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Blogtober 2023 :: Review

October 2023 - what a crazy, emotional, unexpected rollercoaster of a month!

It's now nine days since the end of my October daily blogging marathon and I've been thinking that I'd better write up my review before it all disappears completely in the foggy depths of my memory bank.  I've spent quite a while today looking back through all my photos and reminding myself what the start of the month looked like because I honestly couldn't remember. I'd been in Dorset in the very last few days of September (I shared photos from that trip on Day 7), so at the start of October I was a bit frazzled and just starting to feel unwell too.

And of course, in the early Blogtober days I was not only photographing and writing my daily blogs, but I was also frantically trying to create the tutorial and blog posts for the launch of my new Starbright blanket. I was ill in bed for a few days, but still working hard on doing allll the Starbright things even with a heavy head full of cold. It's no wonder the start of the month is so hazy, I had completely forgotten until looking at photos that I had been unwell, and that the Starbright Ta-dah took place!

Ahhh, those Starbright  squares - how glorious they look, the colours really are quite something. I am so proud of this blanket, it wasn't an easy design journey by any means and I absolutely love the end result. Throughout October it gave me so much pleasure to see you receiving your yarn kits and embarking on your own Starbright squares, so thank you very much for sharing in the social groups.

The beginning of October also saw me starting out on my very own stripy Starbright, I just couldn't resist the lure of those easy, therapeutic rows of little V's.

I really enjoyed having a crochet project to take with me on my various travels in October, it certainly made the many train journeys more pleasurable. Currently I'm about two thirds of the way done with this blanket and am looking forward to getting to the border (hopefully by the end of this month) so that I can share with you what I decide to do around the edge. This blanket is nothing but pure hooky pleasure.

October was a month of very turbulent weather and there were a lot of wet and stormy days. It made it difficult to plan ahead in terms of anything we wanted to try and do outdoors, but we are pretty good at last minute decisions and getting out and about to walk whenever we can.

^^We walked at Bolton Abbey on Day 1 when an eerie mist was hanging low over the river.

^^ Day 9 saw us venture out to walk around Linton Falls and Grassington, and even in the grey drizzle it was beautifully picturesque.

^^ We had unexpectedly glorious blue skies on Day 15 and we drove out to Malham to walk around the cove. A picnic lunch and a sunny afternoon drink sat outside the pub was a delight.

We walked a few times through our local woodland and enjoyed watching the progression of Autumn as the month passed.

In fact, I think observing the seasons change and capturing the subtle colour shifts on my camera each month is one of my favourite things about blogging. Actually, it's one of my favourite things about life in general! It's such a simple but beautiful way to practice mindfulness and gratitude each day, and I shared a lot of my seasonal observations with you throughout Blogtober.

October is also a great month to celebrate the start of the Cosy Season, and it's most definitely my favourite Autumn month. We usually light our first fire in October, and I enjoy decorating my mantel for the season (Day 23). Once the fire is lit then I can give in to the idea that Summer is over for another year (it takes me a while to get on board) and start enjoying the best bits of the season. Woolly socks and fireside warmth are absolutely the best bits for me, along with candles and fairy lights of course. Warmth and light - I'm always seeking out those things in my day, whatever the time of year.

Aside from enjoying all the home comforts, October also saw me travel away from home an unusual amount - three times in fact. That meant three lots of train travel and ten nights sleeping in various beds that weren't my own.

The most enjoyable and surprising trip I made last month was to Scarborough over on the Yorkshire coast. It was a massive all-in act of self care, a spontaneous few solo days away for me to recharge my batteries and I absolutely loved every second of it. From the time I set off to walk to the train station to the moment I walked back in the front door two days later was full of positive energy and gratitude. I was really happy to take you along with me - if you missed it, you can read all about it via the following links :

Day 10 :: Day 11 :: Day 12 

The 12th October is also my birthday and I celebrated turning 55 this year. The day was extra special because I was able to fulfil a dream of mine - seeing the sun rise over the sea on the morning of my birthday is something I won't ever forget. It was absolutely magical.

