The change of seasons.

We are just about to go into Spring and for a couple of weeks it has been obvious, the change is evident in it being lighter in the evenings and blossoms appearing on trees. Spring is a lovely time of year but I realised I have a bad attitude to summer and it was ruining my enjoyment of the new season. (Just because spring leads to summer!)

In the garden today.

Every season probably has things we love as well as things that are tough about it. Depending on where we live of course. I know many of you have cyclone or hurricane season, we have bushfire season. Probably the thing that I don't like about summer is we can get really hot days and nights. Adelaide will get quite a few days at 43 or 44 and sometimes 45. ( 45 is 113 I think)  Some nights it will stay around 30.
I don't like it! It is hard on people, animals, the garden and fires often accompany it. 
But where ever we live there are some hardships with seasons. We do not have to go through being snowed in or tornado's or anything like that as many people do. 

There are things I DO love about summer.  I love the beach, swimming, eating dinner outdoors on warm evenings. I love that it is fruit season and that I usually get free and cheap fruit and I will have days making jam, stewed fruit, pies, crumbles. I save jars all year waiting for this! That part is wonderful.

I do know that the change of seasons is a lovely thing. It gives us rest and variety. It literally gives us a time to plant and a time to harvest. My favourite is going into autumn. I love the colours and that is the nicest season here weather wise. Lovely days and cool nights. Beautiful! 

I don't want to have an attitude of not liking a season. I want to have an attitude of making the most of the season we are in.  
I loved winter and yet years ago I found the end of winter quite hard. I get a bit sun deprived and have less energy. But the last few years I corrected it by being outside as much as I can, taking some Vitamin D, throwing myself into absorbing crafts and making a lot of my presents for the year. Using the indoor time to do a lot of things I love to do. This made winter kind of snuggly and lovely. I have a mountain of presents made. It is the time to do it as once it is spring then it's time to be out in the garden and in summer we swim in the evenings, water the garden and are barely inside at all.

So each season has its good bits and things we need to be getting busy with. If we miss this opportunity we miss out. If we work with the season we will achieve heaps more. I wouldn't attempt to do the sewing I have been lately in summer when I am dealing with fruit. That would be nuts! I need to get the fruit preserved and with something like peaches you have to keep going until its done or they start to rot. There isn't time for anything else then! If I am busy with other things in  spring and miss planting then that would just be silly. We need to try and go along with the season and make it all work and take advantage of the time we are in rather than wishing for another time. Or worse complaining about it.

There is a lot of scripture on the seasons. Both the seasons of life and the seasons of the year. Basically we are unwise if we don't do the work that goes with the season we are in! If we don't plant in spring we will not harvest in summer. If we sleep through summer we will fail to make the most of the harvest. If we fail to get ready we will not be ready for winter. There is work to do in each season and a limited time to do it. We need to use the time wisely.
The only way is to embrace where we are, make a plan and get busy.

We can also do a lot for our own comfort by getting ready for the changes in weather. Last summer I bought a little fan for our bedroom and it was just lovely. It was a small thing that made us more comfortable.

In winter I bring out soft rugs onto the lounge and the end of the bed. It is a time of the crock pot running full of soup or stew.
In summer we have a lot of cold meat and salads, BBQ's and picnics. I love all these things. Packing up a picnic basket and going to the beach for dinner! Swimming at sunset. 

I know the US ladies are going into cooler weather and here we are going into official spring on Wednesday. Even though we are in different seasons we are adjusting to something new. After a lot of watering, jam making, fruit picking etc I know I was worn out and ready for winter and crafts! 
Now I have had a few months of winter I am kind of ready to get out in the garden and get planting.  I want to enjoy it and make the most of it!

There is something so lovely about gardening, seeing things grow and even the daily watering. I know it is good for me to be in the garden. I feel good, I sleep well.

I will not complain about summer... I will plan picnics, save jars, organise life so we go to the beach and make the most of the bits we love. I really love fruit picking and making jam! That bit alone is enough to make me thing too bad about the heat!

This weekend was sunny and a hint of what is coming. Everything looks like it is about to burst into flower. 

I need to get my recipe books out. I actually forget some of the good things I make in the warmer months. I need to brush up and plan. I have a rice salad we love that lasts for days in the fridge. 
There are a lot of things I make that are portable and good for packing a picnic. 
I think we have to embrace whats happening instead of swimming against the stream. Get ready and get the most out of it.
I really think I got the most out of winter. I loved it. 
Now to get the most out of beautiful spring and even hot summer!

What is it like where you live? What are the best things of the season? And what is the important work that goes with the season?

How can we make the hard parts of the season easier or safer, healthier, happier? 

Be like an ant and get busy on what we need to be doing. There is a season for everything.  Grasp every opportunity. Make hay while the sun shines :) xxx
xxx