Backyard Wilderness

I share my cozy corner with a number of others, they're mostly quiet although sometimes they get too noisy, particularly the heavy caws of the crows and the unremitting gurgles of the pigeons that have found a food source now the city areas are quiet. The cozy corner is many things: a place to relax, to write, to dream, to exercise, to observe, to re-wild but also a place of the mundane – the washing line stands front and centre, reminding always of the never ending drudgery of housework.

My cozy corner reflects my love of interesting things and old things, things with their own histories and stories that I don’t share. On a table made from an old ramp and recycled legs (salvaged from someone else’s rubbish thanks to the local tip shop), sits an array of succulents in cups, mugs, bowls and even a gravy boat. Two porcelain bathroom sinks create a zen inspired space – jade plants and red and green coloured stones. The bathroom sinks were another bargain buy from the tip shop – five bucks for massive porcelain pots large enough to be gardens in their own right.

It is a place of peace but also of hard work. When the summer downpours hit it, the grass grows knee high overnight blossoming into a wondrous meadow of yellow dandelions. The birds love this growth and the soft earth the rain creates, crows, magpies, peewits and ibis seek meals amongst the leaves. It saddens me when I take the lawnmower to the meadow but for the sake of neighbourly good harmony and suburban living, I must remove my bright spots of wilderness. The wild meadow garden gets replaced with lawn and the beauty replaced with a red sweaty mess cursing the humidity of living in south east Queensland.

This natural cozy corner is full of writing inspiration from imagining the conversations of the crows to ideas for blogs about perseverance and the courage to continue, that idea came from the magnolia flower on a bush I thought wasn’t going to make it. It also encourages self-growth as I watch the plants change over the seasons and see the frangipani flowers return, the regeneration of nature reminds me that with time and care, our souls can re-generate. I find wonder in each new bloom, the pupping of bromeliads and rhoeos, the cycle of nature is consistent and reassuring, logical in an increasing illogical world.

My cozy corner also serves as place for me to indulge my history lover side. I love being in places where I can think about the stories that have come before me. The gum tree by the fence knew this land when it was bush, before the main road came charging through the scrub, before the time people claimed ownership; a time when kangaroos and koalas roamed, a time when the land was shared and precious. The gum watches over me hunched over the keyboard, trying to find the right words to encourage businesses to improve their sustainability efforts, to return to a time when the land was shared, respected and precious. The wind makes the tree look like it is nodding sagely at my ideas and my hopes.

At night the cozy corner becomes mysterious, the noise of the bird calls stops and the screeching of the fruit bats becomes the dominant sound in the landscape marginally beating the screeching tyres from car drivers perfecting donuts. I let my cozy corner recharge at night and let myself recharge with a good book, a comfy armchair and a reading light. In the words of Cicero “if you have a garden and a library you have everything you need.”