September Seasonal Shift

September was such a lovely month here this year, an absolutely perfect mix of summer and autumn. This seasonal shift has caught me by surprise in the best possible way, and I have to say that one week into Autumn and I am really loving it.

Early September still felt very summery with warm, dry weather and many days of sunshine. My toes were certainly happy :)

Little B went back to school in the second week of September and setting an alarm again after the ease of the summer holidays was a bit of a shock to the system. I do enjoy the school routine though, and once the youngest, noisiest child is out of the house for the day a rather delicious quietness settles on the home front. 

The kitty has wanted to be close to her humans just lately and in the quiet of the morning I really enjoy her cosy company. She's not a cat that you can entice onto your lap very easily, so these kind of snuggles are always very much on her terms and it's lovely when she decides I'm the place to be!

I bought summery flowers for my table and gave our downstairs living room a bit of a tidy up and a refresh. I don't mind telling you that I was very lazy over the summer months when it came to housework, but there is something about the back-to-school vibe which returns the focus to home routines.

I continue to really enjoy my weekly yarny meet-ups at the café and in September I was obsessed with knitting these socks. I managed to finish one sock down to the end of the toes, and the second sock is ready to start with the heel I think. I had to put them away while I concentrated on creating the Fireside tutorial, but with the colder weather snapping in I really want these socks off my needles and onto my feet. It's firmly on my to-do list.

Middle of September I was gifted some beautiful produce from my friend's allotment plot which almost made my cry with gratitude and delight. A punnet of the most delicious sun ripened tomatoes and a bunch of flowers for drying so that they'll last right through the winter months.

Such beautiful late summer colour wrapped in newspaper, a nostalgic reminder of my childhood too as my Mum used to grow these flowers on her allotment.

I made a caprese salad for my lunch with some of the tomatoes and ooooohmygosh it was ever so good. Such simple, fresh flavours and a real taste of summer.

This was a sunny Saturday afternoon walk around local fields and lanes because it was just too nice to stay indoors.

 I stood for ages watching that tractor ploughing up and down the side of that huge hill, it was crazy satisfying to observe the slow but pleasing toil of it somehow. I remember also thinking that the colours of the landscape in mid September perfectly matched the seasonal shift from summer to autumn.

I love this view as we get near to home after our walks out to neighbouring villages. We live in quite a hilly area of the town and I love to see all the old Victorian terraced streets following the contours.

We had some really beautiful weather once we'd passed over the autumn equinox, the sort of bright, clear skies that invite you to walk just for the pleasure of it.

I found myself wandering through the park and up to the farm shop one morning, just to get a feel for the season and see what was fresh and inviting. Lots and lots of baby pumpkins greeted me as I walked in the door, leaving no doubt about the season we are now in. Bye-bye summer.

I didn't buy baby pumpkins, but I did buy chocolate. This is one of my favourite local chocolates made in York and I just love it. I love the packaging and I love the gorgeous flavours they come up with - dark chocolate is my preference and this Blood Orange Gin flavour did not disappoint. Crikey it was insanely good.

Some days have felt very much more autumnal than others, and although September was a pretty dry month we did have our fair share of the damps. Low, low cloud pressing down on the landscape....

....spinning teeny, tiny droplets of water into the hedgerows and over everything, us included.

Other days were just amazingly golden and gorgeous, I mean, look how StUNning this light is!! Seven o'clock and the sun is just rising over the hilltops at this time of year, my goodness it really is something special to be out in the world at that time of day.

A gorgeous reward for those early alarms and a reminder that a brisk morning walk is so, so, so good for the mind and soul as well as for the body.

I am still wearing my sandals on days when it's dry and not too chilly, but I often find that by mid afternoon my toes need a little snuggle time. So far we've managed to keep the central heating off and have been making very good use of the crochet blankets and woolly layers as the temperature continues to drop. I light the fire most evenings now, and am truly embracing the cosy vibe of the autumn season.

So here we are into the beginning of Autumn and summer is most definitely over for another year. I've got an exciting trip coming up though, and I'm hoping for some wonderful, warm sunshine which will be such a treat. On Monday I'm going to be travelling south, all the way down to south west France in fact to spend a week in the medieval walled city of Carcassonne (pictured above). This is a working holiday for me - I'm travelling with Stitchtopia and will be teaching on a crochet retreat with a lovely group of ladies, and I'm pretty bloomin' excited I can tell you.

I'll look forward to catching up with you all once I'm back here in Atticland, I will probably have one or two photos to show you from France.........! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Emily W.]

