What to watch, what to read

I love finding new recipes, so while TH has been away i've been snuggled up cosy on the rocking chair making lists.

Daisy on my lap and just staring at the pictures and occasionally reading how to actually make it.

I love that when it gets colder we all go back to nursery food and i love knowing that there is something in the oven or slow cooker

I know what i want to cook.

I know what i want to bake.

I know just need to know when i will find the time!

I love the shows on T.V. right now about Autumn, i remember watching the Valentine Warner one a few years back and getting his cookbook then.  Cyclical-just the way i love it!

Things I'm looking forward to this Autumn

Things I’m looking forward to in Autumn:

Making a bonfire

Wearing pretty scarves

Making neepie lanterns

Making hot chocolate

Baking pumpkin related foods!

Building cosy beds made up of all the softest eiderdowns and blankets in the house

More roast dinners

Watching lots of family films on the sofa

Using lots of cinnamon and nutmeg in the kitchen

Making s’mores

Snuggling up with Daisy

Making applesauce and cosy meals

Smelling wood smoke

Carving a pumpkin

Decorating for Halloween

Seeing the leaves turn and kicking them into the air when they fall

Making toffee apples

Making apple and bramble pies and crumbles

Keep Cosy

Brrr, this morning we woke up and it was soooo cold.  Im still not going to get a tank of gas before the weather turns so we are relying on our electric blankets and the wood burner.  Oh well, wood warms you through twice, once when you cut it and again when you use it!

Weekends that Revive

Hello out there in Blog land. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are taking full advantage of all this great weather. It’s so cosy and warm-albeit a wee bit blustery, but who am I to complain?

It really cheers me right up to have days like this as they are so unexpected after last year, I really keep saying to myself as well as all that will listen, “we are so lucky it was this year we didn’t go on holiday and not next year.” If we had been staying in the UK then I’d be outside getting my bulbs in the ground, however that isn’t the plan this year. Because TH’s company is now saying they will organise everything we are presuming someone will knock on the door with a couple of boxes one day and somehow everything that needs done will get done. However, for now, I am enjoying this weather.

I met up with one of my dearest friends who lives far away and we laughed and chatted and made a great deal of noise late into the night. It was one of those evenings that lifts your soul right up and manages to fill you with lightness for no particular reason.

On Saturday we did the usual chores like tidying up and getting groceries as well as sorting out clothes that we’re putting into charity shops. By accident I managed to set my alarm for bright and early so ended up having a late afternoon nap right before The X Factor. I, by the way, can’t wait until Strictly starts again…you really know that the countdown to colder seasons has begun!  (Did you notice I didn't say any particular event in this cold season?  Much more of that to come anyway!)

 On Sunday we had the family round for Sunday dinner. It was so blustery and cold that we got a fire going as soon as we got down to the living room. We had about four massive packets of chicken browning at one point to make 2 dishes for fussy eaters. At least we could all appreciate and agree on pudding which was a giant strawberry/raspberry/banana Eaton mess.

TH had been a bit poorly all weekend and so we went to bed exceptionally early...although that didn’t stop Daisy Dog jumping up into bed at 3 in the morning only to stretch out and start barking at my feet…now if I could only have a nap on the grass..

Another Swap

I have recently been over to Blueberry Hearts fantastic blog where she has been planning another swap!  I've copied out what you can see below from the blog post about the swap so get your thinking caps on people!  I have put my name down for the Hocus Pocus one so can't wait!

Hocus Pocus Hallowe'en - a Hallowe'en themed parcel to thoroughly immerse yourself in the wonderful black and orangeness of the occasion. Some ideas for this are bat shaped bunting, Hallowe'en themed cushion or sweets for trick or treating. So many options with this one I think...

Autumn Glow - an autumn themed parcel which could include anything autumn themed that you like. For example an autumn themed wreath, some cosy hot chocolate or even a handmade scarf or hat. Possibilities are endless!

