It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

October Field Notes

We’re a third of the way through my favourite month of the year and I’ve been having a blast going for walks and runs in the autumn sunshine, admiring the mist and cobwebs, inhaling the scent of damp earth. Oh, it’s so good. Me and Dave have started rewatching our favourite horror films, both good and bad. (Halloween 6, anyone?) I’ve also strung spooky lights from the ceiling and started cooking with every root vegetable under the sun. And I had a wonderful evening doing one of Becki Clark’s wonderful seasonal workshops online, this time focusing on botanical watercolours. I haven’t got much experience with watercolours so this was the perfect excuse to dip my toes in and I loved the result! If you’re looking for an affordable way to get creative each season, I really recommend having a browse of Becki’s workshops.

My pumpkin patch also reached its zenith and left me with this dazzling pile of gourds, some of which we’ve already started eating. This evening I made a traybake of roasted pumpkin, apple, potato and garlic with fresh rosemary and thyme from the garden. Just call me Delia.

I just wanted to finish by saying thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has bought a copy of my new book! Ebb and Flow: A Guide to Seasonal Living has been out for a whole month and I’m so pleased with the response it’s had. You guys seem to be really enjoying it which is wonderful. If you are looking for something to help ease the transition into the darker half of the year, may I gently suggest taking a look? It’s packed with essays, poems, crafts, recipes and other tidbits, all designed to help you embrace each season and find peace, mindfulness and joy throughout the year.

And if you’d like to hear me talk about the book in person, I have a couple of lovely events next week in Surrey & Hampshire:

Sat 19 Oct - Guided walk at Hatchlands for Guildford Book Festival
Sun 20 Oct - Talk & workshop at Butser Book Festival, Butser Ancient Farm

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Something I Made - Illustrated Notecards

If you’ve been here a while, you’ll know I used to sell my own illustrated stationery under the brand name Papaver, but sadly had to close the doors because I just didn’t have the time! I’d definitely like to reopen the shop again one day, but for now I’ve listed the last of my blank notecards on my Etsy shop at a crazy low price, simply because I’d rather they were being used than just sitting around in my cupboard. There are a few bundles left if you fancy one - all the cards are blank so suitable for any occasion.

Something I Like - The Broken Tile by Sharon Bowell

An important person in Olive’s life has written this wonderful picture book about a dragon called Duncan who discovers kindness and friendship, illustrated by the talented Jo de Ruiter. I wanted to share it not only because it is a lovely story for little ones, but because it also has a beautiful pumpkin illustration which makes it perfect for spooky season! If you would like to support an independent author local to the South Downs, you can buy a copy here.

Recipe of the Month - Gingerbread Cobwebs

I made these last week for our choir bake off competition and although I didn’t win, the standards were very high so I’ve (slowly) come to terms with it. This Paul Hollywood gingerbread recipe is probably the most baked recipe in our household. We use real root ginger instead of ground but it doesn’t really matter, and for spooky season I made a simple white icing to cover the top, then piped black writing icing in three concentric circles before using a cocktail stick to pull them out into a cobweb shape.