I had the best of everything on my birthday because not only did I get my morning sea fix, but I then got to travel home to my fabulous family who made me feel very loved and valued....cheers to that!

As I mentioned earlier, I did a lot of train travel in October, way more than is usual for me in the span of one month.

On Day 25 I had the pleasure of spending the day in Leeds with my gorgeous girl. Another spontaneous decision to escape the hum-drum routine of daily life for a while and indulge a little. We shopped, ate lunch, shopped some more, ooooohed and aaaahed our way around the Big Shops, rode up and down escalators, sauntered in and out of arcades and finished off with a really delicious cocktail. Decadent and very enjoyable I have to say.

And finally, not one but TWO journeys down to Dorset in October, my goodness, it was a lot. Over a thousand miles of travel, a huge amount of emotional expenditure and only one week in between to recuperate. Dealing with all of that took a lot out of me, but throughout it all I continued to write and share and aimed to capture the snippets of good in each day. You were all tremendously supportive and I am so grateful that I had you with me so that I didn't feel so alone or disconnected.

I don't need to say any more - I've reached the point where I need to free up my head space from it all and not keep rehashing the ins and outs. But if you are new here reading my tales and are utterly confused, then you can read my Blogtober Dorset entries ::

Days 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 (first trip just me travelling by train)

Days 28, 29, 30, 31 (second trip, this time with J by my side).

So a third of the month was spent galivanting elsewhere, but the remaining two thirds of Blogtober were all about documenting the comforting, ordinary, ever so slightly mundane elements of daily life. And make no mistake, I LOVE sharing this type of content, it's the backbone of Original Blogging and I'm here for it. I occasionally felt like I was in a repetitive spin of boringness, but mostly I enjoyed really opening my eyes and looking for the beauty in the ordinary parts of my day. I shared my cups of coffee (of course I did),  my cosy moments, my germ-days written from bed. There were walks to the shops and along the canal, some therapeutic baking and my slow times spent at home doing nothing in particular. Crochet and flowers and woolly socks and fireside joy. 

Writing a daily blog is actually quite hard in that it takes up a large amount of mental head space throughout the day. And then there is the time spent in the evenings uploading, editing, writing, proof reading and crafting something that can be published for the world to see. Typically I spend around two hours making each blog post and it's been so lovely to have the engagement back from you in return. Those of you who write to me regularly, thank you from the bottom of my heart - I value our community so much. And if you've never left me a comment before, do please be brave and write to me sometime in the comments section - comments are soul-food for bloggers like me!! 

I thought it would be fun to share this years stats with you, just as I did last year.....

Number of daily blogs completed : 31  (full house - yay!)

Total number of photographs shared : 364 (a small percentage of the photos I actually took)

Total number of beautiful comments : 826 (thank you, thank you, thank you)

Total number of words written by me : 24, 467 (yes, I am a wordy so-and-so)

 

It's been a pleasure, truly - thanks for the company along the way.

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♥ Blogtober 2021 review

♥ Blogtober 2020 review

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blogtober 2023 :: Day 31

Blogtober Day 31 :: Tuesday

Eeeeeep, it's been a day. I tried so hard to keep it all together this morning as we packed up the car, but of course it wasn't possible and all that emotion came spilling out of me. It was messy. In a desperate attempt to help, J drove us into town, grabbed us a quick coffee and took us to the sea for a short while, bless him. It was only 8am, my goodness, so much early morning drama from yours truly!

It was gorgeous on the beach this morning, truly wild and wonderful. 

I rescued the one and only plant in my Dad's house which has managed to stay alive on the kitchen windowsill for countless years. I hope it'll be happy in the Attic.

We're home now, back to our messy house with happy kids and I'm sorry I can't quite think of what words to write here at the moment. I have simply come to a tired full stop.

