Autumn's Here....

Well today is officially Autumn (Fall) for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere of the world and I can hear the birds chirping and calling to each other outside my bedroom window. My bed is somewhere I love to retreat to but these days no matter how hard I try I just cannot get back to sleep once Chris has left for work, so I lay awake and listen to what's going on around me. I can hear Milly (our kitten) running around the house as if she's chasing some imaginary mouse, a bit like Tom and Jerry. Remember that cartoon? I hear Molly (our dog) give a bark because she wants to be let out to stretch her legs and go to the toilet, so up I get and let her out and look outside to where my grapevine's growing vigorously with it's first lot of grapes on it. I feel so proud of myself for looking after the vine so well and now we'll be reaping the fruit, as long as the birds don't pinch it all first. So I let Molly back inside and go back to my room and lie down once again, knowing I won't drift off to sleep but trying in vain to do so. After five minutes I give up as it's just not going to happen, so up I get again with thoughts of today's errands running through my head and hoping and praying we find a house soon. In actual fact we have found one we like already but are just waiting on a few things before we can make an offer. (I promise I will keep you posted on how the house hunt goes.) I also hear the clock in the kitchen ticking the time away, tick, tock, tick, tock.....I've always loved the sound of clocks as I find their rhythm soothing to the mind. This clock has a particular fondness as it is the one Lyn sent me from Paris last year.

Although it's the 1st of March and the mornings are cooler with a briskness in the air, I have been noticing the change in season for a couple of weeks now. It's funny how seasons change quite quickly from one to the next yet we don't really notice it happening until we're well into the next season. Trees will start to lose their leaves, some flowers will have their last bloom before winter while others will start dying back to preserve energy for the Spring yet to come. The sun is starting to set earlier in the evening and taking just a little longer to rise in the morning. The cool morning air is taking it's time to warm up and the winds are becoming gustier than they were in the summer months. All this in preparation for Winter. Sometimes I think winter is my most favourite season of the year, you can light the fire and cuddle up on the couch with your husband/wife (or cat/dog if your single, as I did with my cat Spikey for many years before I had Chris)  and a glass of wine while simply enjoying each others company or watching a good movie together. The only downside to winter is every time you leave the house you have to be prepared to get wet. So we rug up with layers of clothes and good warm shoes that the rain won't get through. I guess I love all the seasons really, they all have their good points and their bad points but mostly I think I just enjoy the way they change and for each season that comes we accomplish our daily tasks in a slightly different way to the season before.

The Garden Path

I found this gorgeous picture on Pinterest and to me it just has Autumn written all over it and is so inviting. Why wouldn't you want to wander up this garden path where the sun dapples through the tall trees, the scent of the rambling shrubs fills your senses and the welcoming cosiness of the table and chairs invite you to enjoy a beautiful morning while having coffee with friends. I couldn't imagine a better way to spend a lovely Autumn day, can you?