Blogtober 2023 :: Day 4

Blogtober Day 4 :: Wednesday

There's been a very autumnal feeling in the air today, and I wore my flower scarf when I went out this morning. It wasn't especially cold but I just felt like being wrapped in the comforting woolyness of it somehow. To be honest, I forgot how very warm this scarf is (it's a merino/silk/alpaca blend yarn) and I overheated somewhat, so I'll maybe hold off on the shift to outdoor Autumnal clothing for a little while longer.

I went out for coffee mid morning, a quiet solo date by myself today. I do enjoy taking myself out for coffee, and if there happens to be a little sweet treat on the side as well, I'm very content indeed.

After my coffee I needed to go and buy some food, so I walked along the canal to the supermarket. I don't take this walk for granted, I feel so lucky that my local shops are all within easy striding distance and I can often avoid traffic completely. The canal is still busy with boats coming and going, and I love this big, wide colourful barge that has turned up with its collection of flower pots on the roof.

Although the trees are still leafy and green at the moment, I've noticed that leaves have already started to fall as we edge slowly into autumn.

Leaves and feathers are irresistible to me, I just cannot stop myself from picking them up and twirling them around as I walk. I actually don't know anybody else who does this in real life - maybe you do?! Please tell me if you do, if you carry feathers home, or arrange leaves in your fingertips as you walk along? I'd like to think I'm  not entirely alone with my weirdness.

I continue to be invaded by germs, urgh, it's very tiresome. Just a cold, nothing sinister, but I am over it already. When I got home from the supermarket I realised it was lunch time and I'd only eaten a Portuguese tart, so I made myself some porridge in a big chunky soup mug. I know my porridge always looks very lumpy because I usually have a lot of fruit going on in there. Today was sultanas, sliced banana and chopped pear, with a smattering of seeds on top for good measure. First porridge of the season and it was oh-so-comforting. As you can see, I ate it in bed like a sickly child feeling sorry for myself, but I can't deny the utter comfort of climbing back into bed in the middle of the day. 

In fact, I've been in bed all day, and I am still here in bed now, chatting to you at 8pm. Oh, I did get up for a few hours to prepare, cook and eat dinner, and see to some laundry, so it's not been all germy slouching about.

What I did do this afternoon was work bloomin' hard on getting the Starbright tutorial finished off properly. It's been a BEAST of a thing to create - over six thousand words I do believe. And what with all the snot and general foggy tiredness, well, I'm sure there must be some errors in there but I've really done my bestest. Please do shout if you find anything glaringly wrong or confusing and I'll fix it.

You can see I wasn't alone in my working bubble - Miss Tilly came to snooze some hours away with me and it was pretty lovely to have her company.

Yesterday I also managed to write up the V-stitch pattern as well. It's very straightforward so I didn't include any photos (I think I might add a few in tomorrow though, just in case they help) - I'm thoroughly enjoying my own stripes and managed to add one more this afternoon as I was waiting for the potatoes to cook.

So if you have a yarn pack arriving, or you are pulling from your stash or shopping local, then everything is now online for you to get started on your Starbright journey. Oh, maybe I should give you the links? I added them to the Starbright Ta-dah post from yesterday, but you can find both tutorials over in my left sidebar, in that long alphabetical list of  patterns.

S for Starbright Blanket and V for V-stitch Stripe Blanket.

STARBRIGHT TUTORIAL

V-STITCH PATTERN

I hope you've had a lovely day ... don't forget to talk to me about leaves and feathers ... and anything I can help you with that's Starbright related. Much love from my bed to yours xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

Comments

[Mandie]

The yellows greens and hints of red in the fallen leaves scream blanket at me 🙂
I have enjoyed reading your blogtober this morning whilst also nursing a cold.

[Helen Mathey-Horn]

I have 'lites' (glass window panes) on either side of the front door. There are four glass shelves per side and I am always bringing home leaves, acorns, feathers etc to place in little arrangements on the shelves. Then as the season changes (Christmas usually) I clear some it away and start again. Blue Jay feathers and woodpecker feathers usually remain as they are just so colorful(jay) and interesting.