The lighting on the sunrise photos are mesmerizing! Nice camerawork too :)

[Laura Miller]

Such a beautiful autumnal post. I love all those burnt oranges and deep greens that emerge this time of the year. Makes me want to hunker down and hibernate. (I think I might be a hedgehog in disguise). We too have been lighting our wood burner rather than switching on the heating and I have to say it's made our family all gather together in the evenings instead of staying in separate rooms. Lots of conversation and general 'togetherness'. It's wonderful so there is a good side to the energy crisis it would seem. Enjoy France! Can't wait to see the pics. x

[Anna-Karin (from Sweden)]

Beautiful!!!
I really love the socks you are working on. What length (and brand?) do you have on your knitting needles when you knit these socks?
Eagerly awaiting your post about France :)
xxx

[Carly]

Had such joy reading about your September!

[Beverley]

Thank you for sharing your September with us. It was a lovely month watching Autumn slowly start to unfold her seasonal colours.
Hope you enjoyed your week in France

[Jane Wood]

Dear Lucy . Thank you so much for the Pumpkin pattern As you say they are very addictive . I have just made 3 for friends . The instructions were most excellent thank you very much . I hope you have a lovely happy time in France . All the best . Kind regards . Jane . Reading xx

[Nora McGrann]

Beautiful photos as always Lucy..
Hope you've a great time in Carcassone
Knitting socks myself.. Have you a favourite yarn?
Thanks for sharing YOUR world with us..
Nora 😘

[Devonna]

I LOVE your blogs! They take me away to a special place and let me nestle into a beautiful, gentle calm. I get to visit England, which I love. I have never been but I would love to go. I love watching British TV, movies, just to see the villages and country sides. You are blessed to live in such a beautiful country!

[baning]

Your post always makes my day, your photos, sometimes we forgot that happiness comes from simple daily life. Thanks for sharing.

[Kathy]

Oh lovely…I met you at Black Sheep Wools…two years ago…just before the lock down…I live in France ..but in the North….my daughter however lives in Aix en Provence…I’ve been there so much this sunmmer…how. Wish I’d known this workshop was going on…
Her partner was fruit (grapes, courgettes, etc )picking in Perpignan all last Summer…
But it’s not that far away….I would have loved to attend…
Hope you’re doing ok….
Keep it n touch

[Elizabeth]

Blood orange gin and dark chocolate? Yum! Whoever came up with that flavor combination deserves a medal. I love the change of the seasons. I find each one has its own gifts, and each brings joy in its own way. I can't really choose a favorite -- kind of a "love the one you're with" situation. Right now, I'm totally besotted with autumn. Hope you have a lovely time in Carcasonne. What is it about walled cities, topped with turrets and little conical roofs, that seems so utterly romantic?

[CJ]

Oh my goodness, those sunrise photos are stunning, absolutely stunning. The allotment tomatoes are brilliant, I find tomatoes very tricky but those are very nicely done. My youngest is the noisiest as well, I wonder if it's a position-in-the-family thing. The chocolate sounds excellent. My eldest is in Yorkshire now and discovering all sorts of Yorkshire produce, including Yorkshire tofu, believe it or not. CJ xx

[Femke]

Thank you for sharing your colourful stories here, I am always enjoying them very much. Wishing you a wonderful time in Carcassonne!

[Louise]

Crocheting in Carcasonne sounds amazing! Have a wonderful time! We're cruising into Spring here in Kangarooland and after a long, dank winter I am running hell for leather towards it as fast as my little rubber clogged feet can carry me! I'm getting the veggie garden ready, sowing seeds and picking sweet peas like a crazy lady! Your autumnal photos are beautiful though!

[Dorothée]

I just came back from a 4 days trip to Carcassonne. I am sure you will love the old City and the surrounding landscape

[Jennifer Keast]

Have a great time Lucy - my Stitchtopia retreat with you in France is one of my life’s highlights - highly recommend if anyone is thinking of going on one of your holidays. I’d love to do it again xxx

[Tineke]

Ah, recognized Carcasonne in an instant. You will love it, have a great time there. I am so happy October will give it 20 degrees again next week. I need a little bit of sunshine to say hello to autumn.

[Evi]

Love your colorful blog!!

[Katherine, New Zealand]

Those sunrise pics are just glorious! x

[Rachell]

Lucky lucky you! Have a fabulous time Lucy. I look forward to seeing photos and hearing about sunny days full of chatter and yarn.

Not at all jealous…!

[Jo white]

Ah a lovely post Lucy🥰 .. missed my visit this year to skipton.. such a lovely place to live.. lucky you ! Xx🥰

[Gillian M]

This post made me so happy, homesick here in the US!

[Angela]

Oooh I love those straw flowers! They make great decorations on cards and gifts too! I’ve got some straw flower seeds that I need to sow very soon before it’s too late in the season. Thank you for another lovely post! Have a wonderful trip to France!!!