Daylight saving or ‘summer time’ arrived in our part of Australia the other week and with it came the start of gloriously long, light evenings.
It’s given me a renewed energy for the warm weather ahead and instead of coming home from work feeling tired and ready to hunker down for the evening, I find myself wanting to potter about and get little jobs done, so they’re not eating into my precious days off.
One job though, I’m finding less of a chore and more of a wonderful little ritual…
An inevitable part of having a garden in Australia is watering. Even in the most tropical of locations, there’ll be times of the year when the rain doesn’t fall and lawns, pots and beds will need a drink. It’s been particularly dry in our part of the country (we’ve had around half of our average yearly rainfall to date), so in order to keep everything alive, Adam and I have been watering regularly.
While much of the garden is made up of hardy natives, that manage to survive on meagre amounts of moisture, there is a growing collection of pot plants at our house, that require regular watering.
In the cooler weather I find it a bit of drag to pop outside and give the plants a drink, but now it’s warm and bright it’s something I look forward to daily.
It’s a task I often do as soon as I get home from work. I put my bag away, kick off my shoes and wander out into the evening sun, slowly unfurling the hose. There’s a lovely peacefulness, after often hectic days, of standing in silence just listening to the water force its way out of nozzle, and watching the water soaking into the parched soil in the pots.
The smell of those first few spurts of water, combined with the hot plastic of the hose from the day’s sun and the dampening the earth is a distinctly Australian summer smell to me. I also love taking the time to watch the water move over the plants: the way the tiny droplets cling to leaves in the golden afternoon light, there’a beauty in it all.
Watering the pot plants probably only takes about 10 minutes, but it’s becoming a really cathartic part of my day. It’s chill out time after work, when I can let my brain start to unwind and transition into the relaxation of the evening. I find when I’m done I feel a sense of ease and I’ve left the worries and stresses of the previous eight hours behind me… if only that was the case for all chores!
Do you have any jobs you find ‘relaxing’?
Have a wonderful week. x
Wattle and Ash 
Hi Melinda, you’re so lucky to have day light saving! we trialled it here in Perth for two years and it was wonderful. Beautiful long light balmy evening you could enjoy, as you say, after the stresses of work. Unfortunately after the two year trial it was voted out at the referendum by the farmers who didn’t want to upset the cows by changing the clock – mmmm…. not sure I’ve ever seen a clock watching cow but there you go……..
No long until the big day – you must be sooooo excited 🙂 xx
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Hey Nattie! So nice to hear from you. I grew up in Queensland where there isn’t daylight saving, so it took me a little while to get used to in New South Wales. I really enjoy it now though and look forward to it over the warmer seasons. There are still grumbles here about it, but I can’t see it ending anytime soon. And yes- only a few weeks until the wedding! The countdown is well and truly on! X
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I remember hearing about the drought in NSW a month or two back. It really sounded dire. I hope it’s getting better, though.
As for daylight saving – I like the extra hour of sleep I get on that first day, but I hate the hour I lose in spring. After all these years, I think I could do without it.
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Hi Goldie! The drought is still well and truly here, and although some parts of the state have been lucky to pick up a little bit of rain in thunderstorms over the last few weeks, it has been patchy and a lot more will be needed to return moisture to the ground. Australia is described as ‘a land of drought and flooding rains’ and it’s certainly a pretty accurate summary. And yes, that switch from daylight saving and back again always throws me out for a few days! Daylight saving remains a bit controversial to be honest, but I can’t see it being abolished anytime soon. Have a great day!
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This is a great question Melinda, For me it has always been cooking. When I worked I really enjoyed preparing the family meal at night and have made Nel’s breakfast everyday for years. Our meals have become simpler using a few fresh ingredients, which I believe has become the new trend in cooking, less is best.
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I enjoy cooking too Larry- more so on weekends when I can take my time and don’t feel rushed. Adam is the main chef in our household and I must confess, it is lovely to be the recipient of a beautiful home cooked meal!
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