No place like home

I seem to have been all over the place this summer. The nature of my work means that summer always sees me touring the far flung corners of the county I live and work in. This year I also seem to have done quite a bit of going further a field to visit family and friends, celebrate birthdays and just catch up. Even when I haven’t been travelling that far from home I seem to have been staying out long beyond my usual bedtime. Dear Heart and I don’t tend to take ‘holidays’ and the last five summers have been dedicated to house renovation, so such a lot of ‘play’ seems odd.

My summer so far:
Dancing in Leamington Spa and Nottingham, climbing Glastonbury Tor and wander round Abbey, 90th birthday party, 18th birthday party, Bloggers meet up, meet up with Dear Heart’s friend from Xbox Live, visits to numerous pubs and bars, midnight bowling, cocktails and cupcakes party, live jam night, lots of BBQs, farewell to house party.

I’m really beginning to appreciate the joys home and of having a routine. The routine bit makes me think about Autumn. I have always enjoyed the ‘return to school’ atmosphere in September. A chance to shape up after the madness of summer. A better time of year for making changes and fresh starts than January. I fear that I am wishing my life away by anticipating the nip of cold in the air in August.

I’m going to work at appreciating summer while it’s still here and really enjoy waking up in my own bed in my own house. I’ll also make more of an effort to keep up and stay in touch the people I’ve been to visit or been out with. Organise some visits for later in the year. Life should be about balance, not contrast. Everything in moderation.

Autumn wear 2008

Yet again I am trying to work out what to wear. Basically another load of linen stuff has ceased to function as it should this summer leaving me a little short on bottoms.

Items I have that are wearable: Jeans, black flowery skirt, wide black skirt
Items that are wearable when I get around to ironing them: Green linen skirt, cream flowery skirt, plain cream skirt.
Items that I can’t face wearing at present: white linen trousers, pink linen skirt
Items that need surgery to make them wearable: grey linen trousers, beige trousers

Given that I wear my summer clothes for about a quarter of the year I just can’t understand why they always seem to be wearing out? I seem to have a lot of ‘summer’ tops which don’t actually go with a single jacket or cardigan that I own meaning that they are only suitable for wear on very warm days. Also I’m less keen on wearing knee length skirts at present because (a) my legs have gone a very strange colour as a result of using ‘Holiday skin’ and (b) it’s too cold.

Quite frankly I could happily go to work in jeans until I get bored of them (and surely that won’t be until after I dig out my winter clothes). However that seems to dull for words and somehow cheating (on what or who I’m not sure – myself maybe?). Also I have had disasters in the past where I’ve spilt stuff on my two wearable pairs of jeans on the same day. Plus I can’t wear my denim jacket if I wearing jeans. So I’m giving thought to my transitional autumn wardrobe which will make the most of my summer clothes without giving me chills or being overtly reliant on my jeans.

My thoughts on this at present are around black tights. Leggings are much more comfortable but I just don’t see me working a footless tight look. I’m also looking at the cardigans I own and figuring out which I can wear as a kind of light jacket.

Of course, you can bet that just as I get warmer clothing sussed an Indian summer will kick in and I’ll be trying to work out what to wear that looks cool and smart!

The more you blog the more you can

I started my blog with the idea of blogging on a regular basis. However I found that when I was doing lots of interesting things I was so caught up in it that I couldn’t motivate myself to also write about them. When life was a bit less thrilling I didn’t think that I had anything to write about.

Then in June I decided that I would try blogging on a daily basis where possible. I worried that I’d have nothing to write about but I the more I wrote the more ideas seemed to present themselves. Then things have trailed off again over the summer and I find that once again I need to get back into the discipline of regular posts.

I need to look at mobile blogging this autumn. I often take photos on my phone with the intention of loading them to my blog. Let’s have a season of more spontaneous and visual blogging.

I love September

September is one of my favourite months. It’s got that fresh start, back to school, will-try-harder-this-year vibe. It seems like a whole world of possibilities being laid out in front of me. It signifies that it’s officially OK not to expect the weather to be good just because it’s August. Not to feel like you must party every night just because that’s what you’re supposed to do in the summer.

It’s been quite a hectic summer for me with lots going on at work and at home. So I really am anticipating with glee the possibility of being at my desk most days. It’s fun to plan lunches and outfits. I look forward to catching up with the gossip and the joy of working with my colleagues. I’ll be able to attend lunchtime exercise classes every week instead of grabbing the odd class here and there.

I like the thought of getting into a routine (although I suppose ritual would do just as well here?). Enjoying a cup of tea, the radio and a good book before retiring for the night. Waking up feeling fresh (and smiling!) before the alarm sounds. Watching for the colours of the trees to start changing. Anticipating the first nip of winter in the air.

September is a month of calm anticipation even if it doesn’t always come with a new pencil case. Don't forget to count your blessings.

Have you been on holiday?

I haven't been away (accept for the briefest of visits to Dear Heart's lovely family), but I've had a lovely week and a bit at home. It's ages since I had more than I couple of days off in a row so I've been looking forward to time at home.


I finished work on the Thursday and Dear Heart and I went for dinner at the Italian near our house. We sometimes go out for a bottle of wine on a Thursday and then have a takeaway but we thought it would be good to try and have a meal with wine rather than a takeaway from time to time. I had the Caponata salad as usual but they make it so well.