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Blogtober 2023 :: Day 30

Blogtober Day 30 :: Monday

I slept unbelievably badly last night and got up around 3.30 am I think, after spending too much time tossing and turning. I came downstairs, made myself a cup of tea and sat in the darkness of this house thinking about the fact that I most likely won't ever be returning here again after tomorrow. It's a strange mixture of relief and deep sadness, of letting go of the bad, but still wanting to cling to the good. I guess I'm just beginning to process the enormity of all this change and the implications on my own life.

I spent more hours this morning going through the remaining cupboards and drawers upstairs, gathering together the things that I need in order to deal with all the life admin on my Dad's behalf. Once I was sure I'd not left any box, drawer or bag unopened, I declared myself done. Done. I am so, so done with it all. Whatever the word is for beyond-done, I'm feeling that word to my core. We loaded up the car with a huge amount of paper/cardboard and general rubbish and drove to the local recycling centre to fling it all into the skips in a great big cathartic avalanche. Done.

Afterwards, we found ourselves just down the road from the recycling centre seeking out a coffee as I felt like I had lived through a whole day by this point and it was still only ten thirty. Luckily we knew exactly where to go - the local garden centre of course. Not to buy pots of cyclamen (although they did look stunning) but to settle ourselves into the cosy warmth of this stunning glass building. The Ivy House All Day Kitchen - yes please.

We'd heard good things about the Ivy House and it didn't disappoint. I adored the light, the warmth and the abundant views of greenery and sky and the coffee was excellent. Fully breakfasted and caffeinated, we decided to drive straight to the care home to pay my Dad a visit. It was so good to find him happy, out in the garden having a cheeky smoke with a couple of the carers keeping him company when we arrived. He was ever so pleased to see us, and although he seemed a little unsure of his new surroundings and still totally confused about why he was there, his general mood was calm and reasonably happy. When we left him after lunch he was waiting for the party to start (a Halloween party with fancy dress and games) and I felt a huge sense of relief.

We decided to drive the scenic route back to Bridport....

....heading up into the hills to stop a while at Hardy Monument.

It's a lovely, quiet place high up on the downs in rural Dorset, and the long reaching views are spectacular on a clear day. J and I strolled round taking in the Dorset landscape and reminiscing about past times when we've eaten picnic's up here with the Little People. It's been quite strange for the both of us being here without any offspring as it's always been somewhere we've come as a family for holidays. I say strange, but actually....full disclosure.....it's been rather lovely to only have to think about the two of us for a change. Freeing.

The drive back follows the coast road and it's sooooo beautiful along here when the weather is good. Look how lucky we were with the sunshine! It did rain this morning (of course it did) but when the downpours came, we were tucked inside the Ivy House sipping frothy coffee and feeling all smug in our dry-ness.

I love love love the Dorset coastline so much. It is, and always will be HOME for me.

We met up with Lady B in the pub later this afternoon, enjoying a glass of vino and feeling glad that all in all, things seem to be going alright for us. We are adjusting to the new normal, and it's all alright.

Tomorrow J and I are driving home to Yorkshire, and I'm pretty sure I'm ready to close this chapter of my life.

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Blogtober 2023 :: Day 29

Blogtober Day 29 :: Sunday

I've had a good day today, a mixture of working hard here in the house this morning, and then spending time out and about this afternoon while the weather was decent. At lunch time we walked into town to go and meet Lady B as we'd decided to go to the pub for a Sunday roast.

I love old, traditional pubs, and this particular one in the middle of the town is where we've had a lot of boozy fun over the decades, we know it very well! It's called The Ropemakers, a reference to the time when Bridport was famous for it's rope and net making industry. We enjoyed a lovely lunch, it's been a long time since I had a full roast beef dinner and it felt luxurious to sit and be waited on.

After lunch, J and I set off to walk down to the sea - it's roughly two miles along the river bank and across fields, and guess what??? >>>

>>> the SUN was actually SHINING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The weather forecast has been dire, but for a few hours today we were able to feel the sun on our faces and it felt wonderful.

