Wagga Wagga to Worcestershire & back again
I’ve always loved the month of April for its transitional quality – in Australia it generally means the arrival of cooler mornings and the first signs of autumn. When we were living in England it meant longer evenings and spring blossoms. This month though, this has been what’s making me happy…
The other week, Adam and I managed to sneak in a Friday morning breakfast date. Although it would have been lovely to have the entire morning to linger over our meal, the hour or so we had alone was just wonderful and the perfect way to start the wind down to the weekend…
That first taste of autumn arrived at the weekend. Stormy rain rolled through on Friday night, lashing windows and dropping the temperature. By Saturday that’d broken up into scudding showers that blew in with force along with a cool wind. It resulted in lamps getting turned on early, candles being lit and my favourite cosy clothes being pulled out of the cupboard for their first wear of this year.
That sort of weather always make me crave warm, hearty meals and one of my favourites is ribollita – a Tuscan bread soup. It’s packed full of vegetables, is bursting with flavour and is my go-to recipe whenever someone says they feel poorly…
March is set to be a super-busy month in our household, so before things get too crazy I thought I’d take the time to sit and reflect on what’s been making me smile at the start of this month…
Tomorrow marks the start of autumn in Australia, and although it’ll probably be a good few weeks until it starts feeling like autumn, I can’t wait. A huge part of my desire for milder temperatures, and hopefully, some proper rain is so I can get stuck back into some gardening again…
Adam and I fly out this weekend for our wedding in England. We’ll be away for four weeks and while we’re both excited about our big day, we’re also thrilled to be heading back to Worcestershire to see friends and family and just spend time in our ‘English home’.
I like to take my time when I’m packing for a lengthy holiday: writing out an initial packing list, then mulling over it and refining it, so I’ve made sure I’ve got everything I need. Like previous trips, I always try and put together a mini capsule wardrobe – a small collection of good quality basics that I can mix and match easily…
In the months leading up to my move to England, I spent hours and hours reading and researching about what sorts of things I should pack. A lot of Australia doesn’t experience four proper seasons a year, so the concept of having both a summer and winter wardrobe is a little foreign. I was due to arrive in mid-autumn, and while I had some years of living in an area with a distinct winter and summer, I still was nervous about how I would cope with the U.K.’s much talked about ever-changing weather.
Two years on and back on Australian soil, I’m a lot more aware of what English weather is really like. It’s less than four weeks until Adam and I fly back to England for our wedding and going into this trip, I’m much more confident about what I’ll need on hand…
In the last week it feels like autumn truly arrived in my part of Australia… even though winter is technically only a day away!
Suddenly everywhere I looked there were trees with vibrant crowns of red, yellow and orange leaves. I realised the sun was taking its time to rise in the morning and by late afternoon the day’s glow was quickly disappearing into the night sky.
I’ve waited so long for this change in season and now it’s here, I’m making the most of it before it disappears…
There’s nothing quite like a few days spent in the sunshine. Where the breeze is warm, the air is tainted with the slightest hint of sea salt and it’s warm enough to pad around morning, noon and night in bare feet.
Adam and I are back in Wagga Wagga now, where the autumn weather has finally arrived. Although it’s my favourite season, the last week I’ve spent in Queensland in all it’s year-round summery glory has been magnificent…
The other week Adam and I got an unexpected invitation for a Sunday lunch in the little town of Sutton, just outside of Canberra.
It was the catalyst to our impromptu road trip to Australia’s capital and we had the most lovely time…
Wattle and Ash 