Friday morning, I attempted to dye my hair green with Kool Aid while I sorted out my wardrobe. I seem to far fewer winter clothes than summer clothes. It was so nice to have the time to sort through and pull things out that needed washing or repairing. The dye didn't take which actually turned out to be a good thing when we went to watch the rugby the following night. I had no idea that South Africa played in green! I felt wonderfully domestic and autumnal pinning my clothes onto the line with scrunchy leaves at my feet and the sky a bright cold blue.


Wardrobes also featured on Saturday when I cleared two and a dressing table out of a storage unit. They came from my grandparents house and are Victorian/Edwardian. A lovely lady who I found through staff adverts at work was going to take them home and use them.


Sunday was brunch club and it was a truly lovely day. I so enjoyed spending such quality time with my friends. The food was lovely with much cider to be drunk (the hardship!). While everyone watched the motor racing I read through The gentle art of domesticity. If you haven't read the blog by the author, Jane Brocket, do have a at Yarnstorm. with so many family changes this year (relatives moving house and moving on), I really do appreciate my friends and what an important part of my family they are. We've got a few more things planned for the coming weeks which I am anticipating with delight.


I always feel that when I'm not at work I should be doing all kinds of useful things and worry that I'm not be effective enough. However when I look back on what I achieved in between a few lovely pub lunches I've actually done loads (ordered composter for my allotment, dug part of allotment, repaired clothes, made sourdough bread, vegan brownies, chestnut soup, shelled and roasted hazelnuts, made a curtain for the utility room , ordered 90% of Christmas presents, ordered seeds for allotment, found new second hand jeans, dyed hair purple to cover grey, cooked a new courgette/carrot casserole recipe, sorted out more boxes from my parent's house to list on Ebay). I do really do want to clear all of the boxes cluttering my study though.


The end of the week was great as Dear Heart and I went to the Midlands to visit his Dad, Stepmum, brother and sister. It's been an age since I've seen them and it was such a nice visit. I really feel like one of the family and time just flew by as we chatted, ate and drank. Lovely stepmum also sorted my hair out for me. I just didn't feel entirely happy with my last cut - it was sooo nice and I don't want my hair to be nice, I want it to be funky. It's now the shortest it's ever been and I love it. She also told me the right way to apply Henna so watch this space for further adventures with dye.

And now it's back to usual routines for a month or so before seasonal festivities begin to interrupt. I've pulled wads of fabric out of the cupboard to begin making bags for Christmas presents to go in. I've made weekly and monthly job lists using the planner at Brocantehome. November here I come.

Where did it go?

It's just really hit me that summer is gone. This isn't a couple of days of rain in August. I can't assume that normal summer service will be resumed soon. It's October. It's Autumn proper. It's serious.

Things that have made me realise this:

• I'm wearing my new winter boots and thick tights.
• I've been cooking cold weather dinners for a few weeks.
• I've planned 90% of my Yule shopping.
• Manure day at the allotment is a month away

I've also looked at my entries for last October and realise that I changed my wardrobe over on 10th October last year.

Time to accept it's not going to get any warmer for a least 5 months and start taking action to take advantage of this.

Something old, something new

I've got my new winter boots from Bourgeois Boheme and they are gorgeous (and they sensibly have adjustable straps to make them fit around my calves). I definitely needed new boots following the loose sole incident earlier in the year (see Pride comes before post in March).

Not only is the product really good, so was the service. This company has tried to make the experience as lovely as possible. When I needed to exchange ,because the boots I'd been eyeing up all year didn't actually fit me, it was no problem.

I'm thrilled to hear that Bourgeois Boheme will be at the Christmas without Cruelty fayre and have told Dear Heart that we need to go so that he can buy my Christmas present. Amazingly he agreed!

That being the new out of the way, I've been using something old - my Popeye lunchbox. It still has a label stuck inside with my name and class. I've used an insulated bag in the past but I like the more rigid metal container as it means things are less likely to get squashed. The flask is proving great for carrying soups without leaks.

Life is grand. I've had a marvellous week of early starts, evenings with cups of tea and early nights. Tonight I'm looking forward to a Whisky Sour (tried one at a barbecue last weekend- yum), but only one. I want to walk on Saturday morning and then engage in autumn type activities!

September

Isn't September a totally amazing month? You get the new start buzz of January but without the grey skies, depleted bank balance and general sense of gloom. There's enough of a nip in the air to make PJs, baked potatoes and hot tea an option. Yet it's still warm enough to venture for a walk without a jacket. The last of the summer fruit is still available but the first of the autumn stuff is coming in too.

The summer after I graduated I ran a B&B in a tiny isolated village in France. I had a marvellous time. However, I began to long for Autumn and particularly autumn in England. There were a stack of old glossies magazines and I lingered over recipes for stew and autumn fashions from a decade earlier. I also discovered an old paperback copy of September by Rosamund Pilcher.

So I'm happily cooking potatoes from my allotment, making soup and sorting out slightly warmer clothes to wear (not that this summer allowed for much skimpiness!). I'm happily snuggling on the sofa of an evening reading It's vintage, Darling! by Christa Weil and looking forward to my new boots arriving from Bourgeois Boheme. I'm considering the possibility of taking a days leave in October just to sort out my winter clothes. I can't decide it's a terribly sensible idea or totally friv. Would I be better spending a day making soup?