Season-keeping, as I like to call it, brings me so much joy—but it does take a little planning! At the start of each month, I set aside time to gather my thoughts and sketch out simple ways to reflect the season in our daily routines. This helps me turn inspiration into action and ensures that I really notice and savour the gifts of the moment.
I’d love to know how you mark the seasons in your own home—I'm always on the lookout for fresh ideas and inspiration!
Here’s a glimpse at what August looks like in my seasonal planning this year...
Folklore
- Gemstone: Agate
- Flower: Gladiolus
- Sayings: If the first week of August be warm, the winter will be long and white.
- Full Moon This Month: Sturgeon Moon
Nature
- Late Summer
- Shortening Days
- Busy Insects
- Summer holiday
- Full Moon - 9th August
- Blackberry picking
- Perseid Meteor Shower - expected peaking 12 August this year. (pre-dawn is best viewing time)
Homeschooling
- Clear out the schoolroom for the next academic year
- Refresh stationary supplies
- order curriculum and books
- Sort out the bookshelves - perhaps order a few new seasonal books.
- Plan field trips for the autumn months
- Plan autumn nature studies
- Sort out clothing and make lists for winter clothing needs.
- Plan a 'back-to-homeschool' surprise.
Home Blessings
- Wash and refresh all the blankets and quilts ready for autumn and winter use
- May as well get those curtains and cushion covers washed too 😉
- Pick flowers from the garden to enjoy indoors.
- Clean bird feeders in readiness for cooler months
- Start making gifts ahead of Christmas
- Utilise home-grown produce or foods that are in season now and make soups for the freezer to be enjoyed in autumn.
- Plan your autumn decor and make lists for what you need; what you already have; and what you can gather from nature. Afterall, Autumn is right around the corner!
Food
- BBQ's
- Homegrown tomatoes
- Basil
- Peas off the vine
- Baking bread for Lammas day
- Garden Tea Party for Tasha Tudor Day
Life
- Afternoon Tea Week (11th - 17th) - Celebrating the great British tradition of afternoon tea! (plan a tea party with friends)
- August Bank Holiday (25th) - the last Bank Holiday in the run-up to Christmas
Summer Crafts and Activities
- Stargazing
- Make some natural room scents for last days of summer.
- Colour some Wild Carrot (Cow Parsley)
- picnics in the woods
- pond paddling
- Make lavender wands
In My Book Basket This Month
- The Dun Cow Rib: A Very Natural Childhood
- A Thousand Feasts: A New Memoir on How To Find Joy in Food, Travel & Gardening
- English Pastoral: An Inheritance
- The Magic Apple Tree
The purpose of creating a seasonal mood board is to bring some of these lovely ideas to life—whether it’s reserving books from the library for our reading corner, pencilling special outings or celebrations into the calendar, or trying a few seasonal recipes to mark meaningful days.
The key to season-keeping is consistency over perfection. It’s about establishing a gentle rhythm that supports your family life—not overwhelming yourself with grand plans. A few simple, well-chosen ideas go much further than an overambitious list. As the saying goes, baby steps!
Wishing you a joyful and peaceful month of season-keeping...
This is just lovely, Shirley. I keep a similar type of annual monthly listing as you, nothing near as pretty or detailed though. Some of the other things that I include are the annual medical visits e.g.. dentist, innoculations for animals, deworming etc. I also record the flowers in the garden at this time, and my foraging / picking / preserving list.
ReplyDeleteYou really should write a book.
Great tips to add to my list making Cath. I especially like your idea to note down flowers in bloom and your foraging list! ;o)
ReplyDeletehmmm. I might steal a few of these ideas, I like the thought of planning for seasons, sound nice and memorable.
ReplyDelete