March 2012

It's now almost the middle of March, and we've had more downpours, cold and wet days and some absolutely stunning summery days.

The many frangipani trees around the area are a good indication of how little sunshine there's been.  Normally, throughout summer there is a good scattering of fallen flowers, so fragrant, underneath the canopy, but this summer the flowering has been so sparse that there have been very few falling.

Gerd is putting on yet another concert in his The Edge Art Space gallery.  This space was once the War Memorial Hall, so it is an ideal venue, as it has a stage.  Gerd has renovated it beautifully to make it into his gallery, and on Friday March 16, at 7.30 pm, The Rhythm Hunters return to perform there.  Gerd puts so much effort into holding these concerts (as do the performers themselves) and they are well worth attending. His phone number is 0424 176 337.

It seems a long time since we've seen the Hawkesbury Explorer on the river, and the Hawkesbury seems to have taken over the Riverboat Postman's role.

Since the floods further upstream, the river is a chocolate brown, and there has been a lot of debris floating down it.  Little Wobby residents have spoken of a forty foot raft of rubbish floating past, and telegraph poles and trees, all of which represent a severe hazard to boating.  The 1.8 m tides earlier this month were as high as a normal 2m tide, so it's all contributed to conversation.

For all those who know the delightful Vanessa from her work at Paul and Maureen's, the pub, the servo and
the charter vessels, all of us hope that she makes a good recovery, and hope her family knows we are thinking of them

June 2011

The frangipani which are such a fragrant and tropical symbol of summer, have dropped some of their leaves as if they've experienced a shock. The few flower buds fail to open more than a fraction, but still have that beautiful perfume.

All this means we had a cold and wet May, interspersed with beautiful, clear sunny and warm days, and now it's June and the winter solstice will occur in 10 days.

King Tide Cafe at the marina has added hearty soups, including seafood chowder, to its blackboard menu, in keeping with the change in weather, and has installed some wonderful new gas heaters, housed in smart wooden lattice boxes,

Linda and Kate now have two life-size mannequins at River Dreams to model some of their ab.fab gear. Kate's restoration skills are coming to the fore with their range of tables and chairs, featuring beautifully finished oiled timber.

Gerd at The Edge Art Space has yet another very exciting concert this month, featuring ice instruments this time.

For a couple of years I have pointed out to children and adults alike, a tiny plastic dinosaur, clinging to the bow return on a tinny moored at the marina. Suddenly, it vanished, and I wondered if it was a casualty of a mooring rope thrown during the recent rough weather, and if, perhaps, it was bobbing along the Hawkesbury somewhere. Fortunately, I encountered the owner disembarking his tinny and was able to ask him. He said that it had probably shaken into the hull as he bounced across the waves in rough weather, and told me he had found it while participating in a clean up of a beach on the river, and that therefore this dinosaur belongs to the river. A few hours later, there was the dinosaur clinging to the bow return once again!

We used to see whistling kites at Terrigal, and a few years ago, watched them building a nest in one of the Norfolk Island pines there, but they are no longer to be seen there, so it is a delight to have them here, as well as the majestic sea eagles.

Second Blog for May 2011

The first thing I have to do in this blog is apologise for my mistake in thinking that The Island is in Gosford. Dangar Island is in Hornsby shire, the same as Brooklyn. The second thing is to let you know that while the public wharf steps were repaired recently, the white tie-bar was straightened.

Last time I said we were going to breakfast with friends at King Tide on the Marina, and we've had two breakfasts there this month, and on each occasion eggs benedict has been the favourite item. It must be one of the finest breakfasts in one of the finest locations, in the world. Two poached eggs on a bed of baby spinach, on an English muffin, served with freshly made hollandaise sauce and chunks of smoked salmon - smoked by the proprietor - absolutely delicious! One of our guests had the omelette, with bacon, tomatoes and toast, and although she thought she'd be unable to finish it, she managed.

The girls at the marina shop are excitedly planning their winter collection, which includes clothing, jewellery, homewares, furniture, artifacts and art. They support many locals and seem to have found a market niche which appeals to visitors and locals alike. Kate and Linda have always wanted to open a shop and now they have their River Dreams.

On Friday (May 20), there is another concert at The Edge Art Space in Brooklyn. The last one, last month, was fabulous, and it was full house, and Gerd expects this will be the same.

On Saturday, an historian from the island launched her latest book aboard the Hawkesbury Explorer - a book launch on a launch. That evening, the lovely old MV Reliance pulled in to Brooklyn. It is a classic wooden ferry, built in 1919 by Goddards of Palm Beach, to perform the
Brooklyn to Wisemans Ferry, via Spencer, mail run. It is now owned by Bobbin Head Cruises and is cruising the wonderful Hawkesbury again.

On Sunday we were privileged to be invited for a cruise aboard the Earl of Brooklyn's yacht. This was a wonderful experience, and we enjoyed perfect weather and an excellent seafood lunch
on board. It is amazing to enjoy the tranquillity of Refuge Bay and Jerusalem Bay and yet realise that Sydney suburbia is, literally, just over the hill.

The Hawkesbury River, especially around Brooklyn, presents such a splendid image, with its towering sandstone escarpments, varied trees and shrubs, and rocks that wilderness photographers
dream of. It is such a delight to live surrounded by this magnificence.