[Patricia A]

There is nothing 'weird' about collecting nature's little treasures. It is a perfectly normal thing to do.
If people didn't examine the things around them, how could we know what we do??
Picking things up and twirling them in your fingers is a way of examining something.
I think the weird people are the ones who don't look at their environment.
Lovely to see you doing Blogtober.

[Corinne]

I have to have a dish of shiny new conkers every year, and I love throwing the sycamore keys/helicopters up to spin back down again! We collected a stone from each of the Normandy beaches when we went on a coach tour one year.
Look after yourself! Hot honey and lemon works wonders for me.
Oh, and the new blanket is gorgeous 😍

[Elizabeth]

Hope you feel better soon, Lucy. Sounds like you have a pretty bad bout of it. With any luck, once its over, you'll be done for the season, and isn't it nice to get the inevitable overwith? I like to collect nature's momentos too -- rocks, pinecones, shells, seaglass, leaves, but not feathers. My daughter won't let me. She says they carry diseases. I've never bothered to research it because, well, I collect enough stuff. And sand. I collect small amounts of sand wherever I go. It amazes me how different it is from place to place. I display it in antique perfume bottles. I have a whole bag full of liquidambar seedpods that will make a beautiful wreath, and a trunk full of pinecones that I plan to make into a garland. We don't have many trees here in SoCal that turn those spectacular colors in autumn, but liquidambar does a beautiful job of giving them a run for their money. This is a delicious time of year for all the senses. I hope you revel in it.

[Peggy]

I collect feathers. When my mom passed, I started finding random feathers here and there . I save them in my little spot beside my chair. A great home remedy for colds and what not is oil of oregano. Put a few drops in a glass with a bit of orange juice and drink up. It taste like motor oil, however it works . Do it twice a day for a couple of days . PS - check with the health food store to make sure it won’t interact with other meds or supplements. Hope you feel better soon

[Barbara]

Your walk along the canal bank sounds blissful. I too collect leaves , feathers, shells and beach glass. Such a therapeutic thing to do. Cuddly up in bed with cats is my all time favourite pastime. What’s not to love. I’m in awe of the amount of effort and love you put into your blankets. This one is another winner although I’m still tempted to start a fireside blanket. As ever I’m loving your homely posts although the reminders are not coming through on my blogger feed. I wonder if others are finding that too. No problem I have you saved as a favourite so I can check on you that way. B x

[natalia]

I also collect things as I walk, and every year bring a little bit of autumn into my home (don't have a garden) I used to do it with my little people who are now big people and have their own homes - but I haven't stopped, I always make a little space for leaves and berries and conkers every autumn. I don't know anyone else who does it either - so now there are 2 of us :) xx

[Wendy Bassett]

Occasionally feathers, but always leaves and I still love kicking through them 🙂. Last weekend I was collecting conkers with my 5 year old grandson which was lovely. You're not alone in your "weirdness" Lucy! Hope you feel better soon.

[Tineke]

You are in the good company of yarn lovers, hookers, and leaf lovers. I collect them, together with empty snail houses, and put them on display on my garden table. I taught my kids to do so and had long walks with them kicking up the leaves in the forest. We miss the red here in our hemisphere, but the orange and yellow are showing its gorgeous palette. I have had chicken all my life. And a macaw called Pedro for a long time. Pedro had the most gorgeous coloured feathers. I still have them. Together with the silkie and Wyandottes chicken feathers. Gold, blue, and fluffy.

[Tracy]

Hi Lucy, sorry your still not feeling well. Just getting over 2nd bout of covid myself.😓 Yep I'm with you on collecting leaves when I walk. I display them in my hands, as if they are in a frame.My husband is a wood turner and loves to point out all the different trees and how the wood looks when it's turned. My favourite is olive wood.Colours are amazing. Hope you feel better soon.xx

[Tracy Sutton]

Well done Lucy - hope you feel better soon. Sending hugs.

