Being alive

My first Airbnb experience was wonderful. The air fare to Perth was so attractive that I had to find something worthwhile to do there. Googling images of Perth in spring gave rise to the purpose of seeing wild flowers. Indeed the pictures of bright yellow Canola fields and the wild flowers along walking tracks provided tips on the destinations I should be heading for.

So I chose an accommodation in Kalamunda (an hour from Perth) which was near the start of a hiking track and also not too far from the town called York which is in the vicinity of Canola fields amongst other farms. Kalamunda itself is a wooded hilly region which one can see from Perth city in the horizon.

Little did I know I was checking into a mini botanical garden nurtured by an elderly couple. The room with an ensuite living area was on the second floor with a separate entrance from the main entrance. As the house was perched on a hill slope, the window views look directly into the tree tops giving one the feeling of staying in a tree house. What is most remarkable however is the great variety of trees, plants and flowers that the couple so painstakingly cultivated. There was a prune tree in full bloom which looks like cherry blossom and we could help ourselves to the lemons from the lemon tree. A great number of the species we subsequently spotted during our short hike and in Perth's King's park can be found in the hosts' garden. In fact they even have some rather unique plants. Kangaroos were hopping outside the fence and you can actually see very colourful birds perching on the trees from the bedroom window.

Before I am too carried away by the premise I must rave about the  hosts. They are probably in their late sixties or early seventies but what strikes me is their full commitment and zest in tending their plot of land. The irrigation system, the nursery patches, the compost yard, the protected seedlings in little cages, various types of enclosure, the wild flowers and trees that blend into the surroundings and various gardening tools bear traces of the effort and energy they have put in. Their eyes light up when they speak about their plants. At any time be it in the morning, afternoon or evening they are somewhere outside the house in boots, dirty gloves and pants. I find them very inspiring in that there have found a purpose to indulge in which keeps their retirement living alive. Yes 'alive' is the right word. Though they are a quiet couple they really look alive. Right, we are talking about a passion again and it does not have to be anything sophisticated.

"And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years"