It was extremely windy still, and the sea was relentlessly crashing huge rolling waves onto the beach. 

We called into the Watchhouse café which sits right on the shingle, and had afternoon coffee and cake, because, why not?! That substantial slab on my plate is Dorset Apple cake and it was absolutely delicious.

The weather slowly changed as the afternoon moved on, and ominous clouds began to creep over the sun. You can see in the above photo how rough the sea has been the past few days, I'm sure the brave folks standing at the end of the pier would have gotten a salty shower or two.

We walked around the harbour from the east side over to the west side....

...where I walked along the wild and windy shoreline before retreating to sit with J.

It was lovely to just sit on a bench and listen to the sound of the sea for a while. Not exactly peaceful (wild sea gives off a lot of energy), but good all the same.

Walking back homewards across the fields at around 3.30, we were attempting to outrun the advancing weather. I could feel the threat of rain chasing us, and of course it did eventually catch us up. It wasn't a light shower either, no, it was a short but very heavy down pour...we got drenched! Wet through (and my crazy northern husband was wearing a t-shirt) but we looked at each other with water pouring down our faces and had a good laugh about the state of us both. 

The upside of the drenching was this stunning rainbow, and that beautiful golden light you get after heavy rain. By the time we got back to the house we were both exhausted in that satisfying way you get when you've walked some good miles and filled your lungs with wild sea air. I adore that feeling, it's so, so good.

It's 6pm now, and we're here in this warm, quiet house and it's pitch black dark outside. It's pouring with rain again, with a little dramatic thunder and lightening thrown in for good measure. I thought I'd like to share with you some of the things I found this morning, in the productive hours when many drawers and cupboards were emptied, and the loft was conquered. I've decided to be extremely minimal in what I take home with me, so aside from some family photos and a beautiful old plate (which I forgot to photograph), this is my current haul.....

Three Observer books to add to my collection.

A fossil - no idea where it came from but it's always been here in this house and I'd like to re-home it.

A small, solid glass paperweight which has always sat on the bathroom windowsill.

A teeny-tiny glass bird which I found on top of a dusty shelf (it was my Mums).

Now this is precious indeed. It's one of many drawings inside an old scrap book which I found in the loft. That's my Mum's handwriting, and the pages are diary entries from January-March 1972. Every day she made a page with me (I was aged three at the time), describing the weather and what we saw that day. 

Rainbow Raindrops! Apparently that's what I saw on Sunday 6th February, 1972.

And on 19th March, I saw a Robin in the Hawthorn tree.

I drew pictures of all my daily discoveries - squirrels and rain and windy clouds and snowdrops and puddles and ducks on the pond in the park. I am beyond happy to have found this book with its faded pages and my Mum's careful writing.

In the loft I also found my old portfolios of art work from school and art college days, the above watercolour I think I did at school when I was seventeen. Honestly, none of the work is worth keeping (I wasn't all that talented with fine art) but it was fun to revisit the memories. 

I also found this quilted picture in a cupboard which I am going to keep, it was one of the projects I made for my A level textiles exam when I was eighteen. I very clearly remember the hours and hours (and hours) I spent stitching and piecing this all by hand, it was a real labour of love.

So many french knots haha, I used to be obsessed with them, well I was obsessed with embroidery in general, and went on to study it at degree level. Did you know that? Yes, weirdly I have a BA (hons) degree in embroidered textiles.

And really, that's all I have for today, it's been a good day, kind of emotional but not really in a bad way. Lots more to do tomorrow, but I think we're going to go and pay my Dad a visit in the morning, so that will get us out of the house for a little while.

Thanks so much for tagging along with me, my days are a little on the wobbly side at the moment and I'm giving you the highlight reel, so thank you for all your love and support.

