If you would like to form a cryptic crossword group and learn how to master the clues, give Margaret Murray a call on 8985 5804.

And, if you're interested in Spanish conversation, or taking part in basic Spanish language sessions, call Lorna on 8948 0411.

Also, our regular Monday mah-jong sessions now include other board and card games – bring along your favourites.

George Woodroffe Goyder was South Australia's Surveyor-General who was responsible for the siting, planning and early development of Darwin, then known as Palmerston. The National Trust is staging a re-enactment of the 1869 arrival of Goyder's team at 4.30pm on 5 February, next to the Deck Chair Cinema. There will also be informative displays, other activities and entertainment from the Moonta revellers.

Part Thirteen: Finale - almost

The continuation of last year's episodic narrative with my observations of flora and fauna (especially the bird life) in a, to me, completely new location and setting, is now nearly at a close, but I do have one or two interesting things to tell you before I leave this space to other contributors.

I am writing this in mid-January and the pre-monsoon season (October to December) of Gunumeleng has passed with barely a whimper. This present season of Gudjewg (December to March) is the time when waterfalls thunder with extra water, creeks and rivers flow profusely breathing life into our ecosystem, and the landscape is inundated with water, attracting all sorts of wildlife to plentiful food provided by the rejuvenating monsoonal rainfall.

Alas, the few random electric storms that we have had do not a 'Wet Season' make, and I still have my nightly automatic sprinkler operating, just waiting for the delayed monsoon rains to begin!

During the dry season, in anticipation of the coming big 'WET', I dug a branched drain at the bottom of my garden (where, in the previous wet season, I had a large lake) to imitate a small creek and to divert the excess water beyond my fence. This small creek was then lined with stones, had a wooden bridge placed picturesquely placed across it, had suitable reedy-type plants lining the banks, and even had a 40cm-long crocodile take up residence just to complete an authentic Territory setting.

So far, it has made a SPECTACULAR DRY RIVERBED: quelle mise en scene! Where IS the rain?

A strategically placed fallen 'log' provides a high, safe route across the creek for the tata lizards who seem to prefer the 'log' rather than use the bridge. Perhaps this is just to avoid the toll-collecting troll (statue) that sits at one end of the bridge, glowering at the riff-raff wanting to go across for free!

Sometimes in the early morning, a tata lizard pauses in a shaft of sunlight, the white stripe down his neck oozing aggression when he is disturbed from his sunbaking-cum-fly catching readiness. He then quickly waves 'ta-ta' with his front leg, and is gone in a flash back to his secret hideout in amongst the new fast-growing greenery.

One interesting event that occurred during our wonderfully cool dry season, was the two or three foggy mornings we experienced. Trees and bushes loomed out of the mist at about waist height, rising from a layer of white, drifting cloud. As the sun rose higher and dispersed this floating ground cloud, it revealed the delicate, lacy, dew-drop encrusted webs of myriads of tiny trap-door spiders, dotted all over the lawn. These webs were virtually unnoticeable until the rising sun highlighted the sprinkled, jewelled droplets, turning the lawn into a carpet of seemingly fragile gossamer threads. This phenomenon relies on the occasional cool misty mornings during the dry season, and is a relatively rare sight in the tropics.

Next month: Finale – part two.

Our Christmas lunch will be held on 29 November at Kantilla's Function Room in Marrara stadium. You'll find the reservation form on page 2. Attached to this Newsletter is a booklet of Raffle Tickets. The sale of these tickets helps boost U3A funds which are used to subsidise our various activities such as the 'fifth Thursday' outings and, of course, the Christmas lunch.

There will be five draws at the lunch, and each winner will receive $50, and there will also be a door prize. Each booklet of five tickets costs just $10. Please let Teresa Lugg have the counterfoils – with the names of ticket purchasers on them – together with payment - by 22 November.

If you do not wish to purchase tickets, it would be appreciated if you could return the booklets to Teresa as quickly as possible so that they may be re-allocated.

Changes to postal charges came into force at the end of October. The domestic and international rates for standard letters and postcards remain unchanged, but the weight categories for some other items have been modified, and the cost of sending a greetings card to most international destinations has risen to $1.65.

The reduced-rate Christmas stamps which are issued on 1 November may be used until the end of the year.

A new play, Marbles, written by local playwright, Kate Wyvill is being staged on several dates in the second half of November at Brown's Mart Theatre. The play explores the impact of Alzheimer's on a family and how they deal with it. The play is funny and thought provoking, and is performed by Darwin's most respected professional actors led by our ex-Administrator, Tom Pauling.

