Home into Autumn

Hellooooooo to you all, how have you been? It feels like a good long while since I was here chatting to you but that's mainly because I've been away from home, and I think time away often moves at a different pace to the normal, everyday sort of tick-tock time on the home clock.

Actually, this time last week I was still travelling, making my way from the south France to London, then up along the backbone of England all the way north to Yorkshire. It took thirteen hours in total, a coach, a plane, the underground and two trains, with some weary walking up the hill at the very end. 

I've spent the last week resting quite a bit and easing myself back into gentle home routines. It's been a pleasure to allow my days to gently unfold and soak up the quiet, comforting homely vibes here at number twenty four. 

There has been a distinct chill in the air this past week and honestly, it has felt really beautiful. I've often said that I am happiest when our English seasons run true, and so far autumn is feeling wonderfully autumnal. Happy me!

It was my birthday last week and I celebrated fifty four trips around the sun. I had coffee with my good friend (we have a standing date at a favourite café every Tuesday morning) and she gave me a card, a little wrapped present, a bag of pears and a solitary beetroot (complete with roots and soil attached) which she'd dug up from the community veg plot on her way to the café. It was the funniest gift which made me double over with laughter, and that reminds me I really do need to cook it! I think I'm going to roast it in the oven. She also very kindly gifted me the most stunning bunch of fragrant stocks and I inhaled their sweet, peppery scent all the way home.

Don't they look lovely? Stocks and a muddy beetroot - what more could a girl want, eh?!

My birthday was on Wednesday and the day was bright and blustery, perfect for a lunch time stroll. 

J doesn't often take a proper lunch break when he's working (something which we often argue about), but on this day he made time  to come to the woods with me. We had Little Lady with us too, and I must say I am really, really loving the fact that I still have her at home for the time being. 

The leaves are just beginning to fall in the woodland and although it's still mostly green in the treetops, there are lots of leaves now on the ground. There is seasonal beauty all around, and I am absolutely here for it.

We are continuing to manage without our central heating, and I'm kind of getting used to the house being a bit on the cold side. I can't say I like it that much (I take after my late Mum, and really don't like to feel cold), but I am coping. I'm dressing in multiple cotton layers, adding a thick jumper when I need it, woolly socks constantly on my feet and blankets, blankets and more blankets. If I'm sitting, then I'm covered in at least two blankets. I shall be known as Lucy Layers this season. Thank goodness for the fire, my gosh I worship this thing, it brings me immense pleasure and comfort and I absolutely would not be without it.

Since I came home from France, I'm taking even more pleasure than usual from my every day views. I really do love where I live and looking at it as if I were a visitor is something I do quite often. Do you do the same I wonder? Or is this just another of my weird and wonderful habits?!

I walk along this narrow road beside the canal almost every day as it's the quickest route into the centre of town, and it's such a sweet way to observe the changing seasons too. 

On bright days when the sun has felt juuuuuust about warm enough for us to sit outside, J and I have had our morning coffee al fresco. There are a couple of small bistro tables outside our regular coffee shop and I've really enjoyed having the October sun on my face as I slurp my frothy coffee. These small pleasures bring such a lot of joy to my days.

I don't really have much to say about the above photo to be honest! It was an afternoon walk to the supermarket to pick up a few bits that we had run out of. The flowers caught my eye as I walked along the tow path to Tesco, and my immediate thought was to take a photo so that I could show you. Blogging is such a deep-rooted way of life for me that I very rarely stop to question myself over it. Take a photo of a boat with some flowers to share with the twenty thousand strangers who visit the Attic every day (give or take a few)? Completely normal.

I almost forgot that in between the slow, mundane, restful days at home last week, I took off on a very quick jaunt. Good job I snapped a photo of the platform or else I would have forgotten! So yeah...three days after returning from France I was back on the trains again, but a quick journey this time just over to York to visit some of my dearest friends. It was a reunion with the ladies who kept me sane during those very early new born baby days, celebrating twenty years of motherhood and friendship. It was honestly the best night, so full of laughter that I had to work hard not to actually pee my pants. I count myself very lucky to have these kind of friends, it's something special to be able to pick up with each other over the years and feel like no time has passed.

I haven't had chance to chat to you much about the Fireside blanket which launched about a month ago. But I just wanted to say a massive, heartfelt THANK~YOU to everyone who bought a yarn pack and started out on this cosy blanket journey, it's been wonderful for me to see so many new blankets taking shape in recent weeks. I know that many of you are new to using Stylecraft Highland Heathers yarn and it's been great to hear how much you've liked it. 

My own blanket is in constant use and it's the perfect size to wrap around my shoulders (my name is Lucy Layers, remember) or cosy across my legs.

A few days ago I came across a photo on Facebook which made my heart skip a beat, and I knew I had to show you.....

......what do you think?? Isn't it BEaUtiFuL??? It's made using the twelve Fireside colours following my random stripe order which you can find ((here)). The pattern is the Seashell Stripe (which I used to make my Dune blanket) and I think it looks absolutely stunning. Amanda, if you are reading this, I just love love love your blanket, thank you so much for sharing on Facebook, what an inspiration.

At the moment I'm using the leftovers from my Fireside blanket to make a circular cushion and I am absolutely crushing on the colours all over again. They somehow look different when in a circle, a bit brighter and more lustrous? Is lustrous a real word or did I just make that up...hahah....I kind of want to say Lush-trous?!! 