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Blogtober 2023 :: Day 28

Blogtober Day 28 :: Saturday

It's 286 miles from the Attic to my Dad's house in Dorset which means roughly a six hour journey if we make a refreshment stop along the way. We decided to leave early and were on the road just after 7am, so with one hundred miles left to travel we stopped for a break. Our stopping place of choice was the Gloucester Services and farm shop which is a world apart from the usual motorway services and a wonderful new discovery for us this year. As you can see above it's very eco-friendly, and the whole building is built into a grassy hill surrounded by natural landscaping with a small lake right outside the café.

Despite being inside an actual hill, the inside of the building is bright and spacious, and feels very up market.

The farm shop is magnificent! There is a huge grocery store selling organic and artisan produce, but it was the bakery section that really had me drooling. Look at the bread, have you ever seen such a beautiful bready display?

And the pastries....oh my....so divine! I picked out the one at the very front there which is a cinnamon pretzel and J and I shared it with a cup of coffee.....

....sat beside the large windows at the back of the building looking out over the terrace and lake. It was a lovely break in our journey and two hours later we had landed in Dorset.

The front of my Dad's house is rather overgrown with very mature shrubs sprawling all over the place. It's very pretty though, with lots of autumn colour happening...

....and even in the rain it looked lush.

But my goodness, did it rain. When we first arrived we had to sit in the car for a while because the heavens had opened and it was literally pouring down. Eventually we made a dash to the house, and all afternoon the rain pounded against the windows and bounced off the outdoor surfaces.

Around five o'clock it still looked very moody out there, but at least the rain had stopped for a while. We ate an early dinner, and then decided to take a quick drive down to the sea for a bit of salty fresh air before settling in for an early night.

It was around 6pm when we arrived and the sea was pounding onto the shore, with huge waves crashing right over the pier as you can see in the above photo.

Ooooo, it was wild!!!!

It was so invigorating just being there, all blustery and windy with loud waves and sea spray filling the air.

We chanced a short walk along the west promenade but it was like taking a cold, salty shower - needless to say we got wet! 

Along the side of the harbour, the high tide combined with stormy weather had brought the water levels right up to the very top so that the harbour was actually overflowing. It's been many years since I saw the sea levels so high.

We didn't stay for long at the harbour because the dark is creeping in quite early now that we're close to the end of October. The clocks go back an hour tonight as British Summer Time officially comes to an end, so we'll really notice the daylight shrinking in the evenings.

I'm hoping that tomorrow won't be quite so wet as I fancy a walk into town for a coffee in the morning. Gotta get some good strong coffee in my system before I can start rummaging through the depths of this sad old house. It's going to be a discovery adventure tomorrow....I wonder what treasures I might find? 

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Blogtober 2023 :: Day 27

Blogtober Day 27 :: Friday

We accidentally overslept this morning so sadly didn't have enough time to go for our early walk and I missed it. As much as I felt rested after getting a full eight hours sleep, I've also weirdly felt more sluggish today than usual - honestly, I know I go on about it a lot, but a 45minute brisk walk (preferably with one or two hills thrown in) first thing in the morning really does wonders for general energy levels throughout the day. I can highly recommend it.

By the time I went out it was a quarter to ten and a light drizzle was making everything very wet (me included). I didn't mind too much because it's a very short walk for me on Friday mornings and it's all down hill....

....to Coopers Café. I love my yarny Friday mornings so much and really look forward to it every week. I ate a yummy breakfast (avocado and crispy bacon on sourdough toast) and enjoyed my frothy chocolate dusted cappuccino. I crocheted exactly two Starbright stripes, but most importantly it was just really good fun this morning - isn't it lovely to be in the company of friends who can make you feel full of life and laughter? I think so, it's one of life's great pleasures.

I walked home just after midday and thankfully the rain had eased and the sky felt a little bit lighter at last.

I love this canal boat which has arrived in the past few days (the canal seem to be exceptionally busy this month with a lot of visiting boats coming and going every day). I didn't photograph it very well, but it has lovely paintings on the sides and is decorated with pretty wooden floats and bunting.

