Parrots on parade

 We were visited by a pair of king parrots the other day. I've seen lots in the Blue Mountains and elsewhere, but I think these were my first sightings in our suburb here. They're rather fine, with the distinctive bright green and red bits, and the light green 'shoulder stripe'.

A day or two later some crimson rosellas came through, making quite a meal of the callistemon tree which was in full bloom. They're more common than the king parrots, but not in the near plague proportions of the sulphur crested cockatoos and the rainbow lorikeets. The former can be a bit of a worry. They can take a liking to people's houses - as in a liking to eating them. So far ours seem to make do with worms from the grass verge.

The latter are most people's favourites because of their splendid array of (rainbow) colours. For a while I thought that a pair were nesting in the stump of a sawn off branch on one of our Sydney red gums. They were spending a lot of time up there. But not enough to be raising chicks, I decided. I think they were just eating grubs out of it.

N

Pictures at an exhibition

 It was about time we expanded our collection of old masters, and here was the place to do it.

We attended the annual exhibition and sale at Studio Artes in Hornsby, where a number of intellectually disabled men and women are given the opportunity to draw, paint and do a number of creative projects.

As usual it was the social event of the year. Local dignatories and celebs turned out in force, and us of course. The talent is prodigious and you can see the inspiration of the old masters, including impressionists, expressionists, Aboriginal artists, Whiteley, Streeton, Pollock, the lot.

There were a couple of fine speeches. Food and entertainement also. Two young men performed the Haka.

We eventually settled on two fabulous abstracts which are now adorning our walls at home. We bought a Pollock and a Monet, and didn't even have to mortgage the house!


F & N

In Darwin's footsteps

Charles Darwin, it is said, was not too impressed by Sydney, but he wouldn't have had too much to complain about along this track in the Blue Mountains which now carries his name. He was in fact impressed by the huge canyons and waterfalls of the area.

The Darwin Walk is picturesque. It follows a small creek that meanders down to Wentworth Falls.  Here and there small banks of sand form miniature beaches  under small rocky overhangs packed with ferns, providing good photo opportunities for the numbers of tourists who want to follow in Darwin's footsteps. 

Six of us set off on an overcast spring morning, taking in the Darwin Walk down to Wentworth Falls and continuing on for another 5 or so kilometres along the Undercliff  and Overcliff Track to the Conservation Hut. We'd been warned that the track was poor. And sure enough, parts of it had been washed away together with some of the supports and barriers.  Nevertheless, we were able to negotiate the narrow slushy bits and then up the never-ending stairway - which only the fittest survived - to the Conservation Hut. The walk back was short and swift, which was just as well, as the weather turned bad just as we got to our cars.

This was my second walk as an official walk leader with the club and it's not so scary after all.

F