So, as in each time he leaves, we busied ourselves with ideas about how to spend the morning. I wanted to get out and do something different that the children would enjoy. It was due to be a hot day here today so I was also mindful about getting out early to avoid the midday sun.
Nutcote, the home of the late May Gibbs' home was open to the public (as it always is) but this time for the Open Garden Scheme. Nestled in Neutral Bay in Sydney, Nutcote is a beautiful home, in particular, the gardens, where you can imagine May gained her inspiration.
We packed morning tea, though we needn't as the cafe served scrumptious scones with jam and fresh cream. Two was not enough! (There I go - on about food as usual!)
I was most surprised to learn that May Gibbs was somewhat of a feminist. Her husband had a smaller room than she, and a decidedly smaller bed. She had the largest bedroom in the house (with the best view) and was the main bread winner of the family.
Or guide commented that at the time of her publications she drew an eighth of the wage than that of Jimmy Bancks (creator of Ginger Meggs) purely because she was female.
The gardens are particularly beautiful at the moment. The roses are out and they have the most magnificent scent- like a old rose. And some of them date back to the early 1900's! One banksia, right down on the harbour and just beyond May's boundary fence, was planted circa 1850.
When I am down by the harbour I often wonder what it may have been like before Europeans arrived. Imagine: the harbour, with all the beauty she has today... but without the noise of traffic, the buildings- the bush, the smell and the wildlife. I wonder how May would have painted had she been alive in those days.
Still, we had a beautiful morning, we will visit again and I am ever appreciative for these little glimpses that, while we do live in a huge city, there is magic at our doorstep. As they say... you just have to know where to find it!
(Excuse the iphone pics)
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