In 1984 my darling mother Myra was suffering from the ovarian cancer that took her life. While I was visiting her in Tasmania I noticed a cheeky little frog on her bedside table. ‘He cheers me up’, she said. I could see why; he was adorable. Froggy
Read more →Following WWII, Swiss trapese artist Eugene Lambart and his wife Fritzi formed an act with a young Norwegian strongman, Arne Selfors. They looked about for an acrobat to complete their new show and came across two young sisters in Berne. The girls’ father, Mr Broenimann was a
Read more →My inspiration for this story on the Aussie magpie was an amazing piece of free-form machine embroidery by Lynda Worthington. For someone like me who struggles to take up a hem, it was mind-blowing. There is enormous affection for magpies in Australia. They are so engaging and
Read more →AXMINSTERS OF THE EARTH OK, eyes down, gardeners and nature lovers! I know there are wonderful carpets of blossom in spring, but autumn is definitely the main period for appreciating Mother Nature’s work. It’s one of the main reasons I moved from Sydney to the Blue Mountains
Read more →I spend far more time (and money) than I should in the huge, Victory Theatre Antiques Centre in Govett’s Leap Road, Blackheath. There is a vintage fashion section upstairs. Now I’m not a real fan, but this 1960s clutch bag has accompanied me to many functions.
Read more →Autumn is a busy time for the birds in our Blackheath garden. So many seeds to snack on, so many fallen leaves to scrabble about in. And I swear there are those who just know they look good against a blaze of colour. The cheeky rascal below
Read more →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
Read more →A THOUSAND POUNDS FOR A SHILLING! In 1920, an art union lottery was established in the Blue Mountain’s town of Katoomba, conceived and administered by Mr Edgar Booth. The object was to raise money for the improvement of the local showground. First prize was originally a £1,000
Read more →The Explorers tree outside Katoomba has been the subject of debate for generations. In 1813 the three men pictured above set out to cross the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, keeping to the ridges, rather than the deep, forested valleys. Accompanied by five servants, they were
Read more →I have been revising a piece I wrote about pioneering women and their appreciation of Australia’s native flora. Not surprisingly, the Blue Mountains featured heavily. Once the first road was constructed from Sydney through to Bathurst in 1815, intrepid settlers followed. Then the iron ranges echoed To
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