The Passage of Bees - Paperback

by Michele Fermanis-Winward (Author)

This collection is a meditation on the garden that is my woodland sanctuary at the top of the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. Perched on the side of a ridge, it is sheltered by tall silver-top eucalypts with their rough grey bark. Each year, the number of insects, birds, reptiles and other animals declines, prey to loss of habitat and hard seasons.

In the south. the place of my birth, Melbourne's St Kilda by the bay holds inspiration of another kind. Here, I beachcomb, explore inner city lanes and markets, observe how we rub and fret against each other, the sharing, care and conflict that is part of community. The life unseen, of rodents and foxes, the introduced and native species continues around me.

Port Macquarie is my soul country, the ocean beaches, where for a few weeks each year I wander rocky headlands and spot dolphins and whales, watch pelicans, herons and brush turkeys.

These three places are my heartlands.