. What if the new owners have non-stop barking dogs, or are throwers of wild parties? That might sound a bit
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I have been watching in dismay as our Australian farmers continue to battle fire and drought. One of the most heartbreaking things is seeing hard working people being forced from the land due to crop failure and the high price of hay. Of course those on vast
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One of the most beautiful villages in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales is Wentworth Falls. It’s hard for a proud Blackheathen to admit this…but it’s true. My favourite destination is Conservation Hut, originally built as a resting place for bush walkers, and a meeting room
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I never could resist a nativity play. They are usually performed by sweet little schoolchildren, so an adult version was something of a novelty for me. Titled, The Shepherds’ Play, it was held in the dining room of The New Ivanhoe Hotel last night. All seats were
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My young friend Miss Milly has not always been comfortable around nature. Here she is hiding behind Editor Des when our Kookaburra called Taffy came to visit. She thought he might fly off with her to Govett’s Leap. Or pull her hair. Her idea of nature is
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From 1953 until 1968, the Tasmanian government ran the Green Coach Line service to country towns. Now due to the curse of travel sickness I have dreadful childhood memories of being a passenger on those wretched buses. The Tasman Limited train was completely different, quite exciting really.
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Writers need to get out and about sometimes, otherwise our solitary profession would drive us to distraction. Plus, for a gardener like me there are too many distractions at home….such as roses! I have a ten minute walk to my village of Blackheath, and in a place
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It was a delight to see young ‘Blackheathens’ Luke and Fergus back at their lemonade stall in Soldiers’ Memorial Park this year during the Blackheath Rhododendron Festival. Apparently they made a decent profit in 2018, but I’m tipping an even better result this time around because they
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