The cold touch of winter is on the bare skin, invigorating and not unwelcome. Autumn is relinquishing it's hold on this speck of dust where we live in the universe and slowly moving on. There is much yellow in the landscape and some red as well, a yellow, red landscape on a green background, constantly changing, the yellow and red increasing for a time then decreasing and finally gone, only the grey green hillsides remaining to enchant our senses. The yellow and red are the European trees settling in to rest, the eucalypts are as ever grey green with some sprouting light green foliage that will also carry the flower buds for next years generation of their kind. The blossom will mean nectar for the bees, and honey for the beekeepers. Not all eucalypts are growing or budding, each is a different type and each needs different stimuli to grow and bud.

Jake, one of our recently released wombats is sojourning under the cottage this morning. He has dug a burrow under the concrete slab, it's one of his places to sleep during the daylight hours, he has several burrows over the hills, and he stays in them all, over a period of weeks. Percival will be next to go out into the wider world, and Titch and Sebastian have a way to go yet, another 12 or so months before they are released back into their land and forest, which they share with us.

There is a lot of feed about for the native animals at the moment, kangaroos and wombats are well fed on green grasses of various kinds and the possums must be finding plenty to eat as well, because they're not coming in to harvest the ripe or ripening apples which are dragging down the branches of the parent trees.

The older hens have stopped laying and the young pullets are just beginning to lay and will supply our eggs over winter. The sheep are fat and the wool has been sent away to be sold. We have a pantry full of preserved fruit and though no goats yet, have found a supplier of goats milk. The mountain is free of snow still, though we don't expect that to last much longer and hope to be able to go over twice more before snow will make the journey too long and arduous with wheel chains fitted to allow us passage to our favourite town in which to do our fortnightly shop. Winter is the time we head toward the coast and the main population centre in that direction to top up with the things we need and can't supply ourselves.

There is much to do during the winter, cleaning up the areas round the shed and cottage in preparation for the summer, when we expect we will again be under some kind of threat from wild fires. We live very much in one season preparing for the next, but it's always different, always exciting wondering what the next day will bring, and what lies ahead - if we're spared.