Stop and Smell the Roses

As many of you know I'm a real home-body. I love being in my home - especially alone. I love the peace and quiet and rarely even turn on any music at all.

I still love being inside my 'new home' but there's something special about being outside in a new place and just . . . discovering. When I walk the kids to school it's usually along the same route every time (there are a couple of slight variations but basically the same streets). Each time I discover something new along the way and most often it's a plant or tree. Of course it's spring here now and so many plants are just coming into bloom. One of the first flowering plants I noticed when we arrived in Australia a month ago, was a lilac. Now, I love lilacs. They are my absolute favourite flower. I love the way they look and I love their smell. I could fill my house with lilacs and not get tired of the smell. Sadly, their bloom time is really short - typically lasting no more than a couple to three weeks. So when I saw lilacs here I was overjoyed to have lilacs for the second time in a year! There doesn't seem to be any on our property here but I've seen plenty in the neighbourhood.

The gardens here are so prolific and varied. It's nice to see so many plants that I recognize; hydrangea, cala lilies, tulips, daffodils, dianthus, iris', columbine, azaleas, fuschias, rhododendrons, alstromeria and dozens more. There's also some very beautiful plants that I've never seen and will hopefully learn the names of eventually.

But the roses . . . they are everywhere. They seem to be one of the most popular plants, or maybe they just grow extremely well. They abound. And the colours are amazing; crisp whites, soft yellows, deep, rich reds, delicate pinks and mauves and peachy tones. Some are huge blossoms - bigger than my hand. Some are miniatures. I've seen tall rosebushes, small rosebushes, climbing roses and even a hedge of roses.

And they smell . . . heavenly. The scent is everywhere as we walk down the street and sometimes, when we're not too rushed, they beckon with their velvety petals and we just have to stop - and smell the roses.