By Malini Bawa

Back in Baghdad! My fifth rotation here in the last two years. This is the first time I’ve been here in early spring, and the signs of the season can lift your spirits, even in a war zone.

Last week, our gardener (pictured below) began planting bright-colored flowers in the small patch of green inside our compound.

Roses, geraniums and petunias now decorate the base of protective concrete blast walls. Our fixer tells me a small rose bush costs only about a dollar at the nearby nursery.

As the planting started, an unexpected rain shower washed over Baghdad leaving droplets of water clinging to the flowers.

(Photo courtesy of my colleague Eric Stewart)