Autumn and winter rituals

Late afternoon in the chook run - a tree full of lemons and leaves falling from the pecan tree.

Shorter days, cool nights and cardigans are all sure signs we are in my favourite season - autumn. There's not much I don't like about this time of year, although, because of what's happening in the wider world, this May is unlike any I can remember.  Some of my routines change in autumn as I respond to the changing temperature and levels of light.

Closing the windows at night is the first small sign that the weather is changing.  We have our windows open most of the year but from now on, I wander around the house around 5pm, closing all windows and doors.

During the warmer months, I stand at this window at twilight and watch the bats fly from the trees for their nighttime feeding.

I've never taken a photo (above) from here before. It was 4.15pm, Hanno was still outside tidying up along the fence line and my much-loved task was to close all the windows and doors to keep the warm air in overnight. That line of trees is just above the creek that runs by our place. The direction is south-westerly.

In autumn and winter, Hanno loves collecting and squeezing our backyard oranges. Sadly, this year and last, the oranges have been attacked by insects, probably a moth, and all have fallen, not suitable for eating or drinking.

Borage - beloved by honey bees and many native bees.

Generally, March and April have been the time when we planted up our large vegetable garden from scratch. Now we've got a small cottage garden with many herbs and a few vegetables in among the flowers. We also have three orange trees, a banana, a wall of passionfruit, loquats and two lemons.

Having their porridge - good girls!

Of course, we look after our girls all through the year. Now that it's cooler and they're laying less, we increase the protein in their food because it helps with egg production. They often have warm porridge or old bread with milk. We also give them soup bones with meat still on them and food scraps.

Our winter bed.  I'm not one for matching bed linen or a multitude of pillows of varying sizes. My preference is for a bed that looks and feels comfortable, warm and welcoming.

Although it feels different every year, all these things are part of our autumn and winter and they take us right through until later October when the humidity starts creeping in again. Over the past couple of weeks, since the cooler weather arrived, I've also added the following to keep us warm and cosy:

• Dressing gown. 
• Flannelette nighties. 
• Flannelette sheets and electric blanket - we put these on the bed last week. 
• Extra blankets in Gracie's bed. 
• Jumpers and cardigans. 
• Skin cream on the coffee table and desk. 
• Big pots of soups, stews and casseroles.

With the cooler weather, we've been in the garden a lot. We've been planting, transplanting, seeding, pruning, mowing and watering hoping to create a garden that will give us a wonderful place to sit and admire the beauty surrounding us. Do your routines change with the seasons too?