Winter creeps up!

Winter is creeping up. We have lit the fire a few evenings now as there have been some VERY chilly winds roaring about.
Unfortunately these winds dry the ground out even more, and we have had no rain for about 7 weeks in this area. So the last few days we have been watering our new trees and putting a pile of mulch round them to keep them snug around their roots, or even their boots!!
We are considering putting in a new wood burner. The one here is a very ancient, Chinese stove, possibly 80 years old. The doors don't shut properly and the vents don't work either. So the logs quickly burn up and leave a pile of very fine white ash. Even if you stoke it up late at night, it still doesn't last through,, though the warmth is just there. As the house is wooden and not any insulation in the walls or floor, it does get pretty nippy.
I remember when I first came to Australia I was very surprised to see flannelette sheets, warm pyjamas and slippers in the shops. I couldn't imagine it being cold enough to need that sort of thing; but unfortunately it is. The day times can still be warm and sunny with breakfast on the veranda ( a late brekki!), but once the sun goes down, on come the warm clothes and the soup goes on to the stove. I then start to think, ' Oh , it must be Christmas soon.' No chance, there aren't even any more public holidays now until the real Christmas time - just one long slog!
There are plants flowering still, like the bourgainvillia in the picture behind Rannoch and Jasper. Though they look like a 2-headed hound!