By David Thurley
The Roman philosopher Cicero once said “If you have a library and a garden you have everything you need.”
Gardens mean so many things to different people and that may vary from time to time. Our native garden changes with the seasons as the various native trees and bushes flower and grow. Now after a long cool winter he fruit trees have finished giving their bounty of lemons, limes and oranges and the vegetable garden is starting to burst into life with the extra sunshine and increasing daytime temperatures. The native plants are starting to come into blossom and that is particularly so with the callistemons.
In these Covid times with our movements restricted, the garden is a safe haven to sit and relax away from the endless barrage of concerning news about infection numbers and contact sites. One can sit in the quiet privacy of the garden screened from neighbours by trees and bushes of various shapes, colours and textures. The gentle sound of the wind moving the leaves and the smells helps us to relax and the warmer weather encourages us to sit for longer and surrounded by the sounds and smells of nature.
But the one thing that continues to fascinate is the bird life. From early morning when we are woken by the sound of Red Wattle Birds feeding in the Silver Princess trees at the front of the house to the various birds that visit or are resident. And this year we are especially luck to have a family of Magpie Larks raise a brood of chicks in our garden. It is so beautiful to relax and watch the parents feed the fledglings and watch them as they try out their wings. Each day they grow bigger and become more adventurous and increase the distance they fly.
