"The silken buds of the aspen trees 'breathe gently of spring', according to the poets. I can't help it, but to me they always seem to bring it in (the spring) with a ruddy blush! They make such leaps and bounds as if to say, 'Well, we may have small leaves on stems so genteel that all we can do is quiver for six months of the year, but you just watch us in spring!...'. So you see I wasn't swearing, they are ruddy and they so come quickly. Ho! Heavens! No!! I mean they do blush...Oh let's talk about things to eat!" "Letters to Garden Lovers", Australian Home Beautiful, October 1941.