[Cynthia]

I don’t collect leaves or feathers, but like many others, I seem to like finding stones. I know when I have found a “friendly stone”, as it doesn’t have to be beautiful, but it is good if it is smooth in the hand.
Looking forward to visiting your area and town at the end of the month. Fingers crossed that we have good weather for some rambles, but coming from Vancouver Island we are rather used to drizzly weather!

[Charlotte]

Not exactly 'slouching'...you have been working! And hopefully recovering, not to mention keeping your germs away from everyone else!
I confess to picking up feathers (and bringing them home); occasionally leaves; but my real weakness is stones. There are so many beautiful stones from lovely places we've visited, decorating my home...heart shaped stones...stripey stones...amazingly coloured stones. Great to see there are more like us out there. We're just more sensitive to the beautiful things 'normal' people miss. And who wants to be 'normal' anyway?!

[Corinna Mazzotta]

Yes I too collect feathers, leaves, sea glass etc etc. I have an old jar full of the feathers that I have collected on my Welsh Dresser and in Autumn I'm always picking up beautiful leaves just to admire their colours.

Hope the lurgy is soon gone and you are feeling better again. Take care of yourself as you have so much going on at the moment - your immune system is having to work extra hard to combat all the stress hormones too!

So enjoying hearing from you daily - it feels like a chat with an old friend! Sending you lots of love. xx

[Jools Morgan-Jones]

Just catching up with the last half dozen posts or so.

LOVE the blanket in all its gloriousness!

I can sympathise re having a parent with dementia,and living a fair distance from them, too - it's hard work, so please try to be gentle with yourself. None of us are prepared for the emotion or the suddenness of it all.

And I hope you're feeling a bit better by now, too. Lots of fluids, stay cosy and try not to push yourself too hard xx

[Margaret looms]

I pick up leaves feathers stones confers acorns fir cones etc

[CJ]

Love collecting feathers leaves or seed heads when I am walking to twiddle through my fingers. My daughter only commented on it yesterday when I had a dried cow parsley seed head, which was particularly satisfying!

[Linda]

I do collect feathers…….i use them for dusting narrow places, and de-furring my sewing machine bobbin area..
And I pick leaves to put on my kitchen windowsill to enjoy the colours.

[Mrs Jane Halvey]

I too am a collector of things natural when I go for a walk. Acorns, pine cones, interesting sticks, feathers, stones and pebbles, shells and sea glass are among the things that can be found in my coat pockets.
And I feel your pain for being full of cold I am just getting over a cold that the children I work with so kindly shared with me last week.
Love having you back on a regular basis.
Yorkshire is my spiritual home (living in Nottinghamshire)so I love reading blogs from there. Can't wait for half term when we get to come up to Filey for the week. Jane x

[Saskia]

Hi Lucy, never ever think that you are the only one that feels/does/thinks etc. a certain way. There are so many people that are experiencing the same things at the same time, this always makes me feel better, not lonely anymore.
I too collect feathers, leaves, small stones, and I make way too many pictures of all the nice things I see. Don’t ever feel like it is just you!

[Sheila]

Absolutely with you on the leaves and feathers. And acorns and conkers and pretty pebbles and all manner of other things. Been doing it for my entire life. Both my house and car have a selection lurking in quiet corners, as do many of my coat pockets, often well after their best before dates.

[Léo]

I am also a leaf twirler if that can be a word. Also thanks for the V stitch pattern. I had a blanket with a similar stitch, but the moths found it delicious this summer. I was so sad because it had been the picnic blanket of my family for two generations probably! Now I can make another or mend thé damaged rows thanks to you.

[Sue]

I'm so with you on the leaves and feathers thing. Also acorns, bird egg shells, conkers, nice stones, you get my drift. My jacket pockets always have little surprises in them!

[Dawn]

Ohhh yes I to collect leaves and feathers. The feathers go in an old vase and the leaves, well, just looking at them and admiring the wonderful colours of autumn, sometimes pressing them in a book.
Hope you feel better soon x