Shadows of former Seasons

With the repairs of the Victorian cottages in Woodstock in full swing, escaping to Towerwater is a heaven-sent reprieve. With two teams of contractors busy on the cottages, one replacing and painting roofs and the other repairing and repainting the external features, the normally peaceful spaces have become hives of activity.

We have decided to proceed slowly with repairs and repainting work on the inside of the house at Towerwater. Outdoors, the repainting of pickets and gates, and the lime-washing of boundary walls and pillars is progressing slowly but surely.

Towerwater has become a sanctuary of sanity over weekends where hot tea and slow food restores our beings and prepares us for another busy week ahead.

Arriving on Fridays, we are greeted by a leaf strewn lawn and the bare branches on the trees remind us that winter is around the corner.

The leaves arrive in good time to replace the regular lawn cuttings which are added to the compost bins. The lawn is not growing as fast anymore, as we head into winter, and so it is no longer necessary to mow it every week.

The shadows on the property are getting longer as the sun’s path follows a more northerly route as it is passes over the countryside. The rosarium spends most of the day in the shadows of the blue-gum trees growing across the road. They seem to love the cooler arrangement while they prepare for their winter rest after a very hot summer.

The warm sound of the chirping crickets has been replaced by the cooler croaking of the bullfrogs hunting insects in the evenings.

The chilled MCC and white wines is being replaced by ports and red wine, echoing the autumn reds and browns of the garden.

Heading for winter is like taking deep and relaxing breaths after the marathon of a hot summer. The activities have not slowed down but have instead been replaced by new ones.

The shadows of autumn are familiar, as I recognise them from previous years.