Building, renovating? There is so much to think about! This week we talk with Dr Jane Aiken, a local land consultant with Consulting and Environment Services (CESsoils). We discover why soil is foundational to getting your build ‘right’ and learn how to avoid some of the ‘traps’ for the unaware.

This week, Tracie McMahon takes a walk with author John Low, a former Blue Mountains City Council Librarian, and now Portland resident, around the Millpond at The Foundations, Portland.

I find myself feeling nostalgic when I think of the corner stores I grew up with. The ones I knew as a child have long-since vanished, but that nostalgia was delightfully triggered last week when I popped by to check out ‘Molly’, a vintage style van that’s just started serving coffee, drinks, snacks and homemade light meals from 71 Evans Lookout Rd Blackheath.

Cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead once famously said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

‘Too beautiful for the tip,’ the ad said. A story of how an old piano found new life, and how its new family discovered its superpower of connecting people.

Tracie McMahon shares her experience as a Bushcare volunteer with Remote Bushcare programs run by Blue Mountains City Council and by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

They are furry, silent, super cute and have been likened to a gliding koala. However recent bushfires, heatwaves and extreme drought have led to Greater Gliders being listed as Endangered. What does the future hold for Blue Mountains Greater Gliders?

A home among the gum trees is a dream for many of us. But turning that dream into a reality in one of the most bushfire-prone regions in the country can be tricky. Architect Nigel Bell helps us navigate the fundamentals of building or renovating for bushfire resilience.

Nurtured by the bushland around his studio and the storytelling of past cultures, Jonathan Drew recovered from depression and became an oral storyteller. He believes these stories provide clues to living a good life in harmony with the natural world.

On my visits to the Central Mountains Men's Shed in Lawson, two things stood out to me: here were a group of men who gained skills, fulfilment and pride from their work at the Shed, and here were a group of men with strong bonds and friendship.