Maureen's memoir is a story of migration, family tragedy, resilience, humour and finding peace and fulfilment in the natural world.

The eldest of four children from a working class family living in a sleepy corner of South Wales, she experiences the death of her mother and the shock of life with a new stepmother, who was emotionally ill-equipped to deal with four grieving children.

The family of ten children travel to Australia to follow her father's dream of living in Paradise, and Maureen writes with candour about her difficult childhood and adolescence, as well as life in Wales and her new home, as she grows up, marries and eventually takes charge of her own life.