Nursery Days

I think a nursery mood brews nursery food and I have certainly found that to be the case with me recently. A nursery mood is meloncholic and unrest, and the best way to ‘treat’ it is to treat it! Everyone is allowed to have off days-although I have let too many creep up on me at once. However, I think it’s quite counter productive to force yourself to be cheery and eat mango or pineapple when, quite frankly, you need stodge.


There will be many that think quite the opposite, and I understand that too, but it does not work with me, and at times when you feel the most lethargic I don’t want to train my mind to want something my body really doesn’t. So, when I get a bit gloomy the food which does the most amount of good is stodge. That’s why Autumn doesn’t bring me down the way it can feel oppresive to some Summer People. I like the smell of decay in the woods, wood smoke on the wind and pot roast in the kitchen. When my mind is full of gloom I want the same comforting Autumnal food on my plate.

“What?” I hear you say, “this is Spring!” Well I know that, but look out of the window and the sky will tell you a different story. This means that I crave mince, tatties and skirlie. This is what Grandmothers made, and Mothers had in a slow cooker for you after school. This is instantly what you need. Butchers mince, browned off and bubbled up in a pan so the gravy is thick and goey. Soft fluffy mash and a generous spoon of skirlie. Fried off oats and with chopped up onion thrown in the pan. Oh the diet goes right out the window, but nothing makes you better like it!

Winter Time

Hello winter, hello frost and smoky chimneys. Hello low suns and clear skies, winter fêtes and crnchy ground. The leaves from autumn yet to be cleared are no longer damp and brown. They are white; everything is tinged with brilliant diamonds with a million facets. The earth does not smelly musky. The air stings my nose and what little I can sense is logs and coal.

Bonfire Night

Hello, hello, hello. It was Bonfire Night on Monday, but we had a mini doo at the weekend.…an option to keep us so much saner! I knew I couldn’t handle rushing home and getting things organised and we both really wanted to enjoy our first autumnal party in the new house.

On the Monday I went down to the harbour where the village was having a display. Much like the Summer Gala there were dancers, food, raffles and too much drinkies…although you really can’t beat fresh caught fish on a BBQ.

Saturday was so perfect, apart from my mini meltdown due to the sausage rolls not crisping up (It was the Nigella recipe with the cheese scone batter-yummy). The firework display was carried out by The Husband and although I felt sure the back garden was about to go up in smoke several times only the lawn was singed.

It was such fun, not because the party was any actual real success, but because it was just a bunch of people we love and care for spending time with us in our home. Although by the end of the night I counted two people snoozing in separate corners of the house it was lively and the laughter roared almost as much as the fire when the wind got up and swirled around the garden almost calling a halt to the display. I take it as a compliment that people got comfortable with little Daisy Dog and a blanket (there was an abundance of blankets).

I am hoping to lay claim to Bonfire Night, I hope that nobody notices I get my invites out first and get a quivering lip if one person suggests hosting it themselves…or just having a quiet weekend.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and ate too much s’mores!
Sheila
x

November is…

November is for hot pots and slow cookers, it is for roasts after long walks and good warm filling soups. November is for looking out of the window and seeing harsh frost and rain.

November is for Remembrance Day, Guy Fawkes Night, and when I will stir up the Christmas cake. For me it is also when the girls in the family are heading to Edinburgh for some Christmas shopping.

November is for wearing two coats and scarves, big hats and boots for stomping around the countryside to tire the dog and stay warm. It is for jumpers. Jumpers of cable knit and snug soft materials. It is for finding sparkle for parties. Glittering and sequined garments which will shimmer and dazzle in the fairy lights.

November is for being surrounded by books, cushions and mugs of hot cocoa.

 It is for visits to the library and books bags overflowing with recently requested items full of ideas for Christmas bakes and makes.

November is for throws and eiderdowns, porridge for breakfast and travel mugs for the long journey to work. 

November is for long nights spent watching period dramas, for playing scrabble and finding Christmas movies at the weekend with warm fresh popcorn.  November is for squirreling away presents and hiding them in a new location each and every weekend.