A whimsical journey through gardens and life by a sociologist.

“It is spring in Melbourne and I am not there. I had a taste for it before I left for India. The japonica was flowering and there was a sprinkling of blossom on the plum trees and wild prunus. I wonder if the lilac has bloomed and finished. It is now nearly the end of September. Did the poppies bloom? And the wild azalea? Have the forget-me-nots and the borage covered the garden? Have the roses at Ivanhoe survived the lack of care? What about the persimmon? Are the hollyhocks good this year?”

Illustrated by: Ann Cunningham