And then it was autumn...

Our gorgeous old dog Bella used to make us laugh in how she would suddenly lie down.  Most dogs sniff out their spot, turn a few times, etc, etc, and yes she often did just that.  But other times she would be walking along and then just suddenly would flop down.  No preliminaries, she was just ready to sit.

Autumn arrived much like that this year.  Sure the leaves had started to turn but pretty much for the whole of March it just felt summery.  Then last Monday autumn arrived.  Everyone agreed, there was a different feeling in the air from the day before, a slight chill that you could feel despite the sun's warmth.  The leaves that had been toying with different colours suddenly went into full autumn glory and I felt a immediate desire to wear boots.

Now, a week later, there is no question that autumn has well and truly arrived.  Outside my office window the grass is layered with a thick carpet of crunchy brown leaves.  Last night was chilly enough to have us reaching for the extra doona and this morning the world was covered in a thick dew, not quite frost but almost as sparkly.

After a steady diet of salad and fruit I find myself wanting soups and stews and my giant collection of pashminas is airing out.

It really is my favourite time of year.  Warm days, cool nights, perfectly blue skies.  The city looks magnificent with all the deciduous trees.  Now the only question is when will the really cold weather arrive?  Conventional wisdom says that you don't turn the heater on in Canberra till after ANZAC day ... hmmm we will see if I manage it this year.