Blue Mountains Journal

While I waited for my order I browsed around the Wisk and Pin store which has an eclectic mix of local produce, handmade items, gourmet jams, tea and lots of other utensils and gifts. The teapot cosy -- are they really back in vogue? The pumpkins -- they are a popular vegetable in Australia while I understand that in other parts of the world they are only fed to animals. The creamer on the the middle shelf -- the shape of an old cream bottle, I like it.

And now for a change from my usual nature walks/drives to my other favourite pastime. One of the joys of living in the mountains are the plethora of cafes catering for tourists and people like me who like the cosy atmosphere on a rainy Saturday afternoon. So let me introduce you to the Wisk and Pin a great little place in the Old Post Office at Medlow Bath. The Bread and Butter pudding was yum.

Today CDP Bloggers are blogging in support of the people of Iran. We hope and pray that those who have been apprehended can return home soon, and that the people of Iran get the freedom of their choosing. After the storm watch we decided it was time to go home. We cherish the ability to do so unimpeded.

It's always blowy out at Mount Hay but with a winter storm brewing the rain drops pierced like ice needles. We snuggled in the car to watch the changing light display.

Mount Hay has the most amazing diversity of flowers. It seems that the harsher the conditions the harder nature works. In spring time there are dozens and dozens of tiny flowers. At this time of year things are leaner but there were still some to be found. The autumn banksias above and the Mountain Devil (Lambertia Formosa) below. After a while the weather got quite devilish too ... I'll show you that tomorrow.

Drumstick plants (Ipsopogon anemonifolius) are common on the Mount Hay heath. At this time of year it's easy to see why they have this name. Here is what they look like in spring .

Banksias are designed to open their pods during fire for new seed to generate. Click here to see. These ended up as mere skeletons today.