Gone the heat of summer days
and fear of fires raging in the hills.
Autumn is my favourite time of year,
a time to gather firewood, to stack the heaps
against the wall of my verandah.
A time for clearing out the wardrobe –
Sew a button on that coat, polish boots and
hope my last year’s trousers haven’t shrunk.
With warmer clothes come fluffy slippers,
electric blankets, water bottles, an extra doona on the bed.
We check our home heating – electric, gas
or good old-fashioned fire.
We clear the gutters, store away the barbecue
and summer’s other chattels.
Anticipating comfort food to nourish mind and body
I go in search of recipes that my mother made –
Osso bucco, steak and kidney pie,
coq au vin, spaghetti Bolognese
and that staple for a rainy day, Minestrone soup.
And then, of course there’s apple pie or rhubarb crumble
with custard hot and thick and creamy.
While the earth is cooling down,
It’s time to plant the bulbs for spring –
irises, anemones, daffodils and tulips.
There’s vegetables in seedling trays
waiting to be planted in soil enriched with
compost, manure and some good old blood and bone.
Bunnings makes a fortune out of me.
Summer colours have almost gone,
But autumn leaves are stunning, on Liquid Amber,
Chinese Tallow, Crepe Myrtle and the hardy Prunus.
Scarlet, amber, rust or honeyed gold,
they grab me with their brilliance.
I love the morning’s crisp, still air
The sound of birds busily preparing for winter.
Evenings come much sooner now,
and sunsets cast a gentle glow,
a pale and softly yellowed hue
on everything around me.