Seasons

Autumn is my favourite season. I love the cooler weather, the crisp mornings, and especially the change of colour on the trees. March and April especially are just divine here in our little corner of Oz! In Victoria, we get four distinct seasons every year, and living at approx. 700m above sea level means we have a rather cold winter, too! I've lived in the dry country of California, in Germany, and now in Australia, and have spent time in a variety of climates. After all that, I must say I do like a change in season! There's something reassuring about the rhythm of the seasons, and I look forward every year to the changes they bring to the garden and wildlife, and to our own activities. This morning I scared a few crimson rosellas from the shrubs, so I went to see what they were doing there. Of course, the cotoneaster is bearing fruit, and the parrots love the little red berries. Even the insects have a time and a season - currently we're being overrun by little black centipedes! The climbing Angel Face rose is having a last hurrah! and producing some huge purple blooms and a heady perfume. Scores of little red riding hoods (rosehips) bring colour to the other rose bushes. The native trees and shrubs don't change colour all that much, except when they're flowering, of course. But the imported trees are magnificent in their autumn splendor! After planting a little maple in spring, I love seeing its ruby red leaves now, so much that I went to the nursery and got another one! They need more watering than the natives, but reward it with a dazzling display. The liquidambar is just about to start turning red and orange, and the ash, birches, and robinias add their golden colours to the garden. This year has seen some good rainfall, and the grass is quite green. Claude the Retriever loves a good roll around, and even Mitzi ventures forth in the afternoon sunshine to inspect her domain. Not that she ventures very far...