Blue Mountains Journal

If you walk down to the Lawson waterfalls in the evening and sit quietly by a waterfall until the dark descends you will see nature's firework display -- the tiny lights of hundreds of glow worms. Down in the city tonight the big fireworks will be on show. We chose to spend a quiet night at home this year. Photo: Near Cataract Falls, South Lawson

About halfway around the Lawson waterfall circuit two creeks join, each with their own waterfall these twin waterfalls are known as Junction Falls, a very pretty spot. Photo: Junction Falls, South Lawson

Over the next few days I will share some shots from one of my favourite walks -- the waterfall circuit in South Lawson. Photo: Near Junction Falls, South Lawson Park

As promised I have gone back to the bush and a photo of a real tree. Slick with rain of course! Photo: Tree bark, South Lawson Park

Dark clouds obscured the midday sun, then this rattling torrent. Photo: Hailstones, my garden . In the evening the great grey clouds gathered again, lightning slashed the sky and huge buckets of rain pelted down. Then darkness descended. The power was off for hours (hence this late posting).

It was cool all day yesterday and quite cold last night so we settled in for a wintery kind of Christmas night with a log fire, glowing candles and glittering Christmas lights while we read the books we found under the Christmas tree. Today we are driving over the mountains to Bathurst to continue Christmas feasting with family members. I hope to go out walking to get shots of real trees tomorrow.

Merry Christmas! Words to walk with: From the Holy Bible Luke 2:8-11 (New International Version" "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

Words to walk with: From A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore "Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there."

Christmas is a time of feasting. With us having so much rain lately the snails are out partying too. My freshly planted Basil was gone in a gulp ... sigh. Words to walk with The Snail by Charles Lamb The frugal snail, with fore-cast of repose, Carries his house with him, where'er he goes; Peeps out--and if there comes a shower of rain, Retreats to his small domicile amain. Touch but a tip of him, a horn--'tis well-- He curls up in his sanctuary shell. He's his own landlord, his own tenant; stay Long as he will, he dreads no Quarter Day. Himself he boards and lodges; both invites, And feasts, himself; sleeps with himself o' nights. He spares the upholsterer trouble to procure Chattels; himself is his own furniture, And his sole riches. Wheresoe'er he roam-- Knock when you will--he's sure to be at home."

Photo: Agapanthus from my garden (not a native plant) I didn't go walking today, I decided to do more weeding in the garden instead. The agapanthus are in flower now. They make a pretty cut flower but are close to being a weed in my garden. It amuses me to see them selling for $12 a pot in the garden centre.

With Christmas to prepare for I have been walking in shopping malls more than the bush lately. Photo: Track to St Michael's Falls, North Lawson Words to walk with: Michael is an archangel, as is Gabriel who foretold Jesus birth to Mary. Even though there are a whole host of angels these are the only two named in the Bible other than Lucifer (Satan).

I am eager with anticipation. Words to walk with: From a carol by Christina Rosetti "Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, love divine; Love was born at Christmas, Star and angels gave the sign."

Photo: Triggerplant ( Stylidium graminifolium ) The bright pink flowers of Triggerplant are a very common sight throughout the mountains.

A damp morning is great for a brisk reviving walk. Photo: Railway fence, Lawson Words to walk with: To Sleep by William Wordsworth "A flock of sheep that leisurely pass by One after one; the sound of rain, and bees Murmuring; the fall of rivers, winds and seas, Smooth fields, white sheets of water, and pure sky; I've thought of all by turns, and still I lie Sleepless; and soon the small birds' melodies Must hear, first uttered from my orchard trees, And the first cuckoo's melancholy cry. Even thus last night, and two nights more I lay, And could not win thee, Sleep! by any stealth: So do not let me wear tonight away: Without Thee what is all the morning's wealth? Come, blessed barrier between day and day, Dear mother of fresh thoughts and joyous health!"

That's what my husband said as I was taking a picture of a banksia. I hadn't noticed the trailing grevillea plant with its lovely ruby flowers sprawling in the undergrowth. Throughout the year I've shown quite a lot of different grevillia flowers, this prostrate one flowers in summer in the upper mountains. Photo: Grevillia laurifolia

It's raining again.

It was bright this morning so I seized the day to pull weeds in the garden while the ground is still moist and giving. Rainbow Lorikeets squabbled over the bounty of not-yet-ripe plums in the neighbours garden. Wattle birds cruised elegantly from tree to tree. Bower birds bounced from branch to branch, making merry noises. An Eastern Spinebill twittered as it flitted in the low bushes. A pair of King Parrots whistled from the tree ferns. A magpie sat silently on a branch eyeing the emerald green scene lit by the flutter of butterflies -- shimmering white, pearl grey and burnt orange. What a privilege to have such beautiful creatures to share the joy of a sunny day.

