Blue Mountains Journal

Timber homes are painted giving the owners great scope for expressing their own character.  Delamere, painted a chocolate brown, has a European feel hiding in the generous greenery of a garden of mature old trees.

Vera was once a modest cottage but with a modern extension she is now very grand. It's great to see extensions being done that retain the character of the old homes. But I am wondering why I always think of America when I see this house. A local historian told me that before houses were numbered they were identified by their name, hence the reason why older homes have names.

You will notice that unlike houses of this era in Sydney which have  red bricks and tiled or slate roofs , old homes in the mountains are more often built of timber with corrugated iron roofs. These homes are much loved and in the last ten years or so we and most of our neighbours have painted our homes, added modern extensions and tidied our overgrown gardens.

A recent post on Julie's always excellent Sydney Eye blog got me thinking about the old houses in Lawson which also have names. So I am going to get started for the year by running a series on the named houses of Lawson and while I am at it you will get a chance to see some traditional Blue Mountains homes ... starting with our own home Burnbrae built around 1896. During renovations a postcard was found ... dated 1897, addressed to: Miss Chrystal, Burnbrae, Lawson, Blue Mountains, New South wales, Australia Miss Elizabeth Chrystal was the original owner according to the land title so I guess the house has always had this name. Maybe she had Scottish links.

Wishing you all a great year with time to dream, build and play. Today CityDailyPhoto bloggers are selecting their best photo for 2010. I've converted it from its original format posted in May into my Weekend People style so I can add it into the new gallery that goes along with the fresh new look for my blogs this year. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants