Blue Mountains Journal

Along the road we came across this ferny place. I used to tell my little nieces that when they walked through a ferny dell they became fairies until midday. We had wonderful fairy times together. Why the noon rule? To give their aunty a rest! I loved fairies as a little girl who learnt the words below in my elocution lessons. This short piece seemed soooo long when I was seven. Words to walk with: From Peter and Wendy by J.M Barrie "A moment after the fairy’s entrance the window was blown open by the breathing of the little stars, and Peter dropped in. He had carried Tinker Bell part of the way, and his hand was still messy with the fairy dust. “Tinker Bell,” he called softly, after making sure that the children were asleep, “Tink, where are you?” She was in a jug for the moment, and liking it extremely; she had never been in a jug before. “Oh, do come out of that jug, and tell me, do you know where they put my shadow?” The loveliest tinkle as of golden bells answered him. It is ...

The track climbs up and down steps on the way to the Lyrebird Dell a large cave overhang with picnic tables. I rested here, lulled by the sound of the creek with its fringe of ferns. Last time I was here I was silly enough to retrace my steps because I wasn't sure how long the rest of the walking track would take. The weedy escaped garden plants also by the creek should have been enough to tell me civilisation was nearby. This time I kept on going and found I was quickly back to the picnic area with hardly a climb to the finish. Innocence in the sense of ignorance is not always a good thing. Innocence in the sense of blamelessness is. Words to walk with: Psalm 19:13 the Holy Bible "Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression."

Whenever I walk this path I keep an eye out for the water dragons. Another time I was here they were not to be seen but given the warmth of the day it was not surprising to find one basking on a rock beside the stream. Words to walk with: This week I joined City Daily Photo where I have met new and talented friends. One of these is Julie who's Sydney Eye is a delight -- check out The Sunbather for words that suit today.

Hairpin banksias are in flower at the moment. Which reminds me that in the old Medlow Bath Post Office, over the other side of the railway line, Wisk and Pin has set up a cafe. A very nice spot for a coffee. Photo: Hairpin Banksia

My husband had gone to bed early and I was sitting quietly watching tele, tapping away on my laptop when I saw a cat walk up the hall. The only problem is we don't have a cat. While I run about the house yelling "possum" my husband obediently jumped out of bed (thinking I was calling him of course). Photo: Our unexpected visitor, a possum Meanwhile the possum darted into the library and climbed up the bookcase. When we tried to gently encourage his departure he and jumped from shelf to shelf, threw himself at the windows, hid behind the cupboards, anything other than going out the door. He eventually got the message and left. Lesson for the day: remember to shut the door between the laundry and garage.

There is a rock on the River Walk where water dragons usually sit and bask in the sun -- I was looking forward to photographing them. Perhaps it was too cool for them this week because there were none in sight. I had to be satisfied with this little skink. Words to walk with: I wanted to find a poem about a lizard but am tired, too tired even to find a substitute.

If this picture had sound you would hear the bop-bop and creeeek of frogs in the pond. Photo: Glenbook Lagoon Words to walk with: From In The Swamp Now by Harley Matthews "And songs? Its alphabet could never spell One syllable Of the frogs' poem at midnight, or the paean Of silence after."

Each night marauding possums emerge from their daytime hollows. They clump and thump on the roof, hiss and spit at each other, and scare visitors by walking heavily on the verandah like malicious intruders. Photo: Brushtail possum ( Trichosurus vulpecula ) I am pleased with this rare case of me getting a photograph of a native animal! It helps that the leaves are no longer on the tree. Words to walk with: From Widower in the Country by Les Murray “Last night I thought I dreamt - but when I woke The screaming was only a possum skiing down The iron roof on little moonlit claws.”

Photo: Lizard, Mount Hay On an earlier visit to Mount Hay I took this photograph of a lizard basking in the afternoon sun. He was an obliging fellow, holding his position just right for ages. You can’t see it, but the lizard is surveying the fabulous wilderness landscape that keeps drawing me back to Mount Hay. This time the lizard’s perfect viewing spot was taken by another photographer capturing the frozen pose of more models having their moment in the sun. Words to walk with: From Ecclesiastes 1 in the Holy Bible (New International Version) “Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains for ever. The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course … The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”

The Megalong Valley road comes to an end at Dunphy’s camping area so we turned for our journey home. As the sun began to set and rain clouds clustered darkly in the sky, kangaroos grazing by the roadside bounded away to the creek. Photo: Old ford Reserve at dusk Words to walk with: From I saw the beauty go by Dame Mary Gilmore “There went the kangaroos, that, in hosts, For their bedding-down grouped at even, Only the sound of the nibbling lips Making the sunset steven.”

I have not written about animals yet and there is a good reason – I don’t see any. The arrival of European setters certainly reduced their numbers but they do still exist. They are mostly nocturnal and I am not in the habit of tramping about the bush at night. I’m told their presence can be verified in the daytime by looking for their droppings and scratch marks but I’m not going to do that! The book Fauna of the Blue Mountains by Judy and Peter Smith tells me I could find platypuses, wallabies, wombats, quolls, bandicoots, bats, possums, gliders and native rats. I have seen some bush rats in the garden and possums thump on our roof at night but that is all. Kangaroos are not prevalent here as they like to graze on grassland and the Mountains are largely blanketed in forest. They can be found in the grassy valleys. Euroka Clearing at Glenbrook is such a spot – apparently this population was reestablished through the release of captive animals. I planned to take photo while I was there...