THERE'S no better time of the year than spring - when the country really comes to life with new growth and warm, sunny days.

To celebrate the season, The Weekly Times is delighted to present Spring, our five-part magazine series.

Thanks to our friends at ABC Gardening Australia magazine, Country Style, Notebook: and Delicious, we have created five fabulous magazines packed with inspiring stories, gorgeous places, great craft, handy household hints and well-known Australians sharing their secrets to the perfect spring.

Over the next five weeks we'll bring you a great collector series - Country, Grow, Style, Life and Food - that feature the best of rural Australia.

You'll find stories on how to get the best out of your vegie patch this season and how to create an outdoor space your pet will love.

And The Weekly Times' very own gardening guru, Peter Cundall, along with Jane Edmanson and John Patrick, will report on their favourite time of the year.

In the kitchen, we feature a host of top chefs, including Bill Granger, Jill Dupleix and Noojee's John Snelling, sharing the best of their spring recipes.

Craft doyenne Tonia Todman opens the doors to her stunning rural property, while cricketer Adam Gilchrist looks back at his childhood growing up in Deniliquin ... just to name a few.

So great ready to be taken on a journey from rambling country houses to quick quilt lessons, from macaroons to Maria Island - we'll guarantee  you'll remember what it feels like to have the sun on your back.

Ed Gannon, Editor