November Moments

I was thinking earlier that November is an underrated month. I used to think of it  as a cold and dreary month, a dark pause between Halloween in October and then everything that December brings. This year it was certainly cold and wet, but I always think the leaf colour is so much better in November than October, and suddenly feel the urge to get out into the woods and make the most of it before all the leaves disappear. The pause is welcome because it gives me time to rest but also start thinking about the marathon that is Christmas planning and shopping.

And so that it what I have been trying to do this November: get out into the woods, spend time in the house, do a bit of Christmas planning and rest here and there.

So here is a random collection of moments from the last month, times when I have paused and enjoyed what is before me.

The woods, with the dog and John (teenagers sometimes) always make me feel better. 

I love it when I get home from work and John has already lit the fire. I like it even more when he hands me a glass of wine. 

After some busy weekends away, I have really enjoyed just pottering at home on recent weekends. I am also very much enjoying reading at the moment and am already adding a few festive titles to my bedside table.

We have been blessed with the odd frosty morning and it has been beautiful. This was the staff car park at work early one Friday morning, It was the kind of day where a big walk in the countryside would have been just the thing.

We made pumpkin pancakes with canned pumpkin puree. They are just normal pancakes but with pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Absolutely delicious and one of my favourite autumn things to eat.

I don't know how or why, but a lone rose just started flowering in the garden. A November rose.

Last Sunday I made my Christmas cake. Just a small one this year, as it's just John and I who eat it, but I felt better for making one, like I had done something enjoyable and festive. It's now wrapped up in greaseproof paper and foil, tucked away in a tin.

I really want to bake more Christmassy treats this year. Last year I think I managed cookies and mince pies and that was it. I also want to make time to do some festive crafting, It is really hard to find the time for things like this now that I work full time, and usually at the weekends too, but I know that I will feel better for a little festive pottering, 

I started crocheting this scarf over half term and haven't picked it up for a while. In the evenings I just want to crochet a few rows of my blanket, but I am hopeful to so a little more of this soon.

I picked up my Iceland embroidery from the framers a couple of weeks ago,

I opted to have no glass, as I dislike glass on my embroideries. I like to be able to touch them when they are in their frames, and feel the texture of the stitches. 

It just about fits at the top of my gallery wall, above my New York embroidery.

It's a good memory of one of the best holidays we ever had. 

I'll leave you with a few pictures of Ziggy. He can mostly be found lying in a sunbeam, or on a freshly made bed. When not doing that, he will be begging for food or stealing my slippers.

Autumn

 

Autumn has been a mixed bag so far. The weather has been unseasonably warm, then very wet, before finally cooling down. We've had all sorts going on at home, in amongst the usual treadmill of work/school/college. We uncovered a slow leak in the bathroom which resulted in lots of the wall needing to be knocked out to expose the pipe work. It is three quarters fixed and I am distracting myself by choosing paint colours since we're going to have to redecorate. There's an issue with the roof which is causing small leaks in the dining room and living room. And the front door is also leaking. So it's been fun. Add to that a poorly dog, although he is better now, and it's been a rollercoaster.

This sourdough is a good metaphor. One bake rising unfeasibly high, the next flat as a pancake (like my pumpkin one above). And then the starter got flies in it, because I didn't put the lid on properly, just to top it all off. Sometimes a sourdough starter is a bit like having another thing to keep alive and I have my hands full with children and pets. 

But there have been many seasonal comforts and moments of joy in amongst the vets and plumbers and mess. Like autumnal food, such as this resplendent toad in the hole, as well as many pies and stews and crumbles.

I have been tidying up the garden ready for winter. I am proud of myself for remembering to put my geraniums in the cold frame, so that the frost does not get them. I love a geranium. Large plants which had outgrown their pots have been moved into the borders and I have planted bulbs. The outdoor sofa cushions have been brought inside ready to be washed and packed away.

There have been lots of walks. I took this photo about a month ago and it was so warm that afternoon that we were all in t-shirts.

Other small pleasures include getting my nails done...

...watching Great British Bake Off....

....and a lie in with a good book. 

On the crafting front, I did finally finish my Iceland holiday diary and took it to the framer. I am still working on the same patchwork quilt and crochet blanket that I have been for years. The socks I started on the plane back from Iceland have not been looked at since. 

We did have a very lovely jaunt to London with our friends during half term. We ate, drank, played miniature gold and shuffleboard, rode in a cable car and a boat and saw an excellent exhibition at The Imperial War Museum about espionage. It was all very much needed.

Now my thoughts are turning towards Christmas a little. It doesn't start for me until December 1st, at the earliest, but the calendar is filling up and I have started to do a bit of shopping. I am trying to get ahead of myself, but still very much enjoying autumn. I always think it's a shame when people want to jump straight to Christmas the minute Halloween is over, because autumn is still happening and it is the best season. But then if putting your tree up on 1st November makes you happy, crack on - we all need to find the joy wherever and whenever we can.