Preparing for the New Season

Hello my lovely friends, I hope that you are all keeping well. This week I have a whole glorious week off work which means I can do exactly what I like. Today I have spent the whole morning giving my home a really deep clean - windows and all!

We seem to muddle by doing 'surface' chores whilst we are all working so it was good to get stuck in and prepare the house for the coming winter months.

I've had the gas engineer in to service the gas fireplace and the chimney sweep in to clean the wood-burning stove. The latter was a lovely chap but the bearer of bad news...the stove needs to have a lot of things fixed before it can be deemed safe to use. We were so lucky that nothing went awry last winter as we merrily used it to heat the snug and kitchen. Turns out that it is non-compliant so in the next few weeks we will get that sorted out so that we can use it this winter. It's so important to have these things seen to on an annual basis!

With the autumn equinox approaching this week, I thought that today would be the perfect time to add a few autumnal touches around my home. I'm not doing anything huge this year - just a little bit here and there. 

I've done some of my autumnal flower boxes, I still have pots of 'mums' to get for the front door and the back deck. Hopefully, I can get that sorted out this weekend...or Thursday perhaps, I'm meeting a friend for coffee at our local garden centre so that might be a good time to pick them up.

I went rummaging through the loft this morning and dug out my autumn wreath...honestly this is my favourite wreath, I just love it and look forward to getting it out each year.

In the lounge I've kept it very simple, we are having a lovely new carpet fitted in the next few weeks so I didn't want a lot of things to move out of the room and I think that less will be more once the carpet is in. It's going to make the room so lovely and cosy. I strung up my little knitted acorn garland and put this simple little candle arrangement on the coffee table. Don't you just love the little autumn gnome candle? I found him at TK Maxx a few weeks ago.

In the kitchen, I have hung up some autumnal bunting across the back doors. I made this bunting about 7 years ago and love bringing it out each year.

On the Kitchen windowsill, I have a little arrangement of autumn leaves, candles, and knitted apples and pumpkins.

I have dotted a few pine cones through the leaf garland. The longer evenings are always lit up with lots of candles and fairy lights so this little display will catch the flickering candlelight and reflect all the autumnal colours beautifully I think.

In the snug, I have hung up some autumn flower fairy bunting and created a little display of autumn cross stitch cushions and a hanging - all done by me over the years. Again - another autumn candle. I have loads of them this year, I love my house smelling like pumpkin spice and caramel apples at this time of the year.

Outside I have last year's potted 'mums' flourishing in the garden. They have done so well that I have decided that once each season's 'mums' come to the end of their flowering season, they will be cut back and planted in the garden for us to enjoy the following autumn.

My lone pumpkin is turning yellow at quite a pace now which I am thrilled about. Once it is completely ripe I will harvest it and make some lovely roast pumpkin and pepper soup. We do enjoy soup lunches with crusty home-baked bread during autumn and winter, it's so comforting.

The Virginia Creeper is just starting to turn. Tendrils of red are beginning to weave their way through the thick green carpet covering the garage wall and roof.

I'm trying not to wish it along too quickly for once it has all changed red it does not last long at all. Within two weeks we go from a spectacular display of vibrant red to bare branches twisting and tangled until spring arrives.

The huge deciduous trees overhanging the garden have not started turning yet but I feel we are on the brink. October will bring autumnal changes quickly...and before you know it we will be sliding into advent. I'm always amazed at how long it takes for summer to arrive and then when it does time seems to freeze and summer hangs in the air for what feels like ages before dipping into the roller coaster of autumn, advent and Christmas. Then winter arrives and it seems to last for ages, spring being slow to arrive but at the same time exciting to see little flower heads popping up whilst it is still so cold outside.

I really love the seasons - each is so beautiful and has its unique characteristics and celebrations.

Not only are we entering a new natural season but in our home, we are once again shifting seasons. Both our daughters moved out about 2 weeks ago into their university residences. It hasn't quite sunk in yet as after 2 days of being in her flat my youngest who had caught a horrible cold came down with what we thought was meningitis. After a full day spent in A & E and lots of tests, it was determined that it was actually an awful throat infection. So she was back home to be looked after until she felt well enough.

Our eldest lasted 3 nights in her flat before she got bored and decided to come home for a week until her friends started to return to the city. Then we went off to London for a weekend as a family so really...it hasn't felt very different at all!

This week they are both back in their flats and I'm at home all week so I suspect that it will feel much quieter around here. But I am enjoying having time to knit, blog and potter about. Although I miss having a house full of busyness at the same time it is nice to sit quietly and indulge in my own interests. It's been so many years since I have done so that I must admit it feels slightly strange. But like many who have had their children fly the nest, I'm sure that I will adjust to my newfound time!

Now I'm off to make a coconut latte - there is nip in the air today and I think that a yummy latte may be just the thing I need right now.

Blessings to you all...