How I know it's the middle of winter

It would be fair to say that with bright, clear 23C days forecast for Sydney today and tomorrow, we can hardly call this a cold winter, but...

It would be fair to say that with bright, clear 23C days forecast for Sydney today and tomorrow, we can hardly call this a cold winter,
but there are still plenty of seasonal signs to enjoy.

katiecrackernuts.blogspot.com.au || rhubarb and apple with soda

Here's a list, off the top of my head, of all the little things that mean winter to me.

  1. It's dark when I leave the house for work, and when I come home.
  2. It takes two days for the sun to warm and dry my washing.
  3. Socks. There are socks on my washing line. Only sports socks hang there in summer.
  4. The dew on the lawn is heavy and hangs about well into the day.
  5. The lawn doesn't grow.
  6. Herbs and garden annuals are slow and nothing bolts to seed.
  7. Fallen crepe myrtle leaves blanket a corner of my garden.
  8. Early bulbs are reaching skyward. The snowflakes are always the first to appear.
  9. My skin is dry and itchy.
  10. Navel oranges taste delicious.
  11. Baskets of free lemons are in the op shops and my favourite cafes.
  12. It's harder to find local honey. The bees have done their thing for the season
  13. Rhubarb and apples are in season. 
I prepared cut rhubarb with an apple and shake of sugar for a crumble this week and kept the strained off liquid to experiment with. I had imagined I'd need to reduce it further into a cordial - effectively a flavoured sugar syrup - but turns out it was lovely as it was in a 50/50 mix with soda water. A hint of lemon, and maybe a sliver from a stick of cinnamon infused in the original syrup was all that was missing. If you 'd like a recipe, try this one.

What are some of the ways you know it's winter?

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