Beauty in everyday and home garden the story behind Denmark author Marlane Ainsworth’s book inspiration

Denmark author Marlane Ainsworth’s new gift book offers nuggets of gold wisdom from her everyday life and time spent in her cottage garden. Ms Ainsworth was previously a children’s author and editor, and moved with her husband Rob and young family to the Great Southern in 1996, chasing a slower and more self sufficient rural lifestyle. The mother of five said the move was a challenge at first, and far from what she expected. “The house was in a pretty drastic state when we got here, we were relying on a stand-alone solar power system, limited water supply and a completely unfurnished home with just builder’s plastic walls and bare cement floors for several years,” she said. “I think it shaped all of us really, and I definitely developed an appreciation for the small things in life that we often overlook because we’re just too busy, particularly things in the natural world that can bring us joy.” The property, nestled in the wetlands between Denmark and Albany, was named Evergreen and quickly became close to Ainsworth’s heart. “Our garden holds many memories, like a pink camellia given to us by my other daughter, in memory of my sister who died last year, and a rose bush we planted to commemorate Rob’s twin brother,” she said. Ainsworth published two children’s books with Fremantle Press called Beat Feat and Offbeat. She said it was after she had written her third novel that the idea for a different kind of book occurred to her. “Seven years ago I created a website and started posting weekly blogs about mindfulness, how to get out of our heads and open up to a fresh way of living by paying attention to what’s really happening,” Ainsworth said. “After a while, I started writing about the garden, and things it was teaching me or things I felt while I was out in my garden. “I thought it would be such a shame if these were just blogs, and I decided I wanted to start working on a book.” Through her new gift book What My Garden Told Me, Ainsworth said she wanted to share the wisdom that can be found when people spend time in nature. “It’s about turning our attention to what is around us rather than listening to our habitual thoughts offers us an opportunity to learn something new about our life, our struggles, our predicaments,” she said. “I think there’s something in there for everyone who reads it, depending on what they’re experiencing at the moment.” Ainsworth and her daughter Merribeth collaborated on the production of the book, with Merribeth creating watercolour artworks to go along with her mum’s writing. Ainsworth said working with her daughter was a new creative process, but a special time for both of them. “It was so lovely, being able to create something like this with my daughter, and we worked pretty seamlessly together,” she said. “Merribeth was seven when we moved down here, so she did a lot of growing up at Evergreen. “She was familiar with the things I’d written about and offered to capture them in watercolour. “Her paintings make the book a joy to hold and read.” Ainsworth said her and Merribeth are now turning their sights to a sequel gift book called What the Wind Told Me, as well as a memoir Ainsworth said she has been slowly shaping over the past five years. What My Garden Told Me is now available in Paperbark Merchants in Albany, the Denmark Environment Centre and several Perth bookstores.