Category Archives: Habitat

Lost Churches, Chocolate Coloured Horses and an Absinthe Couch

Posted on February 27, 2025 by sagesomethymes

I’ve been trekking through Waterloo and Redfern hunting for lost churches. Two of them. To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, “To lose one church may be regarded as misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.” Luckily, I think I’ve found them. Or … Continue reading →

Posted in Habitat, Spirit of Place, Time, walking | Tagged Annunciation of our Lady Greek Orthodox Cathedral, baptism, Catholi Church, christening, churches were often built on higher ground, First Holy Communion, flaneur, Italian migrants Australia, Italian migrants in Johannesburg, Lebanese and Syrian migrants to Australia, migrants and religion, migration experience, Oscar Wilde, Police horses Redfern, Redfern history, walking in Redfern, Waterloo history, waves of immigration Australia | 2 Comments

The Caterpillar Diaries

Posted on January 25, 2025 by sagesomethymes

This summer, on returning from my travels where I’d observed so many wild animals in their natural habitats, I discovered a coven of beasts in my own back yard. To be exact, my inner-city balcony. Rather than crying over spilt … Continue reading →

Posted in Habitat, The Animal Kingdom, Writing Nature and Place | Tagged butterly life cycle, caterpillar, chrysalis, citizen scientist, cocoon, dwarf lime tree, gardening philosophy, metamorphosis, moral question, naturalist, Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly, Orchard Swallowtail caterpillar, pupa, scatology, transformation | 4 Comments

#shedtheshame

Posted on September 8, 2021 by sagesomethymes

Recently I read about the #30wears movement in the newspaper and was delighted to see that finally my doom scrolling has paid off. Started by a climate activist, it’s become a bit of a hit on Instagram. A nice change … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, Habitat, Staycation | Tagged #75daysinlockdown, #shopmyownwardrobe, #stayathome, clothing, DIY, fashion, hashtags, lockdown, lockdown activities, Reuse, Sydney | 1 Comment

Edgelands

Posted on November 18, 2020 by sagesomethymes

I’m on my way to visit my mother but I’m early. I don’t want to interrupt her while she’s watching her favourite soapie, the one I’ve dubbed Italian Doctors in Love, so I decide to take a detour. I get … Continue reading →

Posted in Habitat, My Mother and Me, Spirit of Place, walking | Tagged 1980s, Cowpasture Road, edgelands, flaneur, psychogeography, Sydney walks, The Dairy, urban sprawl, walking, walking Western Sydney, Walks in Sydney, Western Sydney Parklands | Leave a comment

Wildlife Encounters

Posted on January 15, 2020 by sagesomethymes

I was startled by a loud thump, thump, thump. A sound halfway between familiar and threatening. It seemed to be coming from the coastal heath land behind us. We were sitting beside the river at Princetown, a tiny hamlet next … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, Habitat, The Animal Kingdom | Tagged Apollo Bay, Bathurst, bush fires, Coolamon, Cowra, eastern grey kangaroo, Great Ocean Road, jerilderie, Katoomba, koala, Macropus giganteus, Murrumburrah, Narrandera, Otway Range, Penrith 48.9 degrees Celsius, Riverina, Temora, Twelve Apostles, wildlife, Young | Leave a comment

The Rat Before Christmas

Posted on December 18, 2019 by sagesomethymes

A few years ago, when we lived in the art-deco flat in Double Bay, I was woken by a mysterious night visitor. It was the week before Christmas and as I lay in my bed in a state of alarm … Continue reading →

Posted in Habitat, Spirit of Place, The Animal Kingdom | Tagged antechinus, Christmas, felt sculptures, Huntsman, pesticide, rat trap, Rats, rodent, spiders, telepathy, The Night Before Christmas | 1 Comment

Stacks and Snacks

Posted on July 13, 2019 by sagesomethymes

When I was a child I had to go to Italian School every Saturday morning. I hated Italian school. But I loved that afterwards I was allowed to walk to nearby Liverpool Library where my mum would pick me up … Continue reading →

Posted in Habitat, Spirit of Place, Uncategorized, What Are You Reading? | Tagged Alice in Wonderland, bakeries in Katoomba, bakeries in Kiama, Beowulf, books, City of Sydney, Customs House Library, Dewey Decimal System, Doyles on the Beach, Doyles Seafood, Famous Five, Fisher Library, Fisher Library stack, Flambards. K.M. Peyton, great places to visit in your city, Haymarket Library, Katooma Library, Kiama Library, Lane Cove Library, Libraries, Library stack, Literature, Liverpool library, memories, Nancy Drew, New York Public Library, Public libraries, reading, Secret Seven, State Library of New South Wales, staycation Sydney, Surry Hills Library, Sydney University, The Mitchell Library, tourist at home, Trixie Belden, Watsons Bay Library, Woollhara Library | 2 Comments

Lepidoptera

Posted on April 7, 2019 by sagesomethymes

Did you know that a lepidopterist is an entomologist who studies butterflies? But what is someone called who kills butterflies? A little while ago I realised there was a problem with my Lime. It’s three years old and lives in a terracotta … Continue reading →

Posted in Habitat, My Mother and Me, The Animal Kingdom, Writing Nature and Place | Tagged butterflies, caterpillar pests, caterpillars, caterpillars on citrus, citrus, Citrus Swallowtail Buttefly, Citrus swallowtail caterpillar, cocoon, curry tree, dragons, gardening, killing caterpillars, King Aegeus, larvae, Lepidoptera, lepidopterist, lime tree, monsters, Papilio aegeus, pupa, removing caterpillars, silk worms | 1 Comment

Like living on a yacht

Posted on March 30, 2019 by sagesomethymes

The windows of our one bedroom flat open to both the south and north. In the early hours of the morning after a hot summer day I hear the cords rattle against the blinds, like rigging slapping the mast of … Continue reading →

Posted in Habitat, Spirit of Place, Writing Nature and Place | Tagged mounted police, ship's bells, sounds of a suburb, soundscape, train horn, wind, yachts | 2 Comments

Imaginary Good

Posted on January 14, 2019 by sagesomethymes

“Why is it, that doing something, is so much harder than thinking about doing something? This fascinating existential question confronted me recently while I was thinking about my mother’s solar panels. She lives in a suburb where roofs outnumber trees … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, Habitat, My Mother and Me | Tagged climate change, photovoltaic membrane, procrastination, solar array, solar panels, solar power | 1 Comment