Friends of Mt Leura had an excursion day to Pallister’s Reserve and even though it rained for three quarters of the trip there, the sky cleared enough for a couple of very nice walks around the reserve. Having not been there for over a decade myself, the surroundings of impenetrable bluegum forests was starling and jarring, not to mention water table depleting. I spent most of the walk time obsessing over the volumes of leeches and high pitch screaming as they found their way up my boots.