Once upon a time

Once upon a time, in a land far far away, I lived in the suburbs of Canberra - in Weston to be precise. Hilder Street. (BTW all the streets in Weston were named after artists). Right next to our front door my father had planted a magnolia. Each year I would wait for it to bloom - a harbinger of warmer weather. For a few days it was magnificent, and then the spring winds off the snowy Brindabellas would arrive, and the magnolia blossoms would scatter. I loved that bush. I wonder if the people who live there now still have it, or if they dug it up and replaced it ...

Today I caught the tram from Namesti Miru and there, just in front of the building which houses the school where I work, were some magnificent magnolias in full bloom. I don't know how long they will last, but I doubt it will be for as long as my memories of my former home in Weston.