Here in the southern hemisphere, we are entering spring, not autumn but I have to admit that I find it hard to choose which is my favourite of the two. I love seeing spring bulbs, blossoms and the return of birds to my garden but autumn is a special time too.
When I was a small child in England autumn was the time that we went to collect acorns or horse chestnuts. I don’t recall if I ever played conkers but I am sure that I saw children playing it at school. Mum showed me sycamore tree seeds and the way they fell to the ground. I liked it when the leaves fell and they felt crunchy beneath my feet.
Autumn leaves under the apple tree.
In South Australia where I lived for many years, I didn’t see such a lot of deciduous trees. as the climate there has become hotter and drier over the past few decades it seemed as if Adelaide no longer had proper autumn weather.
An autumn evening – Murray Street, Hobart.
One of the things I love about Tasmania is that there are four distinct seasons and once again I can enjoy seeing the trees change from green to yellow and gold and feel crunchy leaves under my feet.
Autumn colours in New Norfolk
Seen through the bus window.
Autumn colours in New Norfolk.
Poplar trees near my house.
This tree was showing wonderful autumn colours.
Autumn colours at the Botanical Gardens
Local Rotary Club members sell poppies for ANZAC charities.
Autumn is coming to an end here in Tasmania. It has been a very pleasant one with lots of dry, sunny days. I seem to have spent a lot of it riding the bus to Hobart and back and the beautiful colours have really cheered me up a lot. As much as I love spring I think autumn may be my favourite season. Spring comes and goes so quickly and is often wet and windy. Autumn has lingered this year as if it didn’t want to go.
Seen through the bus window.
I’ve seen the cycle of the apple trees as they ripened and were harvested. Now the trees have turned yellow and the leaves have fallen as if they are exhausted from the effort of producing their crop. The cherries are long finished and so are the grapes. The poplars have turned from green to gold and now some of them are bare.
Poplar trees near my house.
I would have loved to have been able to jump off the bus some days and photograph the things I’ve seen; driveways lined with ornamental trees that have turned red, Japanese Maples in gardens, roadside foliage. If I did jump off the bus though I’d have to wait hours for another so I store these scenes in my memory instead.
autumn leaves
I have been to a few places where I could take pictures though. The Botanical Gardens are lovely in autumn and so is New Norfolk where we went the other week.
I took this in a park in New Norfolk
Autumn colours in New Norfolk
Autumn colours at the Botanical Gardens
Recently my sister and I, after fighting the crowds at Salamanca Market on a Saturday morning, escaped to sit in nearby St David’s Park and we talked about why we like autumn so much. We are from England so our childhood memories are of the type of autumn we have here in Tasmania. We agreed that it is the variety of shapes and colours that we like. It’s nice to have the evergreens, the pines and eucalypts but we love the oaks, elms and other deciduous trees. As children we liked to collect acorns from a big old oak tree in our street. Acorns are beautiful and I appreciate them just as much now as I did when I was six or seven.
Acorns
The days are getting shorter now and the piles of leaves are bigger. Children and some adults play with them in the parks but in the street they are starting to look a little sad and unwanted. The mornings are cold and sometimes foggy. I don’t mind too much. I like winter here too. It’s not too harsh. We get just enough snow to get excited about seeing it but not so much that it makes our lives difficult. I always hope to see a good snowfall at least once every winter but haven’t managed to photograph any for a few years. Maybe this year I will and later I’ll write a post about how much I like winter.
I know. Late again! I feel a bit of a fraud posting another old photo but my opportunities to go out with the camera are very limited at the moment. Autumn has begun here and although I love spring I think it’s probably my favourite season. I love the way the leaves change colour. Apple picking is still going on and will be for another few weeks but the trees will soon be looking like this.
