Tuesday 15 October 2019

Feeling Cosy

There's more than a whiff of hygge in the air at the moment. Autumn is my favourite season - not the constant rain that we've had this week, but the cool, crisp mornings with a hint of mist or frost. The changing leaves, the darkening evenings and the feeling of hunkering down for the colder weather to come. We lit the stove for the first time last weekend and I sat knitting whilst R and I listened to 'War of the Worlds' on Audible; it was bliss. Admittedly it was short lived - after a while I pointed out to R the number of times that the words 'tumultuous' and 'multitude' were used and the spell was broken. Apparently, I was spoiling one of his favourite books! We've finished it now and the jury's still out on our next choice.

Here then are a few photos of my October so far:
A trip to the cinema to see this. It's the one woman show, first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, that inspired the television series. R was underwhelmed and I, having seen the TV series, was a little disappointed. I think I missed the asides and knowing glances to the audience, as well as the all star cast playing the other characters. 
 A walk up Beacon Hill to pick blackberries:
 The view from half way:
 Highclere Castle (aka Downton Abbey) in the distamce:

A bit of paper crafting for Christmas - this year we are having a low waste affair, with everything being either homemade or second hand. I'm a regular at the local charity shops at the moment!
 Burnham beeches when I went for lunch and a walk with my friend C:

 At the Southern Wool Show a few weeks ago, R chose some yarn for a hat. This is the finished article, although he won't be receiving it until Christmas. (Homemade!)
 It might be Christmas knitting, but it has a definite autumnal feel:
There is currently a Ladybird Books exhibition at The Base in Greenham Common. R and I went along and spent a merry couple of hours lost in nostalgia. I used to collect these when I was pregnant and then when the girls were small. Judging by how much they were charging to buy old copies, I must have a fortune stashed away in the loft!


 The appley jamboree that is our local Apple Day!

This time last year R, E and I bought tickets to see The Great Britain in Bristol. The tickets were valid for a year and, as they were close to expiring, we decided to pay another visit.
 
Lunch at the Calypso Kitchen:
 I quite liked R's jerk 'chick'n' but my vegetable gumbo with ackee and plantain was delicious:
A trip to the Ally Pally to see this:
 
I'm a bit snowed under with Christmas knitting at the moment, so went with sewing in mind. I needed some fabric for a dress pattern that I have, and also some upholstery fabric to cover the footstool that I bought at a car boot sale earlier in the year. I managed to find some acrylic yarn for a hat for E - despite following a plant-based diet, I have no problem with wool. Not so E, she takes it all very seriously.
Look what I saw at the Stylecraft stand: Josie Kitten's 'Good Striations' blanket. To be honest, I had to visit the stand twice to get near this feast for the eyes - the first time I couldn't get near it as it was so popular. Second time round, and with tactical use of the elbows, I managed to get close enough to have a squish. It was heavenly; just the thing for snuggling under on the sofa or adding as an extra layer on the bed. The waves represent bundles of striated muscle fibres and, if you fancy knitting your own blanket, more information and details about the pattern and yarn packs can be found here. There are also patterns for a cushion and some snugly socks. There is 25% off the price of the pattern throughout October and Helen will be donating a % of the money raised from the patterns to Myositis UK. 
Attending a calligraphy workshop at our local cafe. My handwriting is appalling so I went along with slight trepidation, but Milly, the tutor, assured us that the process is more like drawing the letters than writing. We spent a couple of hours practising shapes, then letters and finally words in the notebooks, using the special pens provided. It was great fun and I'm hoping to find time between my Christmas knitting to fit in a bit of practice.
 Finally, R and I attended a 'fire garden' to celebrate 10 years of outdoor events in our town. There were displays in the market square, in the church and on the canal. I just wonder how they got permission on health and safety grounds, as there were a lot of children around the ground level fire pits which were spitting and showering sparks in the drizzle. I hate to think what it would have been like had it been windy. Having said that it was a lovely evening, with a real sense of community spirit.


Well, that's it for this week. Wishing you all a cosy October. I'm just off for a hot chocolate!
Toodle pip for now. x

10 comments:

  1. You've been to some brilliant things, particularly the calligraphy class and the food, that both looks excellent. Very well done all on the low-waste Christmas. The amount of straight-to-landfill rubbish (packaging and the actual items) makes me angry and sick every year. It's obscene. I love your ideas, I wish more people would follow suit. Enjoy the hot chocolate and the wood stove, it sounds blissful. CJ xx

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  2. I really enjoyed your description of autumn, that had me running to set up our logburner! I laughed out loud at how you wrecked R's favourite book, utterly priceless!I think it's fantastic how you are all having a homemade or secondhand Christmas, that really is the way to go!!! I applaud you! Love all your out and abouts too, you are such an interesting gal, you put me too shame!xxx

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  3. A lovely lot of hygiene things. I’m a true lover of autumn as well but as you say without the rain. Lots of knitting here too ready for a certain time of year. Listening to books you seem to notice things like the use of certain words more frequently than necessary. For me it’s always important to have the right voice reading the book. Sometimes they can be very grating. Hopefully the sun will shine and illuminate all those colourful leaves. B x

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  4. So very wintery! We did have some rain earlier this week but it's still warm and I'm still in shorts and t-shirts :) That Ladybird exhibition looks amazing! I would have loved it! Looks like you've been on some nice walks as well. And Downton Abbey nearby - swoon!

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  5. Oh my that vegetable gumbo looks good! Wish I had a bowl of it right about now. Autumn is also my favorite time of year. We're kindred spirits. Fluffy pillows, throws, and autumnal scents have found their way into my home. You've had a busy week and I hope the week ahead is filled with cherished moments.

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  6. I'm so jealous of your wood burner, I wish I had one as they are so cosy. Thank you too for sharing my blanket, I'm glad you got to squish it!

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  7. It is always fun to visit and catch up on all your news. Autumn is my favourite season as well, we haven't had any rain as yet but the cooling weather fills me with energy and good intentions.
    Amalia
    xo

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  8. Autumn is so cosy and colourful isn't it? I'm always full of admiration for all the interesting things you do. I feel I should make more of an effort! x

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  9. Autumn brings so much joy.I can see the beauty of of this season in your photos.
    Happy day.

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