Autumn is ending

Autumn is ending, and it is soooo dry. This morning I really noticed the birds using the bird baths - except for three Jays. They were on one of the taps that has a slight drip, and the three (and they are large birds) were hanging off the tap, waiting for each drip.

And there was a flock of Bower Birds (maybe nine or ten females) out the back, feasting on the cape weed growing in the lawn.

The day started out calm, and I was working on the Cumquat bed. As each breeze sprung up stronger than the last, drifts of leaves came down, from the Liquidambars and the Pistachio. By the end of the day they were almost bare, and the beads and lawn were covered in golden and crimson leaves.

And only the Smoke Bushes were left in their prime - almost all the rest were three quarters bare.

It may be almost winter, but I picked a bucket of capsicums today, the last cucumber, and dug a bucket of spuds - with the potatoes still strong green vines.

And noticed a first Snowdrop. Winter must not be far away - I hope it brings rain.