Hello Autumn! And a seasonal recipe.

It seems that the last post really did signal a 'goodbye' to Summer, and this one a 'Hello Autumn'... There's been a sudden swing towards the Autumnal, leaves on the pavements, windows steamed up in the mornings, blankets on the bed. And this week has been a celebration of the fact, for I have been doing seasonal activities a-plenty!


In spite of my optimistic Monday post I spent most of last week being a grumpy badger for no real reason, but the weekend was just what I needed to fix me up, I visited my parents with my brother and went fruit picking in the field by our house, we spent hours wandering around and ended up with tubs full of sloes, rosehips and blackberries (and scratched hands), there were more than we could ever pick, I think this time of year is when I most miss the country.

SO! The week so far has been a flurry of activity, I've been busying in my kitchen preparing my gathered fruit and filling the freezer for Winter, making rosehip syrup (photos and recipe to follow), and generally feeling very cosy and contented. There is a passage in 'Moominvalley in November' (one of my very favourite books) which sums up perfectly how I feel about this time of year:

"The quiet transition from Autumn to Winter is not a bad time at all. It's a time for protecting and securing things and making sure you've got in as many supplies as you can. It's nice to gather together everything you possess as close to you as possible, to store up your warmth and your thoughts and burrow yourself into a deep hole inside, a core of safety where you can defend what is precious and your very own. Then the cold and the storms and the darkness can do their worst. They can grope their way up the walls looking for a way in, but they won't find one, everything is shut, and you sit inside, laughing in your warmth, for you have had foresight"

(There are so many bits of that book I could quote! Maybe another time.)



That is exactly how I felt on Monday night, sitting at my little table with a candle, listening to records and topping and tailing rosehips to boil up for yummy syrup. Also I have acquired a lovely blanket which makes me feel very snug indeed, though I swear I won't buy anymore and will learn to crochet my own instead. I think I am going to steal an idea from Argyle Whale's beautiful blog and start a To Do list, my brain is full to the brim of plans and intentions that I need to make sure I follow through on.

I have a seasonal recipe to post but I think I'll leave this all for my rambles and make a brand new seperate post.


* blanket picture from ebay, not me. I'll takea picture of my bed soon.