Wagga Wagga to Worcestershire & back again
I often think July feels like one of the longest months of the year, mainly because it’s smack bang in the middle of winter when the days are short and everyone has well and truly settled into hibernation mode – preferring the cosy comfort of home.
In the midst of this season of winter, I’m still finding plenty to smile about though…
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…
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…
Over the last few years I’ve developed a deep affection for having a garden. In my younger days, it was a hassle – something that took up precious weekend time, but now I thoroughly enjoy watering, weeding and getting a bit of dirt under my fingernails.
Adam and I had a rambling cottage garden in the U.K., complete with terrace vegetable patch. I desperately wanted to replicate our bags of potatoes and pots of peas, tomatoes and lettuces this spring, but the timing of our trip back to England for our wedding, meant it just wasn’t feasible and we’d miss picking the fruits of our labours.
In a bid to satisfy my earthen cravings, I’ve compromised and decided this spring I’m going potty…
August has only just arrived, but I’m getting the faintest hint of spring in the air. The nights are still chilly, but the sun is sticking around longer and longer each day. Its rays now have that distinct warm weather glow about them, rather than that feeble almost pastel-like patina.
This year’s run of frosty mornings have taken their toll on our little garden and a few plants have fallen victim to the sub-zero temperatures. Others have embraced the cold and are almost ready to declare the arrival of the change in season…
Up until the last decade or so the ‘community garden’ was a concept that was a little unheard of. Sure the premise was easy enough to understand but communal garden beds seemed to be the stuff of hippy towns on the coast or progressive towns in far flung places. Now they’re everywhere and to be honest it’s really, really nice.
The other weekend I had the pleasure of spending a few hours in Wagga Wagga’s community garden – a place I’d driven past dozen of times but never found the time to visit…
Summer seems like a bit of a distant memory now. The days are cooler, shorter and darker and leaves are falling from the sky like giant, colourful raindrops.
I was amazed by our little Malvern garden during the warmer weather. Every week it felt like a new flower or plant was blooming and the air was thick with the sound of bees buzzing about.
Our little patch of green has been slowly falling asleep over the last few weeks, but it’s still proving to be a source of inspiration…
Isn’t it amazing how when you go away and then come back home again you pick up on changes you never noticed before?
The day after returning from Scotland I spent almost a good hour poking around the garden, amazed at all the new flowers that had suddenly appeared.
After weeks of diligent watering, weeding and a bit of help from mother nature, Adam and have undertaken the first ‘harvest’ in our terrace vegetable garden!
The salad leaves have been the quickest to grow and we’d been watching the little plants get bigger by the day, just waiting for the right time to snip off some buttery soft goodness.
I was chatting to a stranger the other day about moving to Malvern from Australia and it dawned on me that Adam and I have been in England for six months now. The time has truly flown ever so fast.
Malvern really feels like home now. Old buildings that I caught myself staring at in awe are now just part of scenery and picking a posey full of flowers from our rambling cottage garden seems second nature.
I know short cuts around town, can recommend pubs and cafes and am starting to sound a little bit English… well in a way!
Wattle and Ash 