Reflecting The Seasons From A Goat's Point of View

To start off : I have a tiny confession. I told a tiny little fib on Facebook by inferring that this blog post is a reflection of Jacko's thoughts about the seasons. Truth be told, Jacko really couldn't care less, but when I look at him up close and personal, his eyes exude such 'intelligence', that I thought it apt to personify him in this way. Sorry.
But on with the post:

There's nothing new or remarkable about the Seasons.They come and go every year, almost like clockwork. Well, almost. It's one of those clocks that slows down and speeds up, sometimes unexpectedly but frequently predictably. Something to do with El Niño and El Niña and Global Warming and other such sciencey things. You might get a long dry summer, or an early autumn, or you may not even notice their passing. I suppose it depends largely on where you live and whether you are exposed to nature.

Autumn, in our hemisphere (I use the word 'our' loosely - aka 'Southern'), is supposed to be in charge round about now. Quite correctly on cue, I see the signs of Autumn all around us when I stroll through the garden. ( I use the word 'garden' loosely as well -- aka 'grounds')

Nature reflected in the puddles of water on the garden table indicates that Autumn is truly here.

This morning, the lawns were fairly dry because of the wind that has been billowing around the trees and through the daisy stems, chucking generous quantities of brown and yellow leaves around. Brown and yellow leaves which will fit in very well with the green lawn cuttings destined for the new compost bins.
So, there being no time like the present, out comes the mover and we're busy with Composting 101, a course with nine steps: 1-Get mower; 2-Check Oil; 3-Fill gas-tank; 4-Start engine (hopefully first time) and set blade height; 5-Mow grass in a grid pattern; 6-Stop mowing when catch-box is filled; 7-Cart lawn clippings /leaf mixture to the composting precinct (I use the word 'precinct' intellectually simply to make it sound a bit more grandiose!); 8- Spread the mix equally into the bins and blend in, as appropriate. 9- Return to step 5. Continue with this sequence until you die, or nightfall comes, or until you run out of gas, whichever comes first...

The heavy leaf-fall in the garden picnic area will have to wait another day.Green area mowed.

Then, of course, it happens. I've hardly mowed a section of less than 20 square metres and Wham! the clouds open up and the Autumn rain starts falling. And Wham! some more. The pits: Composting 101 shelved for the day.

After dodging the showers and garaging the mower, out comes the camera and a short stroll around the lawn, so that I can share the view with you.

The volume of leaves falling from the Cherry tree is infinitesimal, when compared to the fall-volume from the Poplars. (a) the leaves themselves are smaller and (b) the trees are also smaller.

The Cherry tree with its shower of red-brown leaves ready for collection.

Oh look, the Crab Apples, the last of the fruit to develop, have ripened completely to this beautiful rosy state. Jacko loves Crab Apples. Jacko likes all sorts of apple, come to think of it. Actually, Jacko loves being hand-fed and would probably eat any fruit. I hear him shouting for attention right now...

The bright red Crab Apple fruit is ready for harvesting.

This great guy is a bit of a show-off. He insisted that I publish a whole bunch of pictures, just in case a talent scout might look at this post. We argued and debated the issue. Eventually... well, eventually I lost the argument (and my temper), but I managed to negotiate that we keep the number of his mug-shots down to 10. Of course, this post only has 3 -- but, don't worry : it won't become an issue ... I suspect that Jacko can't count, so he won't know the difference. (I hope!).

Jacko's cute pink tongue. No bad breath here, just wet goat coat-a bit like a schoolboy jumper.

Sniff sniff sniff... What's that I smell? Crab Apple,  I'd guess...

I am led to believe that the Nanny-goat down the road considers me quite a handsome old goat...
Check my teeth as I do this silly smiley thing...

Jacko isn't into full-frontal photography, he prefers head-shots.However, here is one full body shot, just to confirm his physique (in case Nelly the Nanny from down the road happens to read this.):

Jacko stands proudly. Actually doing a pee... like a girl-dog...

It looks as if Jacko has been doing his job,eating brambles and other greenery on GoatHill.

A view of the foliage down goat hill shows many bare Autumn branches