Dear Ciara
Dear Ciara
The Gardener
You can call me The Gardener. I write from the thick humidity of Tropical Queensland, where the air sticks to your skin and the mangoes fall with a thud. This blog is a collection of letters I'm sending—right now—to a friend in Greater Sydney. They’re full of musings on gardening, books, songs, and the odd confession I probably shouldn’t be putting in writing. I’m sharing them here in case they strike a chord, plant a seed, or simply keep you company for a few minutes. Either way, I hope you find something in them to enjoy.
Latest Posts
Dear Ciara, The garden beds are built, the seedlings are growing, but they’re still not large enough to be transplanted. I’m hoping another next week is all that is needed, provided the weather behaves itself and I keep on top of...
Dear Ciara, It has been some time since I’ve written. I took the holidays to actually rejuvenate, to realign myself, and honestly—I’m feeling refreshed for the first time in a long time. The move was exhausting, and I felt all the...
Dear Ciara, The rains have finally begun to reduce in frequency now that Cyclone Narelle has passed by. Yesterday, I even caught a glimpse of blue sky between the clouds. It won’t be long until the wet season begins to dissolve into the...
Dear Ciara, There is a single name on everyone’s lips this morning: Narelle. Cyclone Narelle made landfall overnight, bringing with her devastating winds and the most torrential rain. We are lucky—we are far enough south that we are...
Dear Ciara, The first few weeks in the new house are over. It has been a wet few weeks, and a surprisingly emotional few weeks for me too. This transition into home ownership—and this change in scenery— has been challenging. I admit, I...
Dear Ciara, It’s fitting that our time at the Cutler house began with rain—heavy, pelting rain—and now ends with it. Outspread on the couch, I watch the droplets fall as the removal truck arrives. I think of my landlord upstairs,...
Dear Ciara, There is a sun shower. Through the window at work, I watch the individual droplets catch and refract the light. I love the colours, the little sparkles of blue and pink. And now—a rainbow. I see it above the building, cutting...
Dear Ciara, We bought a house! After a good 12—18 months of searching, numerous offers, a couple of auctions, and even tears, we have finally scored our own place. This is the news I’ve been dying to tell you. While I am nervous for the...
Dear Ciara, There is change on the horizon. I’m not going to say anything about it yet, mostly in fear of jinxing things, but this change will likely have a significant impact on my future. While it is a positive change, there’s so much...
Dear Ciara, Most days, whether I am at work or just wandering around my community, my vision is inundated with birds: peaceful doves, Torresian pigeons, sparrows, finches and munias, red-tailed black cockatoos, cuckooshrikes, lorikeets...
Dear Ciara, Well, I’m home. After four weeks down south, soaking up the temperate blue and spending days exploring rockpools, I have returned to Tropical Queensland. It is good to be home again, to feel the sweat drip down my forehead...
Dear Ciara, Work for the year is almost done. I won’t lie, it’s been a tense last few weeks—both professionally and personally—but there are friarbirds chirruping on the telephone wires this morning and I trust that everything will work...
Dear Ciara, I’ve spent the last couple of weeks patiently sitting in my garden, mostly beneath the lemon tree, waiting for birds to arrive. Birdwatching, it seems, requires significance patience. Some birds have finally begun to use the...