My, but autumn can be lovely

 

This past week astronomical autumn began and it came in with all its beauty and splendour. The weakening sun shone its best and the skies were blue. It was perfect weather for gardening, washing drying and walking. It was also chilly enough to need sweaters, snuggly socks and hot chocolates - basically perfect autumn weather.

In the garden I managed to get the lawns mown and tidy up. Just a little more is needed and my little garden will be ready for winter. At the moment it is still happily flowering. 

There are still lots of bees in the garden too which is good to see. They seem to be enjoying the last of the blooms on the hardy plumbago.

There are so many garden spiders about too. They always seem to wait until autumn and then make so many public appearances all around my garden and on my walks. I love to see their webs, so skilfully made. Garden spiders are another of the joys of autumn.

You may remember that last week I said that I might order a squirrel feeder for Mrs Tufty as she was eating the birds out of house and home emptying their feeders. Well it was ordered and arrived on Tuesday. I set it up and then wondered how I would teach the squirrels to use it. I needn't have worried, if there's food they will work it out.

As you can tell with that almost empty feeder, two of the squirrels have worked out how it works and are happily munching away and burying some treats for their less active time in winter. One, however, isn't the smartest fluffy in the drey and spends ages nosing and pushing up the perspex front (that slides out for cleaning) so that he can get underneath to the nuts! Sometimes he just totally gives up and the birds still miss out.

So that is what has been happening in the garden. In the kitchen it has been a busy baking week. Chilly weather encourages me to bake. I loved autumn at home because the house always smelled of my Mum's baking, maybe that's what kicks me off in autumn. This week I have made another sourdough loaf and focaccia and some apple flapjacks were made. Somewhere I went a bit wrong with the apple flapjacks, maybe added too much water stewing the apples, and they were a little soggy underneath but, as my Mum would tell you, they tasted okay and sometimes edible is the best you're going to get.

I mostly stuck to tried and trusted meals this week but, as Aldi are getting their winter squash in, I did make some pumpkin soup which went down well and there was some left to freeze for another day

Next week is a freezer week. I often cook meals for four when it's just my husband and I and when they've built up we have a freezer week. There are soups, pies, tuna fishcakes and stews in there so there will be nothing to tell you about in my kitchen next week because I'm having a lazy week.

Book news. 

This week I finished Chocolat by Joanne Harris.

This book has been in my pile for years. I picked it up at Broadhursts when someone recommended it but somehow I never quite started it. For years I have missed a treat, I absolutely loved it. I must say though that I have never drunk so much hot chocolate in one week, that book certainly starts you craving. I have now started Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe which I admit to struggling a bit with. Seriously though, I know it was written in the early 1700s but who writes books without chapters? I'm never sure where to finish for the evening. I'm hoping that when he gets shipwrecked it becomes more exciting, at the moment I'm really not feeling it but I'll keep on keeping on and see how it goes.

Craft news I've finally finished hat one. Hat two has been requested with a pom pom. Fingerless mitts are done so then it will just be the snoods to make. I really am getting rather slow at knitting these days.

Well, that's this week's activities. I hope you all have a lovely new week xx