Barbara Wintringham was born in England and came to Brisbane in 1953 to live with family and find work. She fell in love with the city and stayed. She worked for a significant time at the ABC and witnessed the introduction of television. In retirement, Barbara became a volunteer guide at Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha. These special gardens became a second home and for 25 years she shared her love of plants, gardens and nature with visitors. Barbara only stopped guiding in 2016. These days the occasional walk there with a friend, when weather and health allow, is a joy. She loves reading and books so makes good use of Brisbane City Libraries especially the Mt Coot-tha Library which is a great source of botanical and historical reference. Writing about plants and gardens has always been a pleasure and Barbara hopes to continue this enjoyable hobby for some time to come.