Mrs Fryer's Garden

Now I need to state from the outset that this post is the impression of a child. Mrs Fryer was late when I was perhaps 10. Whilst not trying to lie I cannot say that this would be accurate from an adults perspective. Nonetheless....

Mrs Fryer was an older lady who went to the same church that we did. Mom and her were friends - I assume they had plants and flowers in common but I'm not really sure. Later on my great Auntie Joan moved in with Mrs Fryer - I think as a companion but again that is only an impression.

Mrs Fryer's house was weatherboard and I guess typical for the age it was built in. It smelt of plants and old people. I can describe the inside in detail but for some reason that doesn't seem relevant.

What fascinated me most about Mrs Fryer was her garden. I am guessing the house was on a quarter acre block but it could have been bigger. Apart from the house and a thin driveway, the rest of the block was garden. And lots of big or overgrown garden.

In modern parlance, there was lots of rooms. There was the rose garden out the front (with a million other plants - I specifically remember a Boston fern). Out the back there was what I called the jungle that, if you followed the path lead to a small grassed area. To the left was a garden shed that stepped right out of the Famous Five books I was avidly reading at the time. In front of the garden shed was a shade house with a fernery. Behind the shed was another covered area, which for some reason I don't remember as a shade house, but it was filled to overflowing - I am thinking orchids. Somewhere in amongst all of that was strawberry plants that we could help ourselves to. On the non-driveway side of the house was another jungle that backed on a paddock. And now I think about it there was a greenhouse - maybe between the jungle and the grassed areas.

My imagination ran wild as we played in the garden. There was adventure and magic and mystery. And 30 years later the thought still makes me smile and dream.

I hope that all kids have a garden like Mrs Fryer's to play in.