A Brilliant Winter Solstice Day

What a day!  Normally I would say that if I had worked my behind off in the patch, but today was a little different.

It was the Winter Solstice and I make a point of just enjoying this special day of the year.  Not only is it the shortest day of the year here in the Southern Hemisphere, it also indicates that each day for most of the remainder of the year only gets longer and the nights get shorter.  Great news for gardeners as more light usually means more growth.

Anyway, enjoy it I did.  After my normal chores of feeding the chooks, I watched a documentary about Going Medieval which was eye-opening to see how a world made by hand operated.  Then I proceeded outside to relax and soak in my garden.

I didn’t do any weeding, no planting, and no watering.  I just let it all be and watched it all in its gardeness.

I sat on an old rug, and listened to music, watching the dogs run up and down the garden path.  I watched the newly sprouted broad beans soak up the sun’s rays.

I watched the citrus fruit sway in the slight northerly breeze.  All these four trees are heavily laden with Lemonade, Mandarins, Eureka Lemons, and Tahitian limes.

Kim and I have been eating at least two mandarins every day!  They are simply delicious, with half the segments being seedless.  Always a treat.

The lemons and limes have been used in cooking, and the lemonade will soon be ready to pick to make into juice.  I love fresh citrus off the tree.  It reminds me of where I grew up in the Riverland of South Australia, where there was abundant oranges and mandarins at this time of year.

So that’s what I did for about three hours today.  Just sat, soaked up the warmth, and observed my garden and its abundant insect life in action.  I don’t take enough time to rest and enjoy the fruits of my labour, but today I was totally relaxed and free in my own little patch.

I can’t think of a better way to spend a sunny winters day!