Happy Days!

Hello my friends. This week has been such a happy week for me for a few reasons. First...this time last year we were packing up our home in Devon and moving back north! I can't believe that we have been back here for a whole year. The moment we left Devon I felt a lightness, that horrible claustrophobic feeling that I lived with for three years lifted and has not returned (sorry Devon). 

I've just been feeling so very content and grateful to the Lord for His provision. 

Secondly, last weekend I accompanied my husband to Sheffield to one of the hotels he runs - which happens to be the one he ran before we left for Devon. It was a football day and the owners of the hotel own the football team too so when there's a game there is always a crowd. We decided to go the night before and have dinner with friends from that side of the Pennines. Driving back to Cheshire on Saturday afternoon we decided to take the route through our old home town, my beloved Chesterfield and through the peaks, a route I traveled fortnightly with the girls to their homeschool art class.

Oh my goodness! It was so SO lovely. I absolutely ADORE Derbyshire and I've told my husband that we are definitely retiring there 😅. I even made him stop so I could take a picture or two. I would have made him stop more but thought I may be pushing my luck LOL. Along the way from Chesterfield to Manchester, you pass through the lovely village of Baslow where there is a building just covered on one side with Virginia Creeper. I always looked forward to seeing it in the autumn as we drove by. Driving past it on Saturday reminded me how much I love that plant. I used to have one along the back fence of my Chesterfield house. Well...I decided that my little farm house needs a Virginia Creeper so I treated myself and bought one. Hopefully it will thrive and we shall have many years to come enjoying it's autumn foliage.

Two more sleeps until early autumn begins! Oh my gosh I've been counting the days. With the calendar start of autumn I think it is perfectly acceptable to start decorating for autumn don't you? I've been keeping my autumn candles locked away and resisting the urge to light them and I may...just may...still hold off until the meteorological start of autumn later in the month. But this weekend the autumn bunting is definitely being strung up! Happily, I've noticed a few turning leaves already. Seems slightly early but I'll take it!

As you can see from the picture below, I have started knitting some autumnal socks. Its the nicest pattern although it took me a ridiculous three times of starting and frogging at the beginning. But finally I am on my way with the pattern and it gets easier with each pattern repeat. 

You can't see much of the pattern in this picture but if you pop onto Ravelry you can have a look. It's called Nutkin...isn't that just a very autumnal-sounding pattern? The yarn is my own. It was a skein that I was not happy with so over-dyed it with this lovely ochre-colour. I listed it in my shop but it's one of those that never shifted which I'm quite happy about because now I get to knit with it and I am loving the little specks that are shining through the ochre. Its such a happy colour.

Hay making and bailing is happening in the fields around us at the moment. I do love watching the fields being cut, left to dry and the bailed up. It gives one such a sense of peace...or at least it gives me a sense of peace. I love the rhythm of the year. Its the gentle repetition of seasonal living that marks our days and years.

Happily (another happy), it's weekend time again. We have our vicar and his family coming over for lunch on Sunday - we get on so well and we are looking forward to seeing them. My plans for Saturday are to do a bit of batch cooking and making our seasonal Bramble Apple jam - I have loads of apples already and will probably spend Saturday morning scouring the hedgerows for blackberries. What are your plans for the weekend?

Whatever they are, I hope that you have a blessed and joyous weekend. Blessings to you all my lovely friends...