IN THE SUMMERTIME

SUMMER IS HERALDED by the arrival of the black cockatoos. They appear like clockwork in the sky, usually in pairs or small flocks, in search of ripe pine cones to feast on. Their call is one of the sounds that dominate the garden during the warmer months, along with the constant hum of the cicadas high in the trees and the disruptive sound of the hedge trimmers trying to keep up with the summer growth.

THE EARLY MORNING WALK

“We leave the main garden and then decide whether we should walk