Autumn activities

The days are getting shorter. It is dark when we wake up at 6, but gets light about twenty minutes later. We are still getting a lot of sunshine -some lovely days but cooler than summer. I really enjoyed taking the ferry over to the Zoo recently. It was a magic day.

At this time of the year we turn to Autumn activities.

We do a tidy up, feed up and make over in the garden.

Summer in Perth is a time to get your plants to survive in the hot dry conditions, but the autumn cooler weather and some welcome rain brings them to life. I have been spending about 6 hours each weekend for about a month now, working in the garden. I tidy up by pruning and cutting back. I feed plants which are now entering a growth phase. I plant seedlings like lettuce, broccoli and peas.

My DH did a make-over. We had a scraggly line of Iris bulbs which were not doing well, but which had expanded to fill the space available to them. We decided to break them up and gave most of them away on Freegle to other nothern suburbs gardeners. In their place has gone a trellis which will be the support for two passionfruit vines - and I am hoping to plant thyme underneath them to bring the bees to the vine above.

Harvesting

We have ALL the Citrus at the moment! We have frozen limes for my Gin and Tonics (smile). I made a BIG jar of preserved lemons.

DH preserved some pears he found at the shop for $0.99c and made four jars for $3.

Eating

This is the kind of lunch I like:
Home grown mandarin, pomegranate, and rocket salad with feta and homemade rosemary bread croutons. (I have just realised that you can add croutons to many salads to give them a tasty twist -and use up some stale bread as well. As I make our bread, this is a good thing)

We are enjoying sleeping under COVERS at last -first the sheet was enough, then we added the quilt. It hasn't been cold enough yet for a doona, but that will come.

Today we have had some rain (hooray) and it is cloudy and cool. I have put the bread to prove in my north-facing bedroom window in the hope it will be warm enough to help it to rise.

Just the kind of seasonal activities we enjoy in this simple life.

I hope you are the same.