October ...ing
Making quince jelly with 4 large quinces bought in Turkey and five tiny ones from my tiny tree. This was my first proper harvest, I am pleased. I froze the fruit pulp to make quince cheese later in the year. You can see the different quinces in a photo, quite something!
Planting tulip bulbs in a big whiskey barrel and a few smaller pots, too. I remembered to cover them with chicken wire so Ricky the squirrel would not eat all the bulbs. Ricky disapproves.
Thinking of putting the garden to bed (but knowing it won't happen)
Admiring those last colourful flowers that keep on giving me joy. The rudbeckia is always reliable but there is also a pink flower with no name that brings me happiness. I am also admiring my chocolate orchid in the bathroom. It produces one flower stem after the other, after years of being dormant. I call it chocolate orchid because it smells like melted chocolate.
Listening to too many science fiction books. I am in that kind of mood. My favourite this month was probably The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier. I also enjoyed Eversion by Alastair Reynolds and The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird, although this last one is more dystopian than science fiction.
Wondering if I have enough smart-casual garments for a 5 day conference. I might have to cheat with different coloured tights, of which I have many.
On that note trying to beat my anxiety about travelling. The palaver at the airport is just no pleasant and this time I have to go through US Immigration, always a bit scary.
Looking forward to having blinds fitted in the living room (they are on order). I know, I am easily pleased.
Feeling happy for James and Alistair, who have both been put forward for a city council mentoring scheme at school to help them life in general and career planning. They will be assigned a mentor (a different one) and meet them once a week for the next two years. How fab is that?
Walking in all weathers. I must admit, the October smirr is not pleasant, like a veil of invisible wet fog. But the colours are beautiful, even the different shades of mud.
Wearing my denim blue Paige hoodie, which I made a few weeks ago. It is soft, cosy and comfortable. I promise I'll take photos of my sewing projects soon.
Sewing a pair of Persephone trousers by Anna Allen. I've had the fabric and pattern for this for a long time. I have to finish the hems and attach the buttons.
Finishing a pair of socks that have been on the needles since May.
Postponing creative plans and all things fun until later, when I am back home for the rest of the year.
Looking forward to action on those creative plans! I want to make soap, the normal kind and also a transparent kind, which is more involved. I want to make a red velour top for the party I'll never go to and I want to knit pink socks for cosy nights in. I want to finish Eadie's quilt and I want to make some kite paper stars for the windows.
Updating my Blogger reading list so I can finally catch up with everyone I follow on Bloglovin, which mostly doesn't work for me.
Ok, I better pack my bag! Thanks for visiting 😊
Hello Christina, the month of October has really gone by much faster than I imaged and already November will be here next week. The trees and skies looked lovely, even the downed leaves and I have been going out for as many walks as possible since winter mornings will be spent on the gym treadmill soon enough. Smiling at your wondering if you will have enough "smart casual" clothes for your conference as my attires most days is only casual, most not considered "smart" but no pajamas or torn jeans worn in public. Good luck with your creative plans of which I have a number of my own. I have been listening to a few more audiobooks lately, including a couple of cozy mysteries set in 1850s London by author Kate Sanders. Like yourself, I am not happy that the holiday displays are already out, although I have not seen a lot of shop windows, just merchandise in stores. The big holiday event here in Nashua, NH, happens in late November on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and is called the Holiday Stroll, when thousands of people walk along a closed down Main Street, Shops will be open, and Santa will be there too.
ReplyDeleteOh, I was going to plant tulip bulbs and forgot about picking any up. I've had a gopher or maybe many all through my yard this summer. I'm afraid they may have eaten all my tulips and I normally have hundreds popping through the ground each early spring. I guess I'll see what next spring brings.
ReplyDeleteThe quince jelly is such a beautiful colour. Just like yourself, I have also been thinking about putting the garden to bed, but much like in other years it has instead become a muddy autumnal mess. I just keep telling myself that it's better for the wildlife :)
ReplyDeleteThe mentoring scheme sounds like a wonderful idea. I'm sure it will be beneficial. X
Great news about the boys and their mentors. A great age to have one. I bet you enjoyed making that quince jelly. The smell must have been delicious as you made it. Looking forward to hearing about your upcoming trip. I think you’ll be fine to knit socks on the plane. B x
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't know what's happened to Bloglovin, I rather rely on it as well. Also fed up with seeing Christmas stuff. Ugh. Brilliant news about the mentors, that sounds great. Glad that your trip is going ahead, I hope it's smooth journey. I quite like alone time however I can get it :) CJ xx
ReplyDeleteI think your pink flower is a Schizostylis coccinea - crimson flag lily (Hesperantha) (or a pink variety thereof). According to the RHS website, https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/16817/crimson-flag-lily/details 'Hesperantha are semi-evergreen, rhizomatous perennials with narrowly sword-shaped, erect leaves and spikes of starry or bowl-shaped flowers from late summer to late autumn'.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes
Ellie
Your quince jelly is just the most gorgeous color! 😍😍😍 I would love to follow your blog as a ‘regular’ reader but I don’t know how to do it…I had first come across you on Bloglovin which seems to hardly work anymore … please let me know if there is some other way I can keep up with your posts as they are lovely but often don’t appear in my inbox any more, thanks to the Bloglovin issue. Greetings from NY
ReplyDeleteYou got that in just in time. It's easy to get behind as I do in blog reading. Halloween is almost upon us, and I haven't yet taken a topical photo.
ReplyDeleteThe mentor scheme sounds great, good luck to both boys. And good luck for your work trip too!
ReplyDeleteJillxo
I'm ready to put my garden to sleep for the winter. I just haven't had a chance to get out there and do it yet - hopefully soon. Safe travels to the US. I hope you have a nice and pleasant trip.
ReplyDeleteFantastic news about the mentoring for Alistair and James. I wish them all the best with it.
ReplyDeleteI agree it is too early to see Christmas in the shops so I am trying to ignore it for a bit longer.
Have a good trip to the States and wishing you no palaver at the airport. Well one can hope !!
The color of those socks is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the travelling. No one likes it, as an avid traveller we also hate it. Waiting on the teleportation device to be built so we can just be done with all this airport nonsense.
That's a fantastic news about James and Alistair.
Safe travels - hope the conference is everything you'd like it to be, including heavier on the casual side, and entirely worth the trip through US customs. I am a US citizen and find (without real basis) going through customs fairly stressful as well.
ReplyDeleteHi Christina I love your socks! I hope you enjoy the conference even though you are not sure, sometimes these things turn out really well even though we are not looking forward to the drama of travelling. Take care.
ReplyDeleteI do love these posts!
ReplyDeleteI love those blue socks. They are fabulous! You sound wonderful. Good luck with your trip. It is involved and scary to travel, but at least you don't have to pass a Covid test to come here. That always made me nervous. My flight to Miami was just canceled by Delta. Ugh. Had to cancel the whole trip...it was too expensive to pick up the pieces. It's good to have travel insurance. The airlines are a bit precarious these days with the overbooking.
ReplyDeleteI migrate to Feedly a while ago as I got fed up with Bloglovin, I am sorry to hear that it is still unreliable.
ReplyDeleteI am glad it is not just me that leaves socks on the needles for months on end, I finished off a pair recently that had been on the needles for at least a year.....
I hope going through US immigration goes/went ok, I dislike doing that too.
I have stopped putting the garden to bed since I read that it is good to leave all the debris and not dead head as it provides over wintering spaces for all manner of creatures, I always leave mine until very late winter/early spring because of that.
How lovely for James and Alistair to have a mentor, that sounds wonderful, I very much hope it works out well for them.