Anyhow, this is the second side of the cushion and I'm almost finished so I'll show you later in the week when it's done. I started the project when I was in France as I needed something fairly easy to work on in the teeeeny gaps of time when I was free from teaching and wasn't out walking and falling in love with stone walls and cobbled streets.

Speaking of France, I had a wonderful, amazing time teaching on my Stitchtopia retreat and I fell a little bit in love with beautiful Carcassonne. It was ridiculously picturesque and atmospheric and I took a gazillion photos which I've spent aaaaaages organising and editing over the past few days.

I'd like to share my trip with you, if you'd be interested to see what an Attic24 Crochet retreat looks like? It was pretty colourful (of course) and there was lots of crochet and coffee and beautiful views and the sunniest sunshine.....more soon!

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Comments

[ساندویچ پانل]

Happy Birthday! Thanks for your lovely blog and photos

[Nick]

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[ساندویچ پانل]

Happy Birthday! Thanks for your lovely blog and photos

[ساندویچ پانل ماموت]

Reading this early in the morning, having only had a couple sips of coffee

[ساندویچ پانل]

Thank's for you'r information

[Karen]

Belated birthday wishes Lucy. Please write about your trip to Carcassonne with plenty of photos. I think I may have been there many years ago

[Lindsay]

Happy belated birthday Lucy!. Yes please talk about Carcassonne. We went there a few years ago with friends and had an incredible holiday. I walked around thinking about the Kate Mosse book, "Labyrinth". It is an absolutely stunning place, so full of character and atmosphere.

[Terra]

Happy birthday. I love stocks, yours are so pretty and they usually have a nice scent. You live in a beautiful area, the canals and the canal boats attract me, I have watched a few documentaries of people who live on the boats or travel on them. Timothy Spall did a series. The colors in the blanket are cheery.

[Julia]

Happy belated Birthday to you, Lucy! It sounds like you had a wonderful day celebrating. I also enjoy the simple pleasures of sipping my frothy coffee each morning as it really sets a nice tone for the day. It really is the little things, isn't it? So glad you had a nice time in France. Your photos are gorgeous!

[Ashley]

Your posts are always such a delight! Thank you for sharing. :) And yes, I would love to see photos of your time in France!

[Kate]

Thank you for the flowery boat photo, from one of the 20k!!! You do brighten our days xxx (plus make me crave a nice coffee quite often!)

[Brenda Drury]

Yes please Lucy, would love to see the photos of your crochet retreat. Carcassonne looks a lovely place and somewhere that I would like to visit at some point. Sending belated Happy Birthday wishes. Your blog is always a treat to read and brightens up my day. Thank you for the little peak into your world. Brenda x

[Noelle Sweeney]

Love your blankets just finished the Harbor blanket and loving it. Yes please share everything about your trip! I’m afflicted to your blankets. I’m having a hard time deciding which one to make next. Thank you! Noelle

[Jill]

Hi Lucy, Happy Birthday again! So lovely to see some Carcassonne pics, I've just blogged about the trip myself at emeraldcottage, looking forward to your next blogpost xxx

[gina in alabama]

Yes please show us the photos from Carcassone! Each time the Tour de France visits there I am inseparable from the television until the following day. It looks enchanting and a glimpse into the past. Happy Birthday! Autumn has arrived in Alabama too. 33F this morning and lots of leaves falling.

[Linda from Boston]

Happy belated birthday. Wishing you a blessed year ahead. I love the Dune blanket with the new kit. My sister in Michigan is still waiting for the kit!! She ordered it on the first day and it’s still not there. I think it’s lost.

[Beverley]

Happy Birthday Lucy. Wishing you lots of happiness.
The stock flowers are beautiful,I love their scent and colour.

[Jools Morgan-Jones]

Gorgeous photos, as always, Lucy - and I love the new nickname!
Penblwydd Hapus for your special day, too xxx

[Leslie Susan Clingan]

What glorious views you have, if I might say so myself. We have mountain views where I live. But I could certainly go for a view of any larger body of water. Anything bigger than a puddle!!

Glad you were well celebrated on your birthday. Hope you are keeping warm as the temps dip further. I am very partial to our central heat. More so than to our central air conditioning. I don't tolerate being cold well. But check out your beautiful quilt and those snazzy socks.

[Calirohé]

I would definitely be interested in pictures of the crochet retreat, it looks like you had a lot of fun!

And I am currently working on my Yuletide blanket (I know, a bit late to the party ^^'') and I like that pattern so much that I am reaaally tempted to make one with the Fireside pack :)

[Susan]

A big belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY. What a lovely post and yes you do live in a lovely part of the UK with many great walks through the seasons. The new blanket looks nice and cosy for you and we lived through the last 2 winters here in Oz without any central heating, just the logburner & we seem to be OK. Glad to hear that you had a great time away in France, then a nice catchup with some old friends. Take care & hugs.

[Sarah]

Carcassonne is quite a magical place isn’t it. Wonderful pics with gorgeous colours. Your cushion looks wonderful.
Yes I would love to hear about your trip 🙂

[Liz]

Love your pictures and the snaps of your days. Would love to read/see pics of the retreat!

[Carol Blakeley]

Happy belated Birthday. I love reading your posts & all the amazing photos you share.
I have been so drawn to the Fireside Blanket. The colours are stunning. I have been hesitant to purchase, living I Canada exchange & shipping add to the cost. My birthday is October 28th so I’m treating myself and just placed my order.
Have a peaceful day.
Carol

[Sandra]

Happy Birthday Lucy with love from the 'Friends of Attic24: Dorset".