August Fading

I always have such a strong sense of summer drawing to a close at this time of year. So much of that is to do with getting everything ready for the new school year in September (there's nothing like spending almost £300 on school uniform to bring you back to reality) but the weather over the last week has made it even more so. We've had torrential showers, high winds, and sunshine; clear evenings that have me reaching for a pair of socks followed by overcast humid days where the atmosphere feels muggy and oppressive. How we fill these last days of the holidays depends so much on the weather, too. We've had beautifully warm seaside walks and ice creams, but have also spent the wetter days doing admin, shopping, DIY....there is always something, and I am trying to get as much as possible done now to ease the pressure once term starts.

The leaves everywhere on the ground trick me into thinking we're a month further on than we really are. I think it's more to do with a dry summer and high winds than the onset of autumn, but it's a little unsettling.

I was delighted to discover a mini harvest of tomatoes in the garden after our holiday. They are misshapen and imperfect, but the smell and flavour is so strong. It's not enough to make chutney, but I think I will roast them all with a couple of cloves of garlic and a red onion, then blitz them all into a pasta sauce. 

We've been picking blackberries, always my favourite thing to do at this time of year. I have ten jars of jelly and five bags of fruit in the freezer ready to be added to crumbles. I just love the feeling of stocking up the cupboard and freezer for autumn and winter ahead that this season brings! 

I made a batch of brownies last week, following my usual recipe but throwing in a handful of frozen raspberries at the last minute. I thought they were the best ones I'd made, the sharp raspberries contrasting so well with the sweet chocolate. The rest of this household, however, behaved like I'd added salt not sugar, and said I'd ruined perfectly good cake. You can't please everyone.

A loaf of sourdough bread was much more well received though. I hadn't used my starter for a couple of months so was relieved to see it did what it was supposed to. I'm still a little bit astounded when I manage to bake a good sourdough loaf if I'm honest.

I saw my friend Abigail recently and she gave me the most beautiful bunch of flowers, a mixture of stems she'd picked at a PYO field plus dahlias she'd grown herself. I think it's the loveliest bunch of flowers I've ever had and I was so sad when I had to put them in the compost bin.

John and I have been busy since we got home, sanding and oiling our new doors. I'm over the moon with them, I feel like they give every room a lift. The three doors between kitchen, hall and living room are glass to help more light into darker areas, but the rest are plain solid oak with black handles. 

I have been crocheting a round cushion cover over the last few evenings, and am thoroughly enjoying the simplicity of the stitches, just variations of granny trebles really. Very relaxing.

I wanted to show you some of the treasures I bought back from our recent holiday. We came across the most wonderful second hand and vintage place in Rye, a real treasure trove with everything piled high here and there. Outside, they had this box of muddy earthenware, all dug up from the Rye estuary apparently.

At £1 a pot, I bought a few and they scrubbed up really well. I love the cracks and imperfections, I think it just adds to their charm and character.

I bought some divine chocolate from here which is probably some of the nicest chocolate I've ever had. I'm savouring it, making it last.

Of course, I had to keep my eyes open for any possible Observer books....

and found a couple of treasures.

This blue and white print, below, I bought in Dungeness. It's a cyanotype print of Derek Jarman's house, Prospect Cottage, and I love the depth of the blue colour. It just needs a frame.

This is my favourite though - a bowl from Rye Pottery, a place I'd researched before we went and had already fallen in love with their stripy range. It's the perfect size to hold my eggs on the worktop, or maybe lemons. I love it.

I really love to bring bits and bobs back from holidays for the house as I feel it all tells a story and adds interest, but it's even better if we can spend money in some independent shops and help support some local businesses in a small way while we are there.