As I was walking homewards I saw that something was happening around the old mill chimney. This chimney is part of Victoria Mill which was built in the mid 1800's when it was steam powered and used to process corn (it's now converted into flats). The chimney is registered with English Heritage so it's a protected landmark, and as you can see, those hardy looking Yorkshire fellas were preparing to carry out a safety inspection. I stopped to chat to them, and they told me that this chimney was only "a baby" (it's 100 feet high) and they were used to climbing chimneys three times as high! The young  fella on the left had just come down from his first ever climb and he told me " it was scary as hell" and his knees were still shaking. However, the man just on his way up apparently has forty years of experience climbing, fixing and inspecting historical chimneys all over Yorkshire - what a job!

^^ LOOK!!!!!! There he is right up on the top - honestly my knees were knocking just looking at him. Imagine being one hundred feet up in the air like that?!

J and I went out this afternoon to visit his Mum and Dad for "a brew" (that's what a cup of tea is called in Yorkshire). We also needed to pick up a ladder that we're borrowing so that we can climb up and access my Dad's loft this weekend. Yes.....yet another trip to Dorset is in my immediate future because we need to start the process of sorting through my Dad's house and preparing it for clearance. It's a bit daunting, but I'm really, really glad that a) I'm not going by train this time and b) that J will be with me. I shall of course take you with me too, because I'll be finishing my last days of Blogtober while I'm down in Dorset. 

When we got home round 4 o'clock it felt chilly and gloomy, so I lit candles, switched on fairy lights and lit the fire. And as it's Friday I also poured myself a chilled glass of sauv blanc and sat for a while just enjoying the cosy comfort of the fireside.

Cosy, warm toes in hand knit socks, toasting by the fire...it's one of my most favourite things about the Autumn season.

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Blogtober 2023 :: Day 24

Blogtober Day 24 :: Tuesday

Back into routine today, J and I ventured out into the gloomy semi-darkness at 7am for our constitutional walk along the canal, through the park and around the hilly streets of our neighbourhood. It's a good, heathy routine and one that I really value - even in the drizzle it gives me energy and makes me feel good.

I'd arranged to meet a friend for coffee in town at 9.30 which is always enjoyable, I had a rather delicious flat white which absolutely hit the spot that needed hitting this morning. I walked home with a spring in my step, coming along the canal from the top of town and not even minding the rain too much.

My next door neighbour's small cherry tree is putting on it's autumn colour show, so every time I walk up and down our front steps I get to enjoy it. Our terraced houses only have teeny-tiny front gardens, but I love that some of my neighbours have planted trees. We have our butterfly bush planted close to the house, but I do love the idea of a having a small, decorative tree that does things all year round. Blossom/flowers and then pretty leaves/berries/fruit would be wonderful. I shall investigate the possibilities.

While I was in town I stopped at the post office to buy a couple of postcards. I had the idea that I could send them to my Dad, partly to let him know I'm thinking of him, but also in the hope that he might have a glimmer of recognition. He used to love visiting me in the spring time and enjoyed walking along the canal.

I wanted to buy myself some flowers today, but at this time of year there isn't really a lot of choice, well not flowers that I particularly like all that much. Lots of roses, and also Alstromeria which for some reason just doesn't float my boat. In the end I settled for a cheap and cheerful bunch of Chrysanths - this deep red colour is very seasonal and I know they will look good on my table for ages.

I lit a candle to beat off the late afternoon gloom, it's gingerbread scented and was a birthday gift (thank you Sarah ♥). Within half an hour it had filled the room with the most glorious aroma and the house smelt like a fragrant bakery. Little B came home from school and asked what that delicious smell was, had I been baking biscuits? I had to tell him that it was my scented candle and not some mouth watering after school snack, oh, his face literally dropped! And now of course I want to be That Mother, the one who bakes fresh cookies for after school sustenance and makes her child deliriously happy.

