Finally the summer is over and autumn is here. It's been a long, hot, crazy weather summer where here this year. Lots of days of 40 degree heat has taken it's toll on us.
Especially since we didn't have air conditioning for most of it. Can you imagine a hot house combined with smelly teenage boys..... on second thoughts don't imagine, it's too disgusting.
Autumn is much nicer, more civilized. Outside temperatures are mid 20's generally, just right for a picnic lunch or walk to the park.
But this long hot summer we've endured has also been hard for our poor garden.
Days and days of baking heat, stretches of a week at a time of over 40 degree days, what garden could take that and survive? Even our mature palms are not looking as healthy and happy as they have in the past. Thankfully there is still some green amid the brown.
I do love those clear blue, sunshiny autumn skies!
The smaller palms are unfortunately looking decidedly more brown than green now, even with daily hand watering, thanks mostly to the attentions of my teenagers, Kaiden and Corey.
Sending them out to the garden sure is a great way to get those teenage smells out of the house, at least for a little while!
Oh, the poor bamboo! It certainly didn't like the sun.
Even sun loving cats find what shade they can.
It has lawn, and a lot of it. Which means investing lots of attention, time and water to get it through the summer.
So we didn't bother.
Doing our part for water conservation in the area (not to mention, human energy conservation as well!), we stopped watering the front lawn at the beginning of summer.
It aint pretty to look at but sure cut the water use and meant lucky Kaiden has gotten out of mowing it all summer!
We do have one oasis of lush greenery, just outside our back patio door, just to prove that we can keep some things green through the harsh summer.
So all in all, I'm welcoming the autumn weather. The sun is still warm, the skies nice and blue, yet the afternoon breeze has just a hint of coolness to it that's refreshing. Time to get out the jumpers and extra blankets soon I think.
Now the weather has cooled, I feel the pull to plant again. Once upon a time I had a little veggie garden going. But time was in short supply so onto hold it went. Until now.
In the next week or so I hope to get my act together and get it cleared, soiled and planted for the late autumn and winter crops. I can almost taste those fresh vegetables again!
The change of season has also unfortunately brought colds and sniffles to us too. Charlie and Del are both suffering with a cold right now. Or in Del's case - Man Flu. It's serious you know!
Charlie has had the past two days off kindy, so as not to sneeze snot on his class mates, and all over me instead.
"I need a hug, mummy", so I tenderly hold him close, lean in to give him a kiss on the cheek and SNEEZE. In my face. Lovely.
And although sick, he loves the idea having a 'day off' and staying home to be loved and cuddled by his sleep deprived mama, to get him through this cold.
Working with natural remedies, I hung a hanky sprinkled with Eucalyptus oil in his bedroom window to catch the warm air coming in to infuse his room with the oil for the night. This helps to clear his nose as he sleeps.
But most of his time was doing this :
Waiting pitifully on the couch for me to come give him the next round of cuddles and tissues. Do you think this might be the start of his first case of man flu?
SNEEZE!
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