Tag: gardens

Things That Attract My Eye – Part 26

Featured by communicatingcreatively, posted in Photography

Last weekend, my Wife and I ventured up to an oft visited place, Millthorpe (near Bathurst/Orange) in Central West New South Wales.

We went up to visit our very friends, Diane & David, plus attend the Millthorpe Garden Ramble. Different gardens are on display in different years.

This selection of photos were taken last weekend.

Till next time!

Written & photographed by David Johnson

9 November 2025

Feeling At Ease

by communicatingcreatively, posted in Poetry

Millthorpe Garden Ramble

by communicatingcreatively, posted in Stories From Life

Last weekend, my Wife, Susan and I attend stayed up at Millthorpe, near Bathurst, NSW, Australia and, over two days, had the pleasure of experiencing ten beautiful gardens at the 19th Millthorpe Garden Ramble.

Even though we have been going up to Millthorpe (as a couple) since 1995, this was the first time we had attended this event. We have nearly always been to Millthorpe in the Autumn (Fall)/Winter-time.

Our host’s, Diane and David Dixon, went to school with my Wife and Diane herself has been nurturing a Cottage Garden on their 7 1/2 acres for just on 30 years. Diane has entered her garden in the event once before but wasn’t an entrant this time around. I’ll be doing a separate post on Diane’s garden this month.

The gardens range from small residential backyards to properties with many acres.

I’ve included some images below that depict the type of gardens that we saw. I’ve also taken a lot of reference photos for sketches and paintings.

Till next time!

Written by David Johnson

12 November 2023

Only 100 of these trees exist. Wollomi Pine

Sketching Fun!

by communicatingcreatively, posted in Painting, Stories From Life

Yesterday, my Wife, Susan and I attended an Urban Sketch-meet that was organised by Urban Sketchers Blue Mountains. They were invited to sketch in the Gardens of the Norman Lindsay Gallery.

Norman Lindsay was a famous, prolific, controversial and award-winning Australian Watercolour and Oil Painter, Etcher, award-winning Novelist and a Sculptor. His creativity is on display at the abovementioned gallery which is situated at his former home on 49 acres in Faulconbridge, in the Blue Mountains West of Sydney Australia.

The Urban Sketchers Blue Mountains invited members of Urban Sketchers Sydney up for the morning for approximately 2 hours of sketching.

There were about 30 in attendance and it was a delightful Winter’s day. We were bathed in sunshine and blue skies and it was about 19C/66F. Quite warm for Winter in the Blue Mountains.

It was a wonderful morning of sketching and relaxing. I even took a poetry book with me and spent a short time after sketching just sitting in the Sun reading. It was such a peaceful location.

After the sketch-meet was over, we decided to go on the property tour and were blessed to see the actual studios where Norman Lindsay painted and etched. We then viewed the gallery, which also featured art by Norman’s Brother, Lionel who was also quite talented as well.

On the way home we stopped at The Bunker (cafe/restaurant/bar) in Springwood and also visited the ColourArt Australia Art & Craft store across the road. One cannot pass up an opportunity to venture to an Art store that you haven’t been into before… 🙂 Picked up a couple of things there.

All-in-all it was a beautiful relaxing day in picturesque surroundings.

I have just found out today that the next Urban Sketcher Sydney sketch-meet is early in September at the Sydney Opera House, which is celbrating it’s 50th anniversary this year.

Looking forward to that one.

Till next time, happy sketching and painting!

Written by David Johnson

20 August 2023

For more inforamtion:

https://www.nationaltrust.org.au/places/norman-lindsay-gallery/

https://halloffame.melbournepressclub.com/article/norman-lindsay

For The Love of Cacti & Succulents!

by communicatingcreatively, posted in Stories From Life

I’ve commented a couple of times on this Blog about my love for Cacti and Succulents. It was an interest that started when I was 14 years of age when my Aunt Beryl gave me a Succulent on one of the family visits to our place. It was (as I later found out) from the Euphorbia family.

My original pot.

Over the years my liking for Cacti and Succulents increased to the point where I had a small, shallow pot with about 5-6 small Cacti plants in it. I used to dream of the day when I would have a big garden. That came when I got married and moved onto an acre and a quarter of land. I built a 35square metre garden. All up, I had 120 plants in it and in pots around the yard.

Part of my original 35square metre garden.

Sadly, we don’t live there any more, we moved after 16 years there and are currently on a residential block. What happened to the plants? I brought them all with me didn’t I! They are currently all in pots of various sizes which is not quite the same but it will have to do until we make our next move.

This week, I was accepted as a member into the Cactus and Succulent Society of Australia which is the oldest Cacti Society in Australia. My first meeting (this week) was on Zoom. They usually meet face-to-face in another State (Victoria) but even then have a ‘Zoom-room’ for people that are too far away. There are lots of benefits for being a member of the Society, including a 32 page quarterly magazine which I’m quite looking forward to receiving. They have a Facebook group, library etc so I am looking forward to increasing my knowledge of this wondrous species of flora that captured my imagination at the age of 14, some 44 years ago.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Society, I’ve included some links below to their website and Facebook page and also some other links if you feel you are in any way curious about this species of plant.

Written by David Johnson

30 September 2021

Cactus and Succulent Society of Australia:

Other useful links:

A Well-Worked Canvas

by communicatingcreatively, posted in Poetry

A Well-Worked Canvas1

Cacti and Succulents – A Love That Blossomed!

by communicatingcreatively, posted in Stories From Life

It suddenly occurred to me this weekend whilst visiting the Succulent Garden at the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens again, that I had never written any articles on this Blog in relation to my interests in Succulents.

My interest in Succulents blossomed out of a gift from my Aunt Beryl when I was 14, back in 1977. It was a Euphorbia, which sadly passed on some time ago, not being as hardy as Aunt Beryl who is still going at 92 years of age.

From then on, Succulents were around in one form or another at home. I started to group them together in large, flat pots when I was in my late teens and imagined one day of having a sprawling Cacti and Succulent Garden.

It would be a good time to point out that Cacti are Succulents, but not all Succulents are Cacti – but that is another article for another time. I particular favour Cacti but love all Succulents.

When I married in 1997, we bought a property that was 5,609 square metres (1 1/4 acres) about 100km (62 miles)  South West of Sydney, Australia.

I ended up with a 35 square metre (42 square yard) Cacti & Succulent Garden with up to 120 plants in it. It was a labour of love to construct and I tinkered with it over the 16 years we lived there.

Currently, I have approx. 80-100 plants which are currently in pots, where we currently reside. When we buy our next place, I feel sure that David’s Cacti and Succulent Garden 2.0 will become a reality and I am surely looking forward to that!

Written by David Johnson
16 September 2018