By April, autumn is well under way in the upper Blue Mountains. Today I checked some likely spots in Blackheath for ‘fairy’ toadstools. This was taken at the intersection of Wentworth Street and Gardiner’s Crescent. There are lots more popping up. The bowerbird in Memorial Park is
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The Park Avenue entrance gates to Blackheath’s Memorial Park were funded by public subscription. They were officially opened on May 18 1938, by Minister for Works and Local Government Mr Eric Spooner. The project commemorated the reign of King George V (1910-1936). 300 people turned up
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My partner Rob and I intended dining at the new Blackheath Bar and BIstro last Saturday night, but it was a bit busy. Instead, we had a drink to wish the owners well, then walked along to the Victory Café. It was pretty early, so no problem
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Mid February, and in my Blackheath garden the banksia serratas are in bloom. They are loved by all the honeyeaters, but especially Wattlebirds and Eastern Spinebills. Bees are visiting the native lilly-pilly flowers on the bush outside Slurps café, in Wentworth Street. I know there must be
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When you have a large garden filled with birds there are lots of opportunities to create photographic images for occasions such as Christmas and New Year. So why not Valentine’s Day? Admittedly I’ve been married over 40 years, but Rob is still my knight in shining armour.
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MASTER OF THE ART OF GLASS How lucky we Blackheathens are to have someone as talented as glass artist Keith Rowe in our midst. He built the huge furnace pictured below himself, back in 1990. His work is represented in public and private galleries around the world.
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It has been a long courting season for the bowerbird in Blackheath’s Memorial Park. I began monitoring his ‘boudoir’ in mid August 2018. Without doubt it was one of the most beautiful, symmetrically arranged collections of blue treasures I had ever seen. WOOING IS A WEARYSOME BUSINESS
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WELL HELLO AGAIN GANG-GANGS! After not seeing Gang-gang cockatoos in my Blue Mountains garden for several years I was delighted when a lively group arrived a couple of weeks ago. There were lured by the ripening seeds on my various wattle trees (acacias). They have been returning
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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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