Autumn - Finally

Its arrived after a long wait. The cool of Autumn. The early mornings are mid to low teens and the days mid to low 20's. Long pants during the evening and a jumper in the morning. Overcast and wet during the day encouraging a day indoors with visitors.

Jean spent the day entertaining the visitors while I made the day productive on the computer. Apart from a punishing session in the pool with the pool manager very little else got done. We are doing 30+ laps each afternoon in various time groupings. All of the brackets leave me breathing heavily so it must be good.

The pool closes in less than 2 weeks and this blood rush at the end is to ensure a good finish for the season. The body is starting to feel as if it is getting some work.

Looking out the kitchen window sees the grass growing in these ideal conditions. The soil is still warm and the rain accelerated growth. Bugger! another mowing later this week will be required.

Martinique our Jersey heifer mistakenly pushed through the boundary fence and was standing near the front gate on the wrong side looking forlorn. No grass on the neighbour's side and she didn't want to be there but couldn't work out how to return. Warren was whinging because she wasn't with him. And even Hector was moaning. It's rare to get any sound out of him.

The remaining two wires on the fence were cut and she came straight through. All but two of the 5 wires are useful. The others must be 50 years old and so rusted they break as soon as touched. When Jean returns from Benalla we will replace the rusted strands. The posts are fine and will do for another 20 years. It will be a chance to electrify some strands as well making the place a little more secure.

The owner of next door hasn't lived there for close to 10 years. Apparently he is working on the Central Coast. The land is leased out to the neighbour on the other side. The cost of the fence repairs will be insignificant and we have enough wire in stock to complete the job. No big deal.

I went out last night to lock up the chooks and walked past a number of the Golden Orb spiders still manning their webs in the drizzle. It's getting cold for them and they'll be gone in a few weeks. A bit sad and I'll miss their presence. They are lovely creatures and learn to spin their webs in an orientation which minimises damage during the day. That is to say if you don't want the web across a regularly used path just knock it down and they'll rebuild it facing another way. They're very shy and run away if disturbed despite looking fearsome.

Autumn!