Spring Time In Australia [2021] Page

Later, as dusk settled—a long, golden dusk that didn’t belong to any other season—Maggie and Lila sat on the veranda. The last of the kangaroos were hopping back into the bush, their joeys’ heads poking out of pouches. The air was cool again, but not cold. It was the cool of a perfect, forgiving evening.

But spring in Australia also has a temper. One afternoon, the air went still. The cockatoos fell silent, then screamed and flew in a panicked white cloud towards the mountains. The sky turned the colour of a bad bruise. A southerly buster roared up from the Snowy Mountains, bringing a hailstorm that sounded like someone was throwing handfuls of gravel at the corrugated iron roof. Lila hid under the kitchen table, but Maggie just poured herself another tea. spring time in australia

“Right then,” she said to her old kelpie, Blue. “Time to wake up.” Later, as dusk settled—a long, golden dusk that

“That’s the smell of new things,” Maggie said. “In Australia, we don’t get a gentle spring. We get a sprint. Everything has to happen fast—the flowers, the storms, the baby animals. Because summer is just around the corner, and it’s a beast. So we enjoy this while we can.” It was the cool of a perfect, forgiving evening

“It smells like flowers and dirt and rain,” Lila said quietly, hugging her knees.

“I like the sprint,” Lila said.

“That’s a good thing, love,” Maggie laughed. “Without them, no apples. No plums. No honey on your toast.”