Trisha Haddock

Portraits of Significant Urban Trees by Artist Fran Lee

Hatch is an Art Gallery in Ivanhoe and I stepped into it finding a magnificent art exhibition about historic trees growing in the area of Banyule. As I admired each painting, I felt as if I met all of the six significant trees personally. A map has been drawn to show you where these trees ...

Trisha Haddock

Taste Makinohara Tea, the Finest Tea in Japan

The town of Makinohara is recognized as Japan’s greatest area for tea cultivation. Makinohara tea is considered the finest tea in Japan. The abundance of tea plantations that border the highways and fill the region make it possible to smell the fragrance of tea in the air. Makinohara is a great place for tea production ...

Trisha Haddock

Make the Connection to East Gippsland’s Ancient Forests

The only area on mainland Australia that has preserved the richest biodiversity of continuous forests, untouched since the Ice Age, is in East Gippsland. The area of East Gippsland is 12,560 square miles and is mostly forests filled with mountain ecosystems that continue without interruption to the coastal edge. According to Elfie, a local tour ...

Trisha Haddock

A forest in East Gippsland.

Have a Happy Holiday at the Kyneton Bushland Resort!

Our view of the Kyneton Bushland Resort was of rolling hills and a lush green countryside with autumn leaf colors that appeared repeatedly. Kyneton is an Australian town situated in the Macedon Range of the state of Victoria. Entering the Kyneton Bushland Resort, we couldn’t wait to explore the natural bushland. Native animals live in the ...

Trisha Haddock

The 2018 Belgrave Lantern Parade

One of Australia’s most famous mountain ranges is the Dandenong, which is situated in Victoria and only a short drive from the city of Melbourne. Many people from the Dandenong communities came together in Belgrave on June 23 for the annual Lantern Parade. There are many small towns scattered around these mountains. They are Belgrave, Cockatoo, ...

Trisha Haddock

Magical Blue Tea!

Introducing the magical Butterfly Pea Blue Tea. Put a scoop of this tea into a teapot or cup and when you pour in the hot water, it transforms into an electric blue color. It is sure to bring a smile to your face. You’ll like the tea before you even taste it! Now for the ...

Trisha Haddock

The First Mother’s Day

There is one special day of the year we all need to remember, and that is Mother’s Day.  Our mothers are treasures, and it’s important to have a day to acknowledge them and all the good that they do for us. Inspired by her own mother, the first Mother’s Day was created by Anna Jarvis in ...

Trisha Haddock

ANZAC Day in Melbourne

April 25 is ANZAC Day in Australia. ANZAC stands for Australia New Zealand Army Corps. War was declared between England and Germany on August 4, 1914. When World War I started, Australia promised 20,000 men to aid England. At the time, Australia’s opposition leader Andrew Fisher announced that: “Our last man and our last shilling in any ...

Trisha Haddock

Book Review: ‘Miss Lily’s Lovely Ladies’

Miss Lily’s Lovely Ladies is a story based on true historical facts from 1902 to the end of  World War I in 1918. The author, Jackie French, felt inspired to write this book after reading a letter she came across while doing research for another book — A Rose For The Anzac Boys. The letter was by ...

Trisha Haddock

300 Million Quit the Chinese Communist Party and Affiliated Organizations

Tuidang is a Chinese word meaning withdraw. For the Chinese people, the Tuidang movement means to remove themselves from any affiliation with the Chinese Communist Party. This movement has gained momentum in recent years, especially among China’s youth, as 300 million people have quit the Chinese communist Party. Since 1949, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has used ...

Trisha Haddock