Backyard of a former generation

Cara's grandfather is in the process of moving house.

It's no small deal to move when you're 82 years of age.

There's been a lot of work to get the house and yard ready for sale - most of it carried out by Cara's mum and other members of the family.

We were over there today, and at the end of the day I was looking around the yard at the trees. There were at least eight mature trees in this small suburban backyard.

What a stunning contrast this is to what we normally see in a modern backyard. What is the modern home in the outer suburbs of Sydney if it's not a quarter acre of buffalo grass and concrete?

There's simply no substitute for a yard with well-placed mature trees in it. Certainly, you can't imitate the effect in the short term. It involves a clear vision of what a small sapling might become. And a long wait.

In an age of impatience many of us, it seems, are more easily placated by a weekend garden makeover and an instant backyard. A previous generation saw it a little differently.

Of course, many of our parents also remember growing up with a chook pen, a vegetable garden and a lemon or olive tree in the yard as well.

In other news, I've started a new Wordpress blog which will focus around some different themes to this one. Don't worry, it won't be a daily blog; my family would like to socialise with me occasionally.