U3A Members can benefit from a special half-price ticket of $15 for the matinee performances at 10am on 20 and 22 November. For further details call 8981 5522.

This year Judith Cooper will be running our annual sweep on the day of the Melbourne Cup, 6 November. Raid your wardrobe and wear a hat to get into the spirit of the occasion.

Rights on Show provides a forum for Territory artists to exhibit works with a human rights focus; this year's particular theme is Sustainable Energy for All. The exhibition, which will be held in the foyer of the NT Supreme Court, opens with an awards presentation at 5.30pm on 6 December, and runs until 21 December.

The Chief Minister will be launching Speak for Yourself at 5pm on 30 October in the NT Library at Parliament House. The book, by Professor Clare Martin and Dr Mickey Dewar, gives the eight Chief Ministers of the Northern Territory the opportunity to reflect on what it means to be a Chief Minister of a Territory, rather than the Premier of a state.

The work brings together for the first time the stories of the key players in the history of the Northern Territory and the federal moves that challenged its independence and authority. This is a free event open to the public, but bookings are preferred: call 1800 019 155.

McMillans Road was named for the McMillan family who came to Darwin in 1916, and eventually owned some 16,000 acres of land in the McMillans Road/Lee Point Road area. As part of the National Trust's 2012 Speakers' Program, Rosemary Chalmers will be telling the story of the family at 5.30pm on 26 October at Burnett House, Larrakeyah. For further information call 8999 1260 (office hours) or 8985 1983 (ah).

Darwin photographer George Georgios has an exhibition of his works, East-West, on display until 17 December at Gallery 21 in Smith Street Mall. The photographs, taken during trips to China, the US and Canada, include views of Grand Central Station, cramped apartment blocks in Hong Kong and Beijing's Forbidden City.

Part Twelve: White, Black and the In-between

During September/October a number of native trees produce their flowers, fruit and seeds which are intended to germinate in the coming wet season. But these tasty titbits are very attractive to the nut-cracking black cockatoo, and recently we have had several visits from these strident birds who drop clumsily onto the top branches of the eucalypt close by my back fence.

Usually in a collective of four or more, these flashy birds announce their arrival in a brash, rowdy way but they do create a colourful diversion during their brief feeding sojourn. They even manage to dislodge the sea-eagle from his customary speculative perch. As they pick the seeds and flowers from the branches, discarding the unwanted bits in a constant shower, woe betide anyone walking under the tree as they toss the detritus willy-nilly over their shoulder!

We occasionally get the odd one or two sulphur-crested cockatoos who will boldly sit totally unafraid on a lower branch or fence rail and screech mercilessly, demanding attention. At this time of the year these birds are searching for the (so named) Cocky Apple tree, to devour the tasty fruit which forms at the base of the flower. Small Blossom Bats and moths gorge on the nectar at night, leaving the flower to drop off and expose the newly forming fruit which the cockatoos love so much.

Regular visitors to my backyard are the black and white peewees, aka peewits, magpie larks, Australian mud larks. These cheeky birds, mostly in pairs but sometimes in family groups, take great delight in "dive bombing" pedestrians as they sashay with their ageing, on the leash mutts, along the back pathway. These "bombing" attacks often happen during the "build-up" months (a number of humans have been known to lose it at this time too!) as the peewees are generally protecting their mud nests.

The name peewee comes from the sound of their call and the song is often sung together by the mated pair – they also mimic phone and bell rings. Peewees survive by being noisily alert at all times and are quick to take flight if disturbed.

A family of peewees consisting of mum, dad and fledgling son (males have white eyebrows) help to keep my garden free of insects and are also quite partial to a bit of finely diced cheese. The youngster behaves like a demanding human 2-year old, hissing loudly to remind his parents to put food in his mouth as they diligently comb my lawn and plants for anything edible. One lone adult peewee (seeking a mate?) has taken a liking to the passenger side mirror of my car and is unrelenting in his posturing and antics to attract that perfect reflection of himself out of the mirror and into the real world. Or is he just attacking a would-be rival? Who knows?

Peewees construct a mud nest either on an open branch or in the fork of a tree but are really a bit of an enigma, as they are neither magpies nor (mud) larks who build twig nests. Also, unlike those two, peewee chicks are born covered in a soft, gray down, whereas the other two are hatched totally naked. The peewee, which is spread throughout Australia, is now thought to be more closely related to flycatchers and could well have an official name change in the future. But they will always be peewees to me!