Fall maintenance

Until I moved to this house, fall maintenance was not something I spent a lot of time on. If I remembered, I serviced the boiler, if not I just hoped it kept running through the winter. I move a sleeping bag, a paperback and some cereal bars into the car, because the first snows of the winter always cause crazy traffic jams.

Here in North Holland, we've found so much more to do and with winter closing in, W has been super busy. All the gutters around the roof have to be declogged every few weeks to make sure they don't block up and flood the house.He's been shifting garden furniture into winter storage, and making sure that the thatch looks in top condition. The spiders have been crazy busy all autumn and the windows are covered with cobwebs - so, cleaning time, to make sure we get the most possible light into house during the dark winter days.  The olive trees and other tender plants need to be brought in to avoid frost damage, and the stables need closing up now that the swallows have left.

What are your autumn rituals? How do you prepare for winter?