Notes and comments about living in the Top End of Australia
The first clue that something different was to happen yesterday was the sight of the gardeners hand-picking leaves that littered the stones covering the garden beds of the Chinese Garden. A very zen-like activity which I was told preceded an afternoon wedding. Late in the afternoon local office workers were distracted by an unusual sight: two Chinese … More Chinese dragons, Chinese wedding in the Chinese Garden
On Saturday I joined a group of friends at a Malaysian cooking demonstration held at Hanuman Restaurant by Amanda Amutha. What a fabulous surprise -another of those well-kept Darwin secrets. Amanda worked through a menu of delights showing us how to prepare the dishes, explaining the ingredients to us & letting us see each dish … More Cool cooking demonstration
Well it’s been a quiet time in virtual-blog-land for me lately as the real world has taken over. This morning on the way into work I saw a family of eight (yes, 8!) curlews hanging out near the carpark. This is a pretty rare sight but one I also saw a week or two ago … More Bird life delights
The year has officially started, students are back in school & the National Trust’s High Tea is on again at historic Burnett House, Myilly Point. It’s a once-a-week event much enjoyed by locals and, in the Dry, Top End tourists. Apart from being a bargain foodie outing, the food is just great. Love Anna’s fabulous … More High Tea at the National Trust
On Saturday Shauna Hicks gave two very informative and enjoyable family history presentations in Darwin. Shauna apologised for her laryngitis and croaky voice but it didn’t affect the pleasure of listening to someone with such wide experience. Shauna’s talk on asylum records highlighted how these records could help people to find missing ancestors and the … More Comments on Shauna Hicks’s talk on Asylum Records
In the carpark at work this morning I saw a tiny baby plover with its parents -it was only a few inches high…so cute! Also an old frilly lizard on the run. Where was the camera? – at home! This afternoon the same chick, freaked out by humans in the vicinity, hid under its mother’s … More Wildlife at work
A string of twenty magpie geese paddling their feet in a shady culvert.
Squadrons of white cockatoos squawking overhead and balancing on palm fronds before taking off in cacophony of disharmony. On Saturday we saw one barely making headway against the strength of the wind.
Shauna Hicks, a very experienced researcher and family historian, is giving two talks in Darwin on 6th February, hosted by the Genealogical Society of the Northern Territory. Anyone who has heard Shauna speak will know a treat is in store for them. Her talks will be: Online Trends In Family History & Asylum Records: A … More Shauna Hicks to visit Darwin
The New Year kicked off with rain, rain and more rain as the monsoons arrived with a vengeance…the ducks and magpie geese have been enjoying the puddles. On the upside it also brought lower temperatures and strong winds which made the days more pleasant. However it’s nice to see the sunny skies again even if it’s … More New Year in the Top End
Family history across the seas 