News from around the property and our Balingup cottage accommodation news


Seasonal News - from around the property

Cold misty mornings and day time temperatures in the low to mid 20s make this a very pleasant time of year to visit Balingup. Our morning mists cover the bare branches of the chestnut trees and visitors in the cottage are able to watch as the hills gradually appear when the sun comes out.   Our paddocks are turning a lush green and the view from the cottage of the green rolling hills is wonderful.  Balingup has experienced a number of early frosts this year so it is easy to stay in bed longer in the mornings.  Although this has been a delight for some of our visitors to look out on; as they stay snuggly in the cottage, the house lawns and gardens are not too happy having to put up with this after such a long dry spell.

Winter is the time of year we tend to slow down a fraction after our busy nut harvesting time in autumn.  The major work usually planned for the property during early winter is just keeping the grass down until the colder weather slows the growth.  Winter is also the time when the trees are pruned, fences are repaired, an attempt is made to control the weeds, frost resistant plants placed in the gardens, and any job done which requires softer soil for digging.

The donkeys continue to grow their warm winter coats.   Due to lack of time, at the moment they are not getting out much for their walks and they are just standing around getting fat with not enough exercise.

Jasper rides Rosie
They seem to be in good condition now and look happy as they have a run around the paddock each evening.  There is a fine line between just enough and too much food for them as they do not stop eating when they are 'full'.  Too much food (and excess weight) leads to problems with their feet and then they suffer very badly and can't walk.  Their diet must be watched closely all year but particularly from September until the end of December when the grasses hold more sugars.  The donkeys just love attention and enjoy having their coats brushed, and they are quite happy to stand very still for a long time while this is being done. 


flying
Scarlet robins, red-eared firetail finches and black-faced cuckoo shrikes and Silver Eyes are in abundance at the moment.    The fairy wren families around the cottage are fun to watch. They make loud noises as they play in the proteas near the deck or come onto the front balcony to look at themselves in the windows.  We seem to have many more fairy wrens than usual around the homestead this autumn.

Take a little peep at our property, birds and animals here

Check out what is happening in Balingup this season on our Balingup News page.

Strolling through the local galleries, enjoying the feast of colour and the fantastic views, relaxing in the cottage garden with a good book and a great bottle of wine, or snuggling up under the down doonas on a cold night - winter is always a beautiful time of year to visit our cottage in Balingup.

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