The dew dried quickly this morning, it was a rare sunny day.

Back in February I wrote about Calliopsis, the cheerful weed that paints our roadside verges gold at this time of year. They are at their peak at the moment and still give me much joy, even though nearly a year down the track I better appreciate the treasure we lose when weeds choke the fragile beauty of our native plants. For the most part this particular weed sticks to disturbed land so I don't feel quite so bad about still liking it.

The Australian native plant I call a bluebell is similar but smaller than this flower I saw at the rhododenron gardens on Sunday. I don't really know its heritage but it is very pretty.

As there were few exotic plants in flower at the Rhododendron Gardens I turned my attention to the less showy native plants. I saw flowers I've shown from recent walks -- Dampiera , Mitrasacme polymorpha , Goodenia and the grass flower then to my great delight I found fringe lilies -- now we are talking exotic! Photo: Fringe-Lily, Thysanotus tuberosus

Photo: Rhododendron, Bucchante gardens, Blackheath (not a native plant) Yesterday we drove to the rhododenron garden in Blackheath. We knew it would be too late to catch the spring flower display but it is a pleasant garden anyway, an interesting mix of exotic trees sitting comfortably within a bush setting. The few bushes still in red flower were a nice reminder of the festive season. Oh yes, the sun was out making it a steamy summer day, though it's back to mist and fog tonight. Words to walk with: From Jingle Bells "Dashing through the snow In a one horse open sleigh O'er the fields we go Laughing all the way Bells on bob tails ring Making spirits bright What fun it is to laugh and sing A sleighing song tonight"

Tiny white flowers peep with sweet simplicity from the rock. Photo: Mitrasacme polymorpha (I think)

I like the big rocks on the walk to Echo Bluff. Photo: Walking track to Echo Bluff, North Lawson

I don't ever think of grass as flowering, so it was a surprise to so see this spear of grass leaning across the path and to see the purple and orange flowers -- I am not sure which was the bigger surprise the flowers or their colour.

On my walk to Echo Bluff in the wet area under a shelf of hanging swamp I saw small trees with large flowers balls similar to wattle - it is however not a wattle. Photo: Callicoma serratifolia, North Lawson Park They actually look prettier in the photo than in real life.

Rice flower is one of the many white flowers seen quite widely in the mountains. Photo: Rice flower, Pimelea linifolia

New shoots and old bark, a delicate pink contrast to drab olive green and grey.

Photo: Snake flower, North Lawson Park Look at these two flowers, they are certainly different but they also have a type of stripe down the centre of each petal, a characteristic that they share with the Dampiera I showed recently and the unidentified flower in October . I thought to myself, they will be variations of Dampiera, but they aren't. They do however all seem to belong to the Goodeniaceae family. Photo: Daisy-leaved Goodenia

I realised I missed the arrival of summer yesterday. This is not surprising given that it is cold, grey and wet, no shimmering summer heat anywhere. Blue/Purple is the colour of summer in my garden -- hydrangeas, agapanthus and jacaranda. It is still too soon for the agapanthus and the jacaranda is just beginning to colour up, so here are the hydrangeas glissening with rain drops. Photo: Hydrangeas, my garden (not a native plant) I woke up chilly this morning and decided -- I'm fed up with this, I am going to turn on the central heating to take the ice from the air and make getting out of bed to make our regular Sunday morning cooked breakfast more pleasant. I forgot of course that our power circuit was still on the blink so there was no switch to ignite the gas furnace. Then the penny dropped, that was the one pesky appliance we had forgotten to unplug in our mission to find the fault. Hey presto life is back to normal, the tele works, my computer works, the toaster works. I sudd...

The path to Echo Bluff passes across the rock shelf in the middle of Fairy Falls. It is not until you get further around the track that you discover that they have a far greater depth of fall. The water is splashing freely at the moment since the rain. Fairy falls, North Lawson Words to walk with: From The Waterfall by Henry Vaughan "With what deep murmurs through time’s silent stealth Doth thy transparent, cool, and watery wealth Here flowing fall, And chide and call, As if his liquid loose retinue stayed Lingering, and were of this steep place afraid, The common pass Where, clear as glass, All must descend Not to an end ; But quickened by this deep and rocky grave, Rise to a longer course more bright and brave."