Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) in Geelong. Photograph: National Trust

No, this isn’t a sarcastic, political post — it’s true. Here in Victoria (my state), we’re regularly asked to vote for a tree, as well as a bird and other things. 

The National Trust of Victoria began asking people to vote for a tree back in 2016, in an effort to to raise awareness about trees around Victoria and advocate for their protection by celebrating significant trees. It’s a nice idea, I think. Too many grand old trees get knocked down in the name of “progress” and this is one way of protecting them. You can see the list here.

To be eligible, the trees must be listed on the National Trust significant tree register, which it recognises up to 10,000 important trees in Victoria for their cultural, scientific, and historic value. Each year people nominate their favorite tree and a short list is drawn up. Then we’re asked to vote. It’s purely voluntary, and I think it’s also a bit of fun, scrolling through the list and deciding which tree to vote for.

Normally I’d vote for a native tree, but this year I’m going for this magnificent ginkgo tree. This particular tree was planted in the Geelong Botanic Gardens in 1859, and is more than 167 years old.  Another name for the ginkgo tree is the “maidenhair” tree, and that’s because the leaves look exactly like maidenhair ferns, only bigger, and in autumn they’re pure, brilliant gold.

Do you know the ginkgo tree? I first saw some many years in a beautiful old garden (The Alfred Nicholas Memorial Garden) in the Dandenong Ranges, about an hour from Melbourne. 

Actually, it was a grove of ginkgoes planted around a small lake, and I was there in autumn and the leaves were gloriously golden. The fallen leaves were scattered on the little lake like floating golden coins. It was a breathtaking sight and I’ve never forgotten it. 

Autumn ginkgo trees at the Alfred Nicholas Gardens. (From Shutterstock)

The Alfred Nicholas Memorial Garden is a beautiful garden to visit at any time of the year, but my favorite times are autumn and spring, when blossoms and flowers are everywhere.

Do you have a favorite tree? Or a favorite garden to visit?

We’re still in winter here in Melbourne, but in the last week my neighbor’s jasmine has begun to flower.

I love fragrant flowers and jasmine is one of my favorites, so I picked a few sprigs and popped them in a vase in my bedroom.

And every time I walk in, I can smell the jasmine and it always makes me smile, knowing sprintgime is coming.

I love the changing of the seasons. I’ve never wanted to live in the tropics, where they usually have only two seasons — wet and dry. I don’t care how gloomy and cold and wet it gets here in winter, I know it will eventually change.

And it is. The change has started.

Do you have a favorite sign of the changing seasons? What’s happening in your neck of the woods?

Some of my friends who braved the chilly morning.

On the weekend I met some of my school friends group for breakfast. Breakfast wasn’t our first choice — the restaurant couldn’t fit us in for lunch — but even those who had to drive for two hours managed to get there.

It was a very chilly morning, and we knew our table was outside overlooking the Yarra River (Melbourne’s main river) so, since autumn has well and truly begun here, we arrived in warm coats, hats and scarves.  Nadija, being of Ukrainian descent outdid us all in the hat department by wearing a dashing fur hat. (That’s me in the blue one.)

The view from our table

And it was cold, but the situation was lovely, overlooking the river, watching geese and ducks swimming, and other birds flitting around. And a few brave souls hired boats and rowed on the river. This part of the river is after the falls, so they were leisure boats, not the competitive rowing ones you often see practising and competing  on the part of the Yarra that’s right in the city.

That part of the river (Studley Park) is also set in bushland, so it was beautiful as well as peaceful.

And yes, if you’ve read my book, The Rake’s Daughter and the ones following,  you’ll probably recognise the name “Studley Park.”  I pinched it for my heroines’ former home and horrid rakish father. I chose it for the “stud” in the name, but didn’t end up using a line about “stud by name, stud by nature” that was the nasty rake’s  boast.

Boating on the Yarra

At least I don’t think I used it.  So much of a book gets written and later taken out, then put in somewhere else, and taken out again that it’s easy to lose track. (And by the way all this taking out etc. is of my own volition, not at any editor’s suggestion. It’s just a normal part of my writing process.)

Anyway, it was lovely catching up with my friends in such a beautiful spot. Sadly the food wasn’t up to much, but the company and beautiful location made it all worth it.

After breakfast we went for a short walk, which was lovely, and did a bit of people-watching on the way. T-here were dog-walkers, families having a barbecue, joggers, kids playing, bike-riders and others just wandering happily like ourselves.

Looking towards the footbridge