April has unsurprisingly been quiet. As the days become shorter and the weather cooler, Adam, Paul and myself have started to settle into our new routines. Even though this month has had its fair share of grey days, I’m thankful that our house has lots of large windows that let the light in. Being able to look out at the sky and see the rolling hills in the very far distance provides comfort to me – a visual reminder that there is a world beyond our house and soon we’ll be able to go explore it once more. In the meantime, this is what’s made me smile these last few weeks…
The return of slow cooker meals
April marks the first of the proper autumn weather in our part of Australia and with it comes the desire for warming, comforting food. We’ve been buying lots of gravy beef and let it slowly bubble away all day in the slow cooker. By dinner time the meat’s juicy, tender and falling apart. We’re eating it with jacket potatoes or steamed vegetables of an evening and with toast and tea for lunch the following day. It’s simple, hearty food but just right for now.
Watching the leaves turn
There are several Manchurian pear trees in our front yard but the tallest, most robust tree sits on the footpath. You get a great view of it from our living room and for the last week I’ve been watching a few of its leaves start to turn red. I truly love autumn and its dazzling displays and have been so fortunate to experience this season in the northern hemisphere on a couple of occasions. While our Australian autumns don’t really compare, I still love watching the local deciduous trees change. Once our tree is a little redder I think I might snip off a few branches to bring inside. I know they won’t last long but I’m sure they’ll look striking nonetheless.
Podcast walks
I’m trying to get out the house for some fresh air at least once a day. Over the last few weeks I’ve settled into a routine of going for a walk, pushing Paul in his pram, at about 5:00pm. Often the evening chill is starting to set in, and the sun is low in the sky casting an almighty glow over our neighbourhood. I try to take a different route every few days for a bit of variety and most walks end up around 20-40 minutes long. With Paul content to look around, I normally tune into a podcast. At the moment I’m devouring Fake Doctors, Real Friends, with Scrubs co-stars Zach Braff and Donald Faison. Scrubs is one of my favourite television series and I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve watched it. It’s lighthearted and fun and I often find myself walking along with a grin on my face. It’s the perfect way to end the day.
How’s your April been – what’s been making you smile this month?
Have a wonderful week.
M. x
Wattle and Ash 