Petunia again : $b Sketches

A bright, breezy collection of short sketches captures life in a modest township on the Australian plains just after the Great War. The narrator moves between lively welcome gatherings for returning soldiers, impromptu community fêtes, and the everyday rhythm of back‑country chores—laundering in roof‑caught rain, keeping ants out of sugar, and caring for a “poison‑cart” of bunnies. Through witty observation and warm affection, the pieces reveal how the townsfolk stitch together joy, duty, and simple pleasures in a world where the railway runs only three times a week.

The essays also turn a gentle, sometimes humorous eye toward the challenges of rural womanhood, the pride of being essential to a family, and the contrast between genuine, self‑made amusement and fleeting entertainments. Readers hear the clatter of a piano being ordered for a Sunday school, the hum of a literary society meeting, and the quiet satisfaction of work done by hand. It’s a snapshot of a community rebuilding, offering listeners a vivid sense of place, humor, and heartfelt resilience.