Summer Reading Comp Winner
Congratulations to Maryanne Alderson of Trentham in Victoria. Maryanne is in for a real treat as Ma Folie Francaise sets her dreaming of a romantic and eventful life in provincial France. Thank you to everyone who entered – Marisa and I had fun reading through your delightful submissions. A very big thank you too for all the very generous comments you made about The Countryphiles and Marisa’s wonderful books. Marisa passes this note on to you all:
“I was so thrilled to read your lovely entries and to know that my dream and eventual “folly” in France was so inspiring to you all. I wish our lovely winner, Maryanne, a happy journey through the pages and that maybe, one day, her dream of living in beautiful rural France may come true, just like it did for me! Bon Voyage!” - Marisa Raoul
Summer School for Gardeners
While The Countryphiles officially returns next Friday, we wanted to make special mention of Open Gardens Australia‘s Summer School for Gardeners. ‘Keeping Gardening Down to Earth” is a 3-day seminar and hands-on workshop series jam-packed with expert speakers and specialised active sessions that include topics such as composting, propagating, espeliering and unusual edibles and “explores why we love gardens and gardening, how we create our gardens and the legacy of ours and others’ creations”.
Open Gardens Australia is a not-for-profit organisation that relies on the generosity of countless volunteers, garden owners and experts who work together to inspire others to create, share and appreciate beautiful outdoor spaces and places – from taming a paddock to beautifying a balcony from floral fancies to festive feasts we are all blessed to connect with Nature through gardening and gardens.
The inaugural Summer School for Gardeners, co-hosted with the University of Melbourne, runs from 22 – 24 January 2014 at the Burnley Campus, Richmond in Victoria. If you can’t make the Summer School but you’re seeking some gardening inspiration & ideas, then it might pay to acquire the indispensable OGA Annual Guide, which provides a State-by-State calendar of open gardens including detailed descriptions, directions and dates! Enjoy! x
