November Weekending

I found out a few days ago that this endlessly grey weather has an official weathery name - welcome to the "Anticyclonic Gloom". Apparently it's been widespread throughout the country for most of November, and so far this month we've received less than one tenth of the sunshine we would normally get at this time of year. Huh, it's no wonder we've all been feeling the dampening effects of these low light days.

We walked in the woods at the weekend, and as you can see....

....so many of the leaves are now now off the trees and down on the ground. I tell you what though, even though everything looked and felt very dull, there was a lovely smell of damp, leafy earthiness which felt perfectly Novemberish. I expect that during this next week we'll be seeing mostly bare trees - it always seems to be that the leaves tumble down all at once and suddenly bare twigs everywhere. I try to be prepared, but every year it catches me by surprise.

With this week of high pressure and low cloud, everything has also been very dry and still, no rain, no wind. Massive advantage for me, the Eternal Reflection Lover, and I've really enjoyed walking along the canal and viewing the world upsidedown in  the water. Grey and dull, yes, but also weirdly calming and tranquil.

This weekend when I was out and about, I made a conscious effort to seek out the bright spots of colour. They are certainly there if you look, and I've been delighted by the sight of the reds, pinks and greens keeping the grey at bay.

Red Virginia Creeper....

...dusky pink hydrangea flowers....

...and yellowy-green ivy flowers.

Beautiful nature never fails to lift my spirits and keep me endlessly inspired.

Home life in November is one great big cosy affair and I'm doing my best to enjoy it and embrace the indoorsiness. I made soup on Saturday, a flung-together recipe which involved leeks, some wild garlic leaves from the freezer, a random tin of butter beans and some frozen edamame beans. It wasn't fantastically tasty if I'm honest, very mild mannered and in need of a little pizazz I thought. So I stirred in some fresh green pesto and drizzled extra on the top and oh my, that really did make it something special. So leek, bean and pesto soup, yes I'd make it again.

November weekending most definitely involves plenty of Hearth Worship, and as always I was right there soaking in the light and warmth and love love loving it. I'm really enjoying my new socks by the way, the colours are soooo pretty and please me greatly, plus they are really warm and cosy. Sock perfection. 

I spotted (and purchased) the first little crate of leafy clementines from the supermarket this weekend, oh, happy days! They taste so good, the perfect balance of citrussy tartness and juicy sweetness. I should also tell you that now the leafy clems are in, I am keeping daily watch for the pots of hyacinths because it's almost time for my annual Hyacinth Appreciation ritual.

In fact, the more I think about it, the more I realise that November does bring a lot of seasonal joy into my life.

After a ridiculous amount of dithering and indecision, my fresh flowers this week are orange roses. Now, supermarket roses are usually one of my last-resort choices (along with carnations and alstroemeria), but there was something charming about this orange bunch which drew me in. I decided to cut them short so they would fit in this lovely pale yellow handmade jug, and I added in a few rogue stems of Alchemilla which I found still flowering in the front garden.

I remembered that the colour of roses has all sorts of symbolism attached, so I looked up the meaning of giving/receiving orange roses - apparently they symbolise "fascination, enthusiasm, desire, and energy". Well, that sounds like a bit of alright and I'm very happy I gifted all those positive emotions to myself.

Talking of orange energy and enthusiasm, my latest blanket is officially off the starting blocks and the very first stripe is orange. This is the Canalboat blanket which I'm making for my new year Crochet-Along, and sadly my yarn packs have been delayed somewhere between Turkey and the UK. Isn't it funny to think of the yarn out there somewhere, making its journey to Yorkshire, maybe floating on the sea right now.....ahhh, I hope it makes it safely to our shores. I think it's going to be early December before the yarn kits will be in my shop at Wool Warehouse which isn't ideal, but I'm beyond happy to be on this new blanket journey and I think I'm going to share more if it with you during this next week.

This morning, Monday, we finally saw an end to the anticyclonic gloomdom and wow, wow, wow, what a fiery show it was too. The sky.......oh, just LOOK!!!! Seven twenty this morning and everything was glowing like it was on fire.

The day continued to brighten and we ended up with the brightest of blue skies full of sunshine, such a welcome feeling and something of a relief too. Finally, the sun is back, and what a joy it was. J and I drove across the hills to visit the gardens at Harlow Carr and it was stunning with so much colour still. I took a raft of colour-drenched photos, and I'm looking forward to sharing those with you.

I hope your weekending was good and filled with cosy little rituals and joyful moments. I hope there was colour and warmth and things you felt grateful for. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

Comments

[Laura]

If the yarn packs are delayed until December I guess a lot of us will be getting them for Christmas 🎄 🎄…maybe we could make a little decoration with them too?!

[Lucy VP]

I can’t wait for the new CAL pattern to come out so that I can order my yarn pack. And cross my fingers it doesn’t get stuck in customs this time. ☺️

[Kate]

Despite a November birthday I'm not a fan of this time of year, but the colours are fabulous! Very excited for another CAL

[Brenda]

Lucy, gorgeous photos! Thank you for transporting me to a wonderful world of calm and colour away from all the hustle and bustle going on at this time of year.

[Jackie]

Did you eat fruit salad sweets when you were younger? They're what popped into my head when I saw your picture of the pink, orange and yellow sky.🙂

[Deb]

Gorgeous photos, Lucy, even in the grey! I took a step out of real life this weekend and just chilled. There’s a lot going on in my life at the moment but it felt like the right thing to do, and it absolutely was, as I feel considerably refreshed and revitalised for it. Sooo looking forward to the new CAL, but also determined to have a go at socks next year as yours always fill me with delight! X

[Evi]

Thanks for sharing these lovely moments, Lucy. The colours, the autumn vibes ...

[Christine]

I'll send you some sunshine from north queensland Lucy, it's so hot here now as we await the wet season. Daytime temperatures of 34 degrees and not dropping below 24 degrees at night time.

[Debbi Robertson]

Wow! Your two last photos are spectacular!
Absolutely SPECTACULAR!

[Linda]

Lovely warming blog again Lucy.
Like you I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed by such dull days. Really grey here in the South East.
Thankful for a brighter day today. We were able to walk round the lake on our estate today, at a slow pace as hubby is recovering from his surgery.
Beautiful trees and lots of waterfowl including our two resident swans.
I got my wool warehouse parcel on Saturday. Oh I am having to wait before starting the Yuletide I ordered. Two baby cardigans made. One more to go.
I am tied up with wedding preparations too as our daughter is getting married on Saturday. I have all the clothes here to iron. Having shortened one suit for a grandchild. Just the brides dress to sort, needs ironing as very crumpled.
Hope your sleep is improved with the better weather and some sunshine.
Best Wishes Lucy.
From Linda

[Alisa]

Beautiful pics!

[Orfann]

Glorious day indeed...Lest we Forget the freedom to wander peacefully in our motherly land with surprising weather...

Hope the yarn packs arrive safely 🤞

Orangeeee looks like reeling in 🧡🟧🟠 roses, skyline, clementines, warmth of 🔥 and yarn goodness...

Thank you Kindly...

[Frances]

I woke up to the same gorgeous coloured sky in Leeds, I suppose we are in the same part of the world aren’t we? 😉

[Veronica Howard]

Thank you for a blog with all my favourite colours . The little wooded area that the front of my house looks onto has mainly bare trees now but, the bottom half of them is green with all the ivy growing over them. Your trip to Harlow Carr looks amazing. I just love the autumn colours. Fingers crossed for your packs to arrive safely and soon. I’m very excited to see your canal boat CAL