Notes and comments about living in the Top End of Australia
I would like to wish all my readers, wherever you are, a very happy Christmas full of enjoyment and peace. While it’s snowing madly in much of the northern hemisphere, today is a typical Top End Christmas with overcast skies and rain veering between sprinkles and tropical downpours. The pleasure of that is the temperatures … More Happy Christmas one and all
It’s the Dry Season in the Top End and as usual Darwin has been humming with activities, but this month it reaches a crescendo of activity with the Darwin Festival. August in Darwin is filled with such amazing opportunities: Indigenous singers and performers, international artists, the Aboriginal Art Festival, the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres … More Darwin Fun in the Dry: Photos, Stories and a Laugh
There I was yesterday morning quietly eating my breakfast while perusing the garden. First I saw that the possums had been wreaking havoc on my new tomato bushes…nothing new there. Need a new strategy. All of a sudden I realised my pot of beautiful Hippeastrum plants looked like a plague of phytophthera had hit it…the … More Hippeastrum and lily borer: treatment tips for the tropics?
Yes we’ve all been a bit over-eager thinking the Dry Season was coming early but: The dragonflies were out in force weeks ago (sign of the Dry) The boats are back in Fannie Bay and the sailing classes have started The Open Garden program has started (really looking forward to this!) The grandchildren already reckon the … More Finally the Dry Season!
Amy Coffin of the We Tree blog, in conjunction with Geneabloggers, has a new series of weekly blogging prompts for 2012 and the theme is 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy . The topic for Week 8 is Genealogy Libraries: Genealogy libraries (and dedicated departments in regular libraries) are true treasures in the family history community. Tell us … More Abundant Genealogy: Week 8: Fanfare and tribute for my genealogy libraries
A huge crowd turned out this morning for the commemoration ceremonies at the Darwin Cenotaph while the families of the wharfies and merchant seamen held a separate ceremony down at the wharf (their usual tradition). The USS Peary commemorations were held earlier in the morning but although we hoped to get there in time, we … More Commemoration ceremony 19 February 2012
Last night we were in the audience for the world premiere screening of the documentary, The Bombing of Darwin, an Awkward Truth. The Darwin Entertainment Centre was filled close to capacity with old servicemen and their families, Darwinites old and new, and visitors. We were rewarded with a very engaging and educational documentary based on … More The Bombing of Darwin: an Awkward Truth
Yesterday I flew interstate on an unexpected trip to Brisbane. So what you might say…well, while I’ve made this journey many times, for some reason yesterday’s flight paths were out of the ordinary. In Darwin, we took off in a westerly direction from the runway, all well and good except Brisbane is south. However the … More Aerial overview Darwin and Brisbane
Over the last week Darwin has had some fantastic storms complete with thunder, lightning and very heavy rains….a harbinger of the Wet Season to come. This morning it was pelting down outside and blowing several metres under the roofline and through the doors. The plants love it, and will thrive from the bursts of rain … More Relief from the Build Up and a reminder of the Wet
The Navy was in full-profile in Darwin town this long weekend. We missed the Keys to the City ceremony on Saturday but went with a daughter and small grandsons to see the HMAS Darwin on open public display yesterday. Although it was hot and at times slow, we had a great time seeing over the Australian Navy’s … More The Navy is in town: The Old and the New: HMB Endeavour and HMAS Darwin
Family history across the seas 