4.20pm and I'm making a mad dash out in the drizzle because I forgot to buy the bloomin' coriander. The air was rich with the scent of wood smoke from the canal boats, so cosy and evocative of rural town living.

Fresh coriander in the house, and all is well. I made a coconut curry for dinner, I've been making this recipe for well over twenty years and it's a firm family favourite. I make my own green curry paste which is utterly divine - onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, lime, coriander and salt..mmmmmmmm.....it's wonderfully fragrant. The paste is mixed with coconut milk, a little fish sauce and a large chopped tomato so you get that delicious sweet/sour combo mixed with the creamy coconut. I used large prawns for the protein today as they were on offer in the supermarket, but this recipe also works well with chicken. It's a sloppy curry, so I serve it in large bowls with with rice and some warm naan bread. Pure comfort food for a grey, drizzly day.

Speaking of comfort, just look at this kitty, living her best life. There is a radiator behind the sofa, so she knows exactly where to hang out at certain times of the day when the heat is rising. 

I'm sat in bed chatting to you this evening, and still running with the comfort theme I've got fresh clean bedding aaaaaand the first hot water bottle of the season. My toes are toasty warm and I am snuggled up with blankets, so a lovely end to a cosy, comforting day.

Thanks as always for dropping by - seven more days of Blogtober left, it's flying by don't you think? Tell me about your day, have you had some comforting moments? I do really hope so.

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Blogtober 2023 :: Day 23

Blogtober Day 23 :: Monday

Another slow, quiet, pottering sort of a day for me as I slowly try and find my way back from the "emotional jetlag". I wore my hand knit socks and boots for the first time this season and enjoyed having that cosy-toes feeling all day.

It's peek hydrangea time right now - I know they flower through the summer but I much prefer the richness of them in autumn. The one shown here is across the road in my neighbours front garden and it's an absolutely gorgeous shade of pinky red. The colours really caught my eye this morning - do you remember me designing and making my Hydrangea blanket in 2017?

More floral colour caught my attention today, these wonderful little orange violas sitting outside the supermarket as I went to put the trolley back. It's not often you see orange violas, the colour was so vibrant and now I really wish I'd scooped a few pots up and dashed back into the shop to buy them. Maybe they'll still be there next time I go.

It's been a truly grey and murky day with very low light levels - this is honestly the worst kind of weather for me to cope with. I h-a-t-e  when the sky feels like it's pressing down on the landscape and my hill view disappears. I've not really wanted to be outside much today which is very unusual for me, the murk was not speaking nicely to me at all.

I spotted these very visually appealing little pumpkins in the supermarket, and I loitered around them for a while fighting the strong urge to buy them all and bring them home. I honestly wanted to adopt them, give them all a loving home where they could become part of the family. I had to force myself to walk away and concentrate on my actual shopping list.

When I got home, the cutey-patooty pumpkins were still on my mind so it seemed like the perfect time to get down on my hands and knees and enter into the under-eaves cupboard in the Attic where my seasonal guff boxes live.

Ahhh, that's better.....reunited with my tribe of crochet pumpkins once more, and no more thoughts of spending £10 to adopt a gang of real ones.

I made these pumpkins back in 2017 {Pumpkin Patch blog post} and they make me stupidly happy each year when I unpack them and get all autumnal.

Murky grey weather was actually the perfect kind of weather for carrying out some Seasonal faffery today. I cleared off my mantel and gave it a hefty spritz with some cleaner and a microfibre cloth, it was oh-so-very-dusty. 

I know you've seen these little cross stitch canvas pictures before, I've made four of them in total for each of the seasons and I love doing the swap over. Goodbye summer..........

.....and hellooooooo autumn!! These kits were designed by Cotton & Twine, I really love their cross stitch designs.

I made a little flat lay of the contents in my Autumn box - so many hand made treasures from past years which still make me so happy. Did you spot the new toadstool that I showed you on Day 6?

