My head knows that the seasons here in Tasmania are back to front to my instincts and UK background.

I know that Christmas is in summer here, that July is winter. But I still wake to a beautiful sunny day in August and my impulse is to wear a t shirt and sandals. Wrong!

So I’m beginning a monthly series – changing seasons – to share what each season looks like here but also to nudge my instincts to grasp this southern hemisphere reality.

August started with the heaviest snowfall in Tasmania for thirty years. Snow down to sea level on one particular day. There has been snow on the summit of Mount Wellington for the whole month. Yes, this is winter!

The month has provided plenty of mild, blue sky days. A few showers, a few rainbows.

On dry days, there are always people out walking, families in the parks and playgrounds.

The native trees are in full leaf. European trees had bare branches but are now in blossom. Magnolia are in full flower.

Wattle is evident everywhere. Yellow trees and bushes. Such delicate flowers.

Spring flowers are in bloom now towards the end of the month. Daffodils, iris, and plenty of other flowers I have yet to identify.

The vineyards have pruned the vines ready for new growth.

There have been occasional stormy days, some rain and this final weekend of the month has been constant drizzle for two days. Our view across the river estuary keeps disappearing. A white out.

But spring is definitely on it’s way.