I’ve been having an internal debate about whether to give myself a few days grace before writing this end-of-autumn blog post. Last week was a really frustrating one on multiple levels – we were all ready for it to be over before we’d even made it to Tuesday lunchtime – and I worried my grumpiness might be too tricky to hide.

But the whole reason for starting these quarterly posts was to focus on the positives and put the daily frustrations in perspective. And so, on we go, with a celebration of what John Keats called the ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’.

We have certainly had a season of mists here, with a Bridgewater Jerry thundering down the River Derwent on a good number of mornings. We’ve also had beautifully warm and bright t-shirt days, howling gales, torrential rain, snow on kunanyi, and that sweet, soft, perfect light that defines autumn in Lutruwita/Tasmania.

I’m looking at the notes app on my phone, where I jot down things that have sparked joy, and I have quite a few more than 10 this time round. I’ll include them all, because only a very silly goose would rank their joys and drop the bottom ones off the list.

But I will also try and keep my descriptions shorter, so we’re not here all day. You’re generous readers, but I know that I push my luck with the 2000 word posts that pop up every so often.

Enough preamble.

Sunrises: Autumn is the time of year when Tasmanian sunrises and sunsets really turn it on. Walking down the driveway to pull the bins up at 6.45 on a Monday morning is a lot easier when there’s a spectacular sky to admire as I do it.

Being busy with work: the final quarter of the Australian financial year is always my busiest time for freelance work. Partly because I write copy for EOFY fundraising campaigns; partly because organisations want to use up what’s left of their comms budget; and partly just because June 30 acts as a natural deadline for a lot of my clients. It’s not unusual for me to earn anywhere from a third to half of my entire annual income in these three months – and while that often means I start July feeling like I’ve been hit by a truck, it’s a nice problem to have. With economic pressures what they are, and many writers losing at least some of their work to AI (boo, hiss…) I’ll always be grateful for the projects that come my way.

Strength training with Hobart Exercise Physiology: who even IS this woman with the baby calluses developing on her palms, watching countless Insta reels of deadlift form to try and improve her own? At the start of the year, I was determined to get this body moving again – and I’m so happy with where I’ve ended up. There is still a long, LONG way to go before I feel confident enough to be let loose in the gym independently. My joints still do weird things that needs to be corrected, and at least once in every session I think I’m doing an exercise correctly but feel it in entirely the wrong muscle group. But I’m almost four months in to my weekly sessions at HEP, with two or three extra sessions at home each week, and I’m feeling a thousand times better for it. Fewer aches, more energy. All the wins.

The season for birthdays: in the last three months, Luna turned five, DorkySon turned 17, and I turned forty-COUGH. They were all low key, which is everyone’s preference, but lovely gifts were received, cake was eaten, and we felt very loved. What a privilege it is to grow older.

Generous pals: related to the above, I held birthday fundraisers on Instagram and Facebook for Gaza Soup Kitchen, an amazing grassroots organisation that distributes food, water and essentials to families, communities and healthcare workers across Gaza. My beautiful friends and family – and indeed a few strangers – donated $1098 on Insta and $539 on Facebook, which will go such a long way. I’m so grateful. If you’re not on those platforms, you can donate directly to GSK through their website.

Getting back into music: in an attempt to cut down my doomscrolling, I’ve been listening to music on my headphones while I cook in the evenings, rather than going on social media. I don’t use streaming services, so I’m limited to the 50 or so albums that are saved in the music library on my phone. It’s a reasonably eclectic mix – everything from Lord Huron to Skippinish to the Housemartins to Steely Dan – and a lot more fun than Facebook.

Reading: books will ALWAYS make my joy list, but more so than ever at the moment. The world is feeling very noisy, and other than spending time in nature (which I also do a lot of), reading feels like the best way to quieten my brain. They are still, for now, free of adverts, AI and algorithms, and I have a feeling I’m going to look back at this year and realise I’ve read even more than usual. You can read along on my book diary Instagram account if you’re keen. (I also occasionally sell on book bundles that I’ve finished with).

Green Surge: a rare glimmer in political news was seeing the Scottish Greens do so well in the recent Holyrood elections. The new group of Green MSPs is a brilliant one, with a great mix of new and old faces – but I’m especially delighted to see my old uni friend Kate Nevens elected in Edinburgh and Lothians East. Kate is one of the smartest people I know and the good folk of Edinburgh are lucky to have her representing them in Parliament.

Trip planning: it’s always nice having something in the calendar to look forward to, especially as we move into hibernation mode over winter. I’ve just booked to spend a long weekend in Adelaide with a friend in later October and I already can’t wait!

Migraine meds: when this year started, I didn’t set any resolutions as such, but I did have two goals. The first was to start some kind of regular exercise, and the second was to get my migraines under control. They’d gone from an occasional nuisance to an almost-constant disruption, and I knew it was time to move from abortive medications to preventatives. I got off to a bit of a crap start with propranolol, which actually increased them to 3-4 a week (URGH!) but the second one I’ve tried – candesartan – seems to be doing the trick. I’ve been on it for almost three months and have had less than half a dozen breakthrough migraines in that time, none of them on my current dose.

As anyone with migraines probably knows, there’s usually a set pathway you have to follow of trying (and failing) three older medications before you’re allowed to try one of the newer ones. Most GPs will go for propranolol, amitriptyline and topiramate – for whatever reason candesartan, which is a blood pressure med, seems to be less widely tried, and I only knew about it on recommendation from a friend. It is weird when you’ve had a medical issue for a long time and then it stops – it’s quite hard to trust it! – but I’m delighted I seem to have found something that works, and it’s good to know there are a few other options I can still try if that changes.

Talented friends: this has been a wonderful few months for celebrating talented friends! Always the very best reason to leave the house… Congratulations to my lovely buddy Bec Adamczewski on an incredibly successful exhibition at Salamanca Arts Centre (Bec created the beautiful black cockatoo print above); to Tasmanian writer Brendan Colley for the launch of his second novel The Season for Flying Saucers, and to the magnificent Rawia Chabchoul for her well-deserved recognition at the Diemen Awards!

Good food: I’ve been lucky enough to have two fab meals out recently, at two new-to-me restaurants. DorkyDad and I had a lovely dinner at Schole, a 10-seat restaurant with a produce-driven menu in a former sweet shop (only in Tasmania, right?!). Chefs Luke Burgess and Bianca Johnston work the kitchen on alternate nights, and Bianca was on for the night we were in. It brought back memories for DorkyDad, who organised a UTAS Alumni event at Sydney Fish Market with Bianca and her teammate Thalia shortly after they appeared on My Kitchen Rules waaay back in the day! A few weeks later, I tried Ogee for the first time with my friend Jane (whose Insta handle is, appropriately enough, JanePlanetJoy), and that was delicious too!

Hitting the road: I couldn’t end on anything else, really. Sneaking onto the list just a few days before the end of autumn, DorkySon passed his driving test last week. I am very proud of all the hard work he put in, and the positive feedback he had both from his instructors and his examiner. It was rotten conditions to sit a test in, very wet, with poor visibility, which never brings out the best in Hobart drivers. But pass it he did. We’ve come a long way since he put a hole in the garage wall with our brand new car last year…

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This post is in honour of my Aunty Helen, who both brought and sought joy for a remarkable 91 years. With love to all my Harris family x