This card is also a new addition, it was sent to me by my Aunt on my birthday, isn't it delightful? I absolutely love it - it's an illustration by printmaker Kate Heiss, and you can can see more of her gorgeous work on her website ((here)).

A closer look at my collection of autumnal cuteness ready to adorn my mantel. The owls and the toadstool hoop are both past Craftpod makes, you can read more about the making of them ((here)).

Ahhhhh.....my beloved Autumn Garland.....what a joy it was to unpack it this afternoon. I love love love love love this thing!

I had a wonderful time creating my autumn mantel, quietly arranging and rearranging all the bits and bobs until I felt satisfied with how it looks.

And then to celebrate, I lit the fire and enjoyed a cup of tea with my feet up.

A nurturing kind of day, and exactly the kind of self-care I needed.

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Blogtober 2023 :: Day 22

Blogtober Day 22 :: Sunday

I slept for ten hours last night after an epic journey home from Dorset (six trains in total) and woke up around 9am completely discombobulated. I've been feeling a bit off kilter all day, but it's so lovely to be back home and to have a slow day pottering about with the family. It took me aaaages to be able to get up and get myself ready for the day, so it was almost midday by the time we left the house to go for a gentle walk through the woodland.

It's been a beautiful day, sunny and cold, and I enjoyed our walk very much. We wandered into town afterwards and went for a leisurely coffee, stopping to pick up some middle eastern style marinated lamb, soft flatbreads and salad for an easy evening meal.

I've done some home stuff today too, two loads of laundry and a bit of cleaning in the bathroom - J holds the house together pretty well while I'm away, but there is always a feeling of slight domestic chaos when I return. Mid afternoon I felt so tired I actually took myself back to bed and slept for a while. I was out like a light despite the long hours of sleep I had last night, so I'm glad I was able to listen to my body and deliver the necessary shut-down and re-boot.

This evening I started a cross stitch project, oh, my eyes didn't like it very much I have to say. I think I will need to either find a good, bright task light for evening work, or stick to day time stitching. Right....I need to sleep again.....sorry this is a brief Blogtober entry and a bit on the dull side, I'm hoping I'll feel a bit perkier by tomorrow. Night-night!

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Blogtober 2023 :: Day 21

Blogtober Day 21 :: Saturday

6pm...I'm writing to you from the train heading north out of London, and I'm really glad to be travelling homewards. The storm has made travel very difficult today, with heavy flooding causing all sorts of disruption. I've had to change my route a number of times already due to train cancellations and diversions, but finally I think I am actually going to make it home (it was looking doubtful for a while, I was trying not to worry too much).

The weather was very wet in Dorset this morning so I only managed to take two photographs as I walked around soggy Dorchester. It's a very leafy town with some gorgeous tree-lined roads and pedestrian walk ways, and over the coming months I'm looking forward to exploring it a bit more. It's generally a place I pass through from the train station so I don't know it very well, but from what I've seen I like it very much,

I went to visit my Dad before I caught the train. I was apprehensive because he has a tendency to get rather agitated when I come and go, but somewhere along the way between Thursday and today he has settled into his new home from home and I am unbelievably grateful. The staff at the care home have been absolutely wonderful, and we've had some reassuringly positive updates over the past two days. I found him happy, calm and settled, keen to show me around and seemingly the staff all love him. There were already lots of "in jokes" which had him laughing, and they give hugs freely. I am so relieved! You can probably imagine, I feel like I was carrying around a very heavy boulder and suddenly it doesn't weigh so heavy any more..

I left him happily tucking into a lovely cooked lunch and looking forward to joining in with some games and activities this afternoon. I can't quite believe it yet, but I'm going to hold onto this new reality with both hands. It feels bloomin' wonderful to be able to relax a bit at last. I tell you what though, I feel like I could sleep for a week, I'm ever so tired. My bed is going to look like the best place on Earth when I finally get to fall into it tonight.

I'm going to love you and leave you now, it's already dark outside and I've still got around 4 hours of travel left.

See you tomorrow! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx