Lucky we have some good soup weather going on, especially out Collector way.
Because with the coronavirus-forced cancellation of the annual Collector Pumpkin Festival, meant to take place this weekend, there are a lot of excess pumpkins in the little village north of Canberra.
"We've got a few people making lot of pumpkin scones and a lot of pumpkin soup," festival president Gary Poile said, on Thursday, as good-natured as ever.
Last year's festival attracted 15,000 people. The festival was a chance to show off prize pumpkins and, yes, make soup and scones for the hoardes of people who descended on the celebration of all things autumn.
Among the growers is 92-year-old Ted Birkett, who, undeterred, got the ground ready this week for next year's crop, ahead of the rain.
Mr Poile said they had been selling some pumpkins by the roadside with an honesty box to reduce the glut, with the proceeds to go to a worthy cause, likely the local school.
"I think we've got through three trailor-loads so far," he said, adding they were observing social distancing and had hand sanitiser at the ready at the stall.
The festival does generate a lot of money for Collector.
"We've been putting about $20,000 into the community each year for the last three or four years," Mr Poile said.
"We have built up a bit of a safety net to plan for a rainy day. And we pulled the pin on it early enough that we didn't incur too many costs."
The pumpkin festival has been scheduled to return on Sunday, May 2 in 2021.
Mr Poile, a local farmer, in the meantime, was enjoying a different kind of autumn this year.
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"It's been nice, actually, to have the year off, without the guilt complex," he said.
"It's a chance to refresh and get a few jobs done that need doing at this time of year."
