I was there again.  Again in that wonderful Food Garden of the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens (RTBG) last Thursday. Alternating under cloud then under glorious autumn sun, our happy volunteer team worked alongside our Coordinator to remove spent plants, collect edible tubers, dig the plots, then plant selected tubers and roots.

But my day started well when I reverted to the behaviour of a child. After I left the bus and as I walked on the track below Government House, the path was littered deep with autumn leaves. I exploded through these with my legs kicking joyfully to allow leaves to fly high in the air. With no other adults to watch my behaviour, I luxuriated in this nonsense with abandon. That inner child of mine always seeks a way out!

Around the trees in the Food Garden the colours of autumn had rained down and small eddies of leaves waited for relocation. In sight of my friends, I resisted the temptation to create a flurry.

I found onions had been planted.

Where a fortnight ago we had planted beds with garlic and brassicas, the leaves had settled into the channels we had left for walking. Clearly, some human footed donkey had walked across one part of the garlic beds.

The shallots were coming along well and looked very healthy.

When it was time for a morning cuppa. Janet had made a very tasty cake to share.

I was able to share recently discovered information that the silver teapot we use (with such style!), was purchased by my great grandmother who gave it to her daughter as a wedding present in 1933.  Last Thursday, I felt the silvered surface sparkled more than usual.

Our first serious job for the day was to dig out the Yacon tubers, remove their heady green foliage for despatch to the compost pile, break up the tuber collections, then select some for replanting. The remainder were loaded into garbage bins to be taken to another section of the gardens; there the staff and volunteers will prepare them for sale at the Plant Sale that is scheduled for this coming Thursday at RTBG.  Finally that garden bed was clear, a few tubers replanted and the soil remulched.

Nearby rhubarb plants were removed, separated, and some replanted.

Meanwhile Andrew was hard at work moving green waste/composts from bin to bin and into a wheelbarrow for spreading by others across some garden beds.

Every so often we looked up to admire the landscape.  And our lunch break also gave us time to take in various vistas.

Then Neil and I dug out the old corn stalks and, with others, proceeded to weed that bed and through the others nearby.

As always, much was achieved and we all felt the spreading glow given by the experience of plunging hands into the soil and breathing the new air produced by those plants. Perfect for our physical and our mental health!