Harold Reid Reserve

This walk starts in Willis St, Castlecove. Things were going well until Tom sat on Alex's hand while they were climbing some rocks. Which is why Alex does not appear in these photos with a smiling face. Nevertheless we continued on our walk. There are fishing tackle refuse boxes at the fishing spots now. Which means there are less hooks and lines left in the water, that prove so fatal to marine animals like the sea turtle the scouts found last year. After the walk it was home for lunch then off to Freshwater Beach for a surf. The ocean off Sydney is still warm at this time of year. The Easter current was strong as usual but with the tide going out there were some good shore breaks to body board in. Easter buns and chocolate eggs have been eaten. There are three days of the school holidays left.

Tom at Balmoral Skate Park

From time to time Tom appears on the blog skating. As he has grown the skate ramps have become taller and steeper. He is still fairly risk free in his style. It has taken him several years to get to this skill level. Go Tom!

Walk

Castlehaven Reserve

Native fuschia
Coastal banksia

I have to go back and take a look at this tree again, however the colour!

Retreat Reserve

Birdsnest Tree Fern

The Retreat

Green waves of foliage
Moving against the southerly
Airstream coming into
The middle harbour from the
Heads across the cliffs
That shelters the entrance to Sydney.
A flight of white cockatoos
Scream across the canopy
Ramping it up to claim their space
From other birds.
Territories marked
Later sunshine and whip birds
Calling mating nesting
Retreat Reserve spring has sprung
The trails of secret fingers
Erupt in dead logs
Lining the trail that we make
As we run through the ferns down
To the sandy banks of the rocky shoreline
Nature on our doorstep
Intruding into the space of the native undergrowth
Its canopy protecting the forest floor from weeds
Running calling 'watch for vines'
My sure footed lads
Cascade through the trees
Their feet flying
Leading balance to their upper bodies
We rest at Retreat Beach
Gasping at the audacity of our
Silent agreement
To protect this wild place
From all else

Work in Progress

The beautiful tree ferns that surround us
The front door now needs a dark gloss, it floats within tall windows like a tangram

The front path


Asparagus fern free hillside, doing this was something of a balancing act. After a few false starts I seemed to get the hang of it and let go a bit letting my feet find the way to support me.

Painted deck

This is the colour the whole of the shared boundary side will be

Woodland Grey

View of the shared boundary garden planted by Peter and Lorraine our neighbours

Bush Care coaching by Richard Blacklock, Lilly Pilly Indigenous Landscapes. Next is the pond project, followed by more cliff gardening. And there is still six days of the Easter holidays to go.

Bush Care Gardening

Path cut through the upper garden Asparagus weed removal at rock ledge The cleared earth

There were seven tasks to complete. The first task was to rake trad and compost it under black plastic. The second task was to climb off the wall at the back of the block and bag more trad from the sandstone. The third task was to identify four trees, blueberry ash, sydney peppermint gum, angophora, coachwood. The fourth task was to gather coachwood seedlings. The fifth task was to scale the rock wall and remove the virginia creeper vines, even before they had turned their autumnal red (okay so I didn't complete this task, I still wanted to see some of the leaves turn red). The sixth task was to remove asparagus fern from the top of the garden. The seventh task is to repeat the first six tasks until the Winter ends.

Sunday in Retreat Reserve

We were about to go to IMAX to see Sucker Punch a futuristic movie by a new Australian Director when we got a call. Alex had chipped his tooth scooting at Avalon Skate Park. After a quick phone call to Edwin his dentist we canceled the cinema and scheduled an early morning appointment to have his front tooth repaired. (Update: we have to wait four weeks while his tooth calms down, apparently the nerve root has a memory.)

Meanwhile Tom said let's go fishing at the boatshed so we walked down through the reserve. Strangler fig on rock

Northern sky through the canopy

New funghi photo for Peter's collection

Nick on the path

Tom's baby snapper that we threw back
Boats in the water
Asparagus fern is a feral weed and I do have plans to vanquish these. (see later post where I have removed said weeds)

Royal Easter Show

The Show Ring Toyota Hi Ace Stunt Driving Team

Nick is impressed

Girls on a ride

Black headed python

Nick at the Bush Care stand

Orchid display

Sheep dog trials

Lilly Pilly Indigenous Landscapes

This is actually the feature garden at the upper level of the home, I have plans to replant here When we moved here heavy rainfall caused subsidence of the rock wall, needs a repair The plan for the main rock feature of the upper garden is to remove the vines The garden features sandstone stairs for access to the house, these also need maintenance Pathweeder needed here and a little border on the edge

The council easement access still largely builders waste needing restoration to bushland

Terrace council easement awaiting native planting

Cleared border into Retreat Reserve - work completed by Richard and his team, a lot harder than it looks, to achieve with beautiful results that can continue to be cared for

Richard Blacklock and his team of bush regenerators are working to bring a native garden back to life at our home. So far work at the end of Summer has seen removal of weeds at the bottom section of the block bordering on Retreat Reserve, Castlecrag. There is more work planned for the Winter when regrowth of feral weeds is limited. Then planting of natives to grow out into the prepared soil in Spring. With the next year of work then in place around the seasons. See the photos above for the work in progress.

Lilly Pilly Indigenous Landscapes Pty Ltd

PO Box 4009, Castlecrag NSW 2068

Richard Blacklock 0417 217 937

Maths Teaching Wrap Up

Well I taught Yr 7-10 Maths for three weeks to four classes in north-west Sydney. I drove for two hours a day on the M2 and the M7 and on Old Windsor Rad, which is now a high tech 80km per hour six lane major artery. The students were mostly convinced that I was a Maths Teacher. I did field a few comments early on "Are you sure you are a Maths Teacher?" I started to worry that students had read my blogger profile or something else online about me. But I soldiered on anyway "Of couse I am a Maths Teacher." As the three weeks progressed my maths became more accurate and impressive on the whiteboard. I referred to the curriculum and my Teaching Secondary Mathematics textbook frequently. I used the math pedagogy. I supervised the end of unti examinations in the exam room and marked the exams and entered the marks in the class folders. I listened to students needs over the noise of my classes and showed Year 7 how to divide fractions endlessly. Eventually the department and you know which one must have been tipped off and I received the e-mail invite to join the retraining seminars to actually become a Maths Teacher. I read the e-mail and thought seriously about the prospect of being paid a full time wage to study Maths Teaching with a guaranteed permanent job at the end of it. However I have committed to teaching HSIE for ten weeks in the inner city. So the maths retraining e-mail sits unanswered for another six months. I am considering it however.

Vale - Yvonne Mary Casey

Yvonne radiant and happy at Angela and Ben's wedding in 2006 holding a grandson

Yvonne and Grant and their grandchildren Yvonne with her grand daughter Daisy

Yvonne and Grant visited Australia and stayed in Byron Bay celebrating Christmas on more than one occasion. In this photo are Angela, Janette and Grant and Yvonne.

White camillia for Yvonne

In our lives we leave behind us the footprints of the creation of the new and original that springs from inside us and comes into being in the world to share with others. Whether this comes from within our family or through the creation of art and writing finding wings to a wider audience. In the generations to come there is no telling how far this unique footprint of our lives will go. In all that Yvonne Mary Casey achieved - her life showed us that just by being there to see who we were meant that we became happier and more joyful too. She placed her hand into the colour of our souls and for that we will always be thankful.