As the sun came out after a cloudy morning, it was easy to hear the sounds of lawnmowers echoing across the suburbs – some for the first time since the onset of winter.

A wet winter has left the ground a little heavy in some parts of town so the going might have been a little tough, but the city is looking beautifully green as the season winds down.

And the sights of spring are the dozens of families who flock to the city’s CBD parks – not to mention Annie’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream – as the weather starts to warm up.

The Machattie Park possum had a couple of visitors when Parade walked by on Sunday and there was just a wonderful feel in the city.

Bring on spring and summer – Parade’s favourite time of the year.

ANOTHER spring essential in Bathurst is the annual eisteddfod and it swung into action at the Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre over the weekend. And what a weekend it was.

Packed programs and packed crowds proved that the eisteddfod is continuing to grow each year.

Parade caught some of the dance and speech performances on Sunday and came away impressed with the talent we have in Bathurst and across the Central West.

Make sure you take the time to enjoy at least some of the sessions at the eisteddfod over the next two-and-a-half weeks.

AND now the bad news …

Bathurst enjoyed some beautiful spring-like weather on Sunday but it will be a different story when the seasons actually change on Thursday.

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting showers and a top of just 16 degrees on Sunday when the calendar turns over to September 1.

Showers are set to continue on Friday and Saturday with tops of just 15 and 14 respectively.

Don’t put the umbrella away just yet.