taking the autumn air

Autumn is certainly here, the nights are drawing in and getting decidedly colder but the days are beautifully clear and calm, on the whole, with lovely blue skies and high white cloud. Sometimes there is a bit of a wind and today and yesterday the breeze was definitely coming off the snow on the mountains further inlands.

I decided to go for a wander yesterday over Wingatui way, through the track and down by the paddocks. I left it just a little late as the sun was getting low and was on the other side of the shelter belt, thus leaving me in the shade a bit of the time. That wasn't a problem really till I decided to turn around and come back and a bit of a breeze had come up, nipping the ears and the nose and causing just a little bit of ear ache, but that's what happens when you forget your hat. The shadows were getting long but there was still enough sun to make it quite a pleasant walk. It was so peaceful, a dog out walking with its human, just a wee Jack Russell having fun, were the only others I saw. No I tell a lie, there was a mum and dad out with their 2 kids, one on bike and another in a pushchair, all enjoying the autumn afternoon.

There were horses in the paddocks naturally, as this is horse racing territory with stables and horse studs in the area. And there were also about a dozen or so sheep further along and in another paddock some young bulls lounging around. Still further down the track I came across a big black sheep with a young chocolate coloured alpaca for company...very cute.

I finally have a new pair of shoes for walking,  how long has it taken, almost 12 months. "Tone walkers" - they are supposed to build the muscle tone in your legs as you walk, and you can certainly feel them working the leg muscles when you are out and about. I've also been to physio for my back and she has given me all sorts of exercises that are not only helping my back but other parts of the body as well, all I have to do is remember to do them all and I have to confess I haven't done any for a day or two, but tomorrow is always another day.

of jonquils, roses and snow

Well it has finally happened - the first snowfall of the season. It is only on Maungatua and as far as I am concerned it needn't fall any lower, but it is there. So winter is not far away, I think this is still autumn but it is hard to tell. I have some of next springs bulbs up and flowering already, jonquils which will probably continue to flower all winter, and looking over the neighbours fence at us is a pretty pink rose with some buds beside it. I thought roses came out in the summer...oh well

I have been out in the garden, or what passes for a garden at my place, pulling out some weeds and old dead plants. About a month ago a tomato plant pushed its leaves and flowers up above the dahlias so we let it go to see how high it would grow - far too late for the plants to set any tomatoes of course. It got to a good height, about 4 foot, so we might try a real plant next next year. If something self sown, or sown by a little boy throwing what was left of his tomato into the dahlias, did that well it will be interesting to see what will happen when we put in some plants and lovingly tend them... haha

We have had some gale force winds in the last week and I ended up chasing the GKB's deck chair around the section and had to bring that and a couple of garden ornaments that hadn't found their way into the garden yet, inside and park them in the hallway for a day or so. While looking around the next day I found a solitary jonquil, very tenaciously clinging on to life while bent and growing horizontal to the ground. It is now residing in a little vase of it's own on my kitchen windowsill...a promise of summer to come.