The Autumn Harvest - Golden Days

Still Autumn sunny days and a giving garden. Sun enough to warm the soul and dry washing. Pulling out corn to make way for spinach and endive, replanting forgotten garlic as it sprouts and abruptly makes its hiding place known. The littlest helps me plant peas and sprouted potatoes, even though the potato harvest won't arrive until late spring, they will lie ready and waiting rather than rotting in the compost. Gathering the seeds of marigolds, lettuce and sunflowers. Forever spying on bees going about their business (they must think I'm creepy) and plotting new ways to attract them to all parts of the garden. Rosellas gather to gobble tiny seeds of lettuce, their is plenty to share and watching their flashes of red feathers is payment enough. It has been a great year for pumpkins, potatoes, mini capsicums, chilli, bush beans, zuchinni and cucumber.

Baby skinks keep me company in the garden, our dog pounces at them and I grumble. The first pomegranate flower is born, I call everyone to come and admire it, but it is on the ground a few days later, the potted plant turns brilliant yellow, no pomegranates this year but I am hopeful for the next. Birds snaffle our strawberries and raspberries more this time of year, a berry morsel is a lucky find. The tomatoes are fading as the cold sets in, still plenty to eat and perhaps enough for some tomato chutney, I have to bring the tomatoes in at the first hint of colour or the birds peck them and then the millipedes have a party. The Autumn garden is filled with flowers, Native Bluebells, Cosmos, Daisies, Crowea, Correa, Catmint, Pink Boronia, Salvias, Roses, Petunias and Violas. Self sown seedlings of Borage and Love in the Mist fill my beds. A final sunflower has unfurled its golden petals, turning its head towards the sun, it seems to be smiling too.