Early Autumn?

Last week we thought autumn may be around the corner. The grapepicking machinery was going past two weeks ago and evidently picking the sparkling wine grapes up the road. This morning more activity with machinery trundling past lit up like Christmas trees.Some one did tell me that vintage is two months ahead of itself, early February instead of April. So I hastened to take some photos of our neighbors shiraz grapes before the are harvested.And they look and taste very nice...

This afternoon too, I cut some of our table grapes which the blackbirds and spoggies have not eaten!! What a thrill, normally the birds eat the grapes before they are anywhere near ripe, so am not quite sure why they are not getting them all this year. I am having great trouble keeping the Sulphur crested Cockatoos off our walnut tree as the nuts are not quite ripe yet and the birds nip them off rather than eat them. This is so frustrating.
The gumtrees are shedding their bark in great quantities also, yet another indication that autumn is not far off. Today though it was fiercely hot and we are battling to keep the vegies and front garden alive. We have had no rain to speak off for months and our soil is cracking badly every where to the point where our house is moving and the backdoor will not lock anymore.I hope there will not be any marauding bands of Visigoths for the next few weeks!

I was trying to show the bees nest in our sugar gum tree by the gate but it does not show up. The bees were quite active tonight. We have some rather stunning lichen covered logs of Ashtree which had to be cut down as they were overhanging where we want to walk. The colours are lovely and it inspires one to do something with them.

These photos seem to have a mind of their own. I would like a lesson in how to manage the inserts better. Another sign of autumn approaching is the bantam hen moulting and she looks so scruffy, poor little darling. Since the other big chook died she is very shy and I think she may think I did away with her...do chooks think???