I get stumped when asked ‘where are you from?’ or ‘where’s home?’ Australia has been my physical home for 27 years but when it comes to home of the heart I’d have to point to a little city in north-western Wisconsin. I only lived in Amery for seven years from 1969 to 1976 but they were my formative years … the years that most made me who I am today. Home also lies where your parents live. My mother still lives in Amery … so Padma and I came ‘home’ for a few days in May.

It has been 30 years since I’ve seen Wisconsin in May. Our visit reminded me of the difficulties of predicting May weather. We shivered some days and stripped off layers on other days. But we timed our visit perfectly as Amery was bathed in flowering crab apples, Japanese maples and lilacs. The trees had leafed out in the week or so prior to our visit so the forests displayed those lovely springtime 50 shades of green.

We spent a few days in Amery and relaxed and learned to play ‘Pegs and Jokers’ with mom and Earl, who are nonagenarians going on 60. My sisters Jenni and Cindy live nearby so we had quality time with them and their families. We enjoyed seeing some spring flora in York’s Wood – we were in time to find triliums and Jack in the pulpits still in flower – and watching the sun set over the various lakes of the City of Lakes.

Rural Wisconsin presented quite a contrast to the places we had visited just the weeks before in Italy, France, Spain and Ireland. But for me it’s been the highlight of our travels … nothing beats going home.