And home to winter

Even though we were only away for a week it felt like a definite shift in the weather - from a plausibly summer-like autumn to a slightly autumn-like winter. I am seeing bits of the garden that I haven't seen before when the leaves were on. It was a cold dark house all on its own when we arrived home after the drive back from Sydney airport. It's about the same distance as from our old house - three hours or so - but the last hour you leave the highway and cut down through back roads. Perfectly fine (all paved and mostly marked) but there was a deer in the middle of the road going up, and an enormous recently-dead wombat coming back. Wombats are units and you do not want to hit one with your car. 

This view back towards the house is a favourite. However the house gets ZERO sun after about midday, in any room, which is interesting. We knew that beforehand, but the reality is different - luckily there is plenty of sun about, you just have to walk outside. I know windbreaks were planted first thing for farms but whoever it was 150 years ago did an outstanding job. No wind, no sun. 

We went down the coast on Saturday night to watch the election with friends ... a safe space is sometimes needed with politics. It can get a bit awkward if you find out halfway through the evening that people have wildly different views. Luckily the centre-left government was returned with an increased majority, in what commentators are calling an emphatic rejection of trumpian politics. I'm not sure it's quite that simple but the current prime minister talks about strength being kindness, which I like as a message. 

My political views are tempered by working with our elected representatives so closely for the past ten years - there are absolutely arseholes on both sides, some of whom lost their seats - and very nice people who also did. It was beautiful weather but a bit too cold to swim, so long walks and back home to the cat.