Because, autumn...

If I could only pick one season, autumn nails it. The temperatures head slightly south, the harsh South Australian sun loses its sting, and outdoor life becomes temporarily more enjoyable. The landscape even makes a different kind of noise, as it winds down in preparation for winter. The farming calendar on the other hand, is preparing for peak business; seeding. Make no mistake: country life is usually relaxed and serene. Except for seeding. And lambing – those little buggers can be heard from far away! The earth is still warm, there’s a permanent dust haze, and the afternoon light is often tinged auburn from the burnoffs. Tractors start doing laps of the paddocks, and there’s a constant hum of augers and diesel vehicles of multiple sorts. The golden hour is like no other, at this time of year. Photographers' dream of natural light this ethereally.

Quinces are ripe, the rhubarb is picked, and the glory vine is a neon sign heralding in the season (just in case we miss all of the other signs!). Weekends become about chopping firewood, leaving us momentarily cursing the need for a slow combustion fire. Until we get to sit in front of it, eating cheese and the quince paste we’ve just made, washing it down with a nice Clare Valley GSM. It doesn’t get much better than this. Now, I confess to the photo's below not being all of mid northern origin. Most are, but some are from the Riverland, to the Barossa, to the West Coast. They all nail quintessential autumn, and I was there for every minute of their capture. Sucks to be me :)

I often curse our Mid North winters, with their frosty mornings. It barely cracks double digits some days, leaving you wondering why the hell anyone would want to live here {NB a nod to my West Coast childhood life, where we don’t do frosts, and <15 C is an Antarctic blast}. But, autumn? It really is good for the soul. In a complete coincidence while I’m proofing this draft, our little girl just yelled out, “Mummy, I love you more than autumn”. I’ll take that.