Ostara 1999 Newsletter Editorial

Hello and welcome to another edition of the NSW Newsletter. This edition is a big one, with the results of the member survey, some environmental updates and other features. Please continue to send your contributions on the topic of reviews, and they will be used in future newsletters. In particular, it would be great if members would share their experiences of going to a gathering for the first time. What did you expect, and what really happened? Are there any suggestions you wold offer members who have not ventured out to a gathering? It would be great to share these initial experiences.

I have been blessed by the visit of a very large number of Kurrawongs in the neighbourhood trees, collecting twigs and small sticks to buld their spring nests. The songs that they make each day at dusk are haunting, and beautiful. They are also violent and noisy as each bird vies for a position in the tree. At work, as I leave each afternoon, the birds are nestling into the trees and calling out to each other.

The jasime vine has sprung into bloom, and I always remember my father saying:

His ending was less traditional than the rhyme usually finishes, but it summed up spring very well in our household.

I have noticed new buds on some of the deciduous trees in my area, though the trees in the backyard are still stuck in the depths of winter until the sun changes his course to a more summer path. The local mulberry trees has startes to bear fruit. There is competition between birds for these tasty fruits when they first start appearing. I love going for walks in the evening around our neighbourhood, stopping off at the various mulberry trees to sample their fruits. It reminds me of when I was young, and we would stop and pick mulberries on our way home - being careful not to get mulberry juice all over our school clothes! Some of the bromeliads are in full bloom in the back garden (Billbergie nutans, Tsdillandsia cynea, Aecmea gamosepala) and there are some that haven't flowered before - an exciting time, as it is possible to wait years to see the infloreseces of some bromeliads.

As the water again begins to warm, the saltwater fish species will start to move into the Sydney region. In winter the fish head north, and catching a feed is difficult. It is a great way of remembering the hardships our ancestors would have gone through in winter.

What's happening in your backyard, on on your balcony this season?

Blessed Be,
Adrianne Harris, NSW co-ordinator.