Linda Cuttriss is entranced by the magpie show on her back lawn.
 It's just a game for now, practice for when the prize is the prettiest doe in the paddock.
 Oswin Roberts Reserve By Linda Cuttriss
THERE is a little signpost on Rhyll Road, not far from Cowes, that for many years has attracted my eye every time I drive by. The sign says ‘Walking Tracks’ but from local knowledge I know it points to Oswin Roberts Reserve. I've been promising myself to stop one day and explore the world that’s hidden there beyond the little blue sign.  Pandanus trees, bush chooks and paw-paw salad ... Linda Cuttriss finds herself being seduced by the charms of the tropical north all over again.
 For over 150 years, Phillip Island has been a natural haven for weary city folk, writes Linda Cuttriss, but there are dark clouds on the horizon.
 From Phillip Island to Inverloch, from the lowlands to the hills, this is Linda Cuttriss’s country.
 When the gales blow from the Southern Oceans, Linda Cuttriss finds observing her fellow creatures a sure cure for the winter blues.
 When the heat is on, a birdbath is a constant source of entertainment, for animals and humans.
 Soil ‘scratchings’ from shearwater burrow renovations After a rough start this season, Phillip Island’s shearwaters are back in the breeding business.
 Watching an epic battle between a cat and a snake prompted
Linda Cuttriss to think about her own encounters with snakes. |