Spring time in Gunning

Spring time in Gunning; Photo by Michael de Percy.

The seasons in the Southern Tablelands region are governed by precision clockwork. The second day of spring and the sunlight explodes over the hill in its last minute glory, jolting me out of the chill. Standing in the same place five days before, the snow made me laugh and laugh for joy.


I grew up in tropical Far North Queensland, where the summer never ends. So the seasons are special to me now. The hearth in winter, the bare trees, and then the burst of life as spring stirs me back into existence.

Winter in Mareeba, Far North Queensland, July 2016. Photo by Michael de Percy.

Soon the winds will come, and I will wonder why I live here. Summer will burn me to a crisp. The winds will carry their blast furnace from the fiery west. The blinds on the verandah help create a vacuum that sucks the air out of my lungs in the long afternoons.

Cullerin Wind Farm, Summer 2017. Photo by Michael de Percy.

But then autumn will bring some of the loveliest weather I have known, and after the three-month ritual the winter shall return. Precision clockwork. In tune with the sun and the moon and the earth and my pets. In peace shall I rest with a good book in front of the fire.

But today, this second day, reminded me of the joy that is spring. And it is here!

Autumn 2017, Retford Park, Bowral. Photo by Michael de Percy.