Lake Ohau Cottage in late Autumn

After having been away for awhile, it was a pleasure to get back to wonderful Lake Ohau Cottage. As I looked out at the lovely golden autumnal colours, I reflected upon what it is about this cottage and this location that I love so much.  First, it has to be the beauty. Every season brings different colours. The views of the lake and the mountains really are breathtaking at every turn.

But the cottage is special in its own right. Even though I had been gone for a few weeks, it was in perfect order. First I turned on the gas fireplace for instant heat.  I then gathered up some wood from our woodpile and lit a cheerful and very warm wood fueled fire.  It made the wooden interior of the cottage deliciously warm and cozy. (I turned off the gas fireplace as the woodburner easily heats the house.)

I wandered outside and the bellbirds swooped down close and said hello to me.  It seemed like they were welcoming me home.They feasted on the grevillia flowers that are in full bloom. Crabapples hung red and ripe on the tree. Later on, I discovered a jar of spicy crabapple jelly in our refrigerator that was left over from last year. It was still very tasty.

I unpacked my laptop and turned on the modem.  Because we have wireless broadband internet I sat on the soft easy chair with my feet on the ottoman and checked my email. I turned on the television, but switched it to radio, and listened to jazz and then the international music programme.

The next day I snapped a few photos showing golden needled larches. But within a day, all had changed. This morning I woke up to snowy mountains. I'm looking forward to the mist clearing so I can get some great shots.  I heard on the news that there are gale force winds and flooding elsewhere in the South Island.  I'm glad we are protected from southerly winds here at the Lake Ohau Cottage. We are very lucky here in Lake Ohau Alpine Village. It is very quiet and peaceful!

Here are some of my late autumn photos, before it started snowing: