Ideas to make the coming autumn lovelier ( or at least a little more bearable)

[Labradabradorable]

Looking out at the garden this evening I can see the light is a little more golden and the shadows a little longer. Autumn is around the corner, which I normally greatly look forward to on a hot late-August drive home through France, piled high with wine, well-read and dripping with idleness. I suspect this year’s bracing camping in Wales might just be a reminder of the rain and mud to come.

Any ideas to make the coming season a little nicer? So far I’ve come up with :

Blowing my birthday John Lewis voucher on a nice candle ( Diptyque Feu de Bois) and a couple of velvet scatter cushions
A houseplant for my bathroom window
Booking some riding lessons for all of us
Embracing the darker mornings and getting up early to walk the dog. Also, joining a beginners agility group.
Regular swimming and encouraging the kids to come too
A lovely bath foam ( I like L’Occitaine almond)
Buying good pyjamas and new boots
Planning some pretty woodland walks
Planning some good autumnal food (crumbles, stews)
If possible, doing a few days extra work and booking for DD and I to go to Paris. That might be wishful thinking as my summer energy ebbs.

Any other ideas welcome! 🍂

Autumn reads - Susan Hill's The Magic Apple Tree, Susan Branch has an autumn cookery book - her books are handwritten and illustrated - lovely for browsing.

Gladys Taber who used to write for US women's magazines in the forties and fifties has some lovely writing on autumn - old fashioned, very gentle.

I've just collected a tub of blackberries from the huge bramble bush in the ginnel behind my house.

Crumble tomorrow, not sure how well it'll follow chana masala but hey ho...

@lazylump72 Yes, there's just something so nice about being wrapped up all warm and cosy but still being outside on a crisp autumnal day. Your wooden gazebo sounds fabulous! I have a small wooden structure thing which I can just about fit my table and chairs under. Solar lights would take it to the next level!

I love September and October - it always feels that winter starts after bonfire night as it always seems to get properly cold after that where I live.

I enjoy collecting conkers with the children (used to be my own, now the little ones at work!) -doing that always has a 'back to school' feel as we had a row of horse chestnuts on my way home when I was little and we collected them soon after going back for the new term. I enjoy the harvest - collecting blackberries and apples, seeds for next year. I love the trees changing colour and the different feeling to the air when going for a walk. I love Samhain and the 'new year'. After this point it feels like winter and I don't enjoy the dark months as much as I enjoy the lead up to them.

Over the next weeks I will do a reverse spring clean and scrub the house and pack away the summer things and get the autumn and winter things out such as clothing, bedding, sofa throws, candles etc. Make lots of crumbles, pies etc with the berries and fruit. Take my children to a local pumpkin patch and maise maze. Woodland walks - I prefer walking when it gets a bit cooler, when it's hot it's nicer just to lounge lol. I'll sort out my garden and shed, ready for the winter months - trim hedges, cut back plants that need it, put in autum/winter colour and spring bulbs.

I wonder how many Velvetisers have been purchased off the back of this thread?

Can someone explain to me why the velvetiser is so good? Like, how is it different to just making hot chocolate?

@RandomCatGenerator

Can someone explain to me why the velvetiser is so good? Like, how is it different to just making hot chocolate?

If you make your hot chocolate in a saucepan with real grated chocolate rather than the powdered stuff, then it's not any better. Especially if you also buy a little milk frother. You can get the little stick ones and just use that to froth up the milk, or the little metal pot ones are also cheap.

It's a jumped-up milk frother truth be told. But I adore mine. It was a Christmas present last year. I have the copper coloured one and it's just gorgeous sitting on the counter top. Some things are just fun.

It makes delicious hot chocolate quickly. My favourite way is to use grated Lindt chocolate, the type with sea salt in it. I think the pointlessly expensive part would be to buy Hotel Chocolat's own hot chocolate pots or sachets. I don't rate them at all compared to just grating my own favourite chocolates.

Oh and it rinses out a breeze so no faff keeping it clean.

If anyone has any good stew or casserole recipes for the slow cooker, I would be grateful if you could link them ( or recommend books)

Well today I’ve started buying bits to away from Christmas money now being saved, so happy now love this time of year.

Oh I love this thread - a fellow autumn-lover here. I love the new-term feeling of September, the long shadows of cold but sunny late October days, Halloween and bonfire night. I'm an aspiring twitcher so I shall be watching for the arrival of our winter visitors

https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/birdtrack/bird-recording/by-migration-season/autumn-migration

We’re looking for Mumsnet users to test the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnetproductt_tests/4327796-We-re-looking-for-Mumsnet-users-to-test-the-Hotel-Chocolat-Velvetiser

@GromblesofGrimbledon Just signed up!

@GromblesofGrimbledon Didn’t know you could make cocktails with it! Well that’s one way to welcome in autumn... Crossing fingers!

[quote evtheria]@GromblesofGrimbledon Didn’t know you could make cocktails with it! Well that’s one way to welcome in autumn... Crossing fingers![/quote]

Neither did I. I'm not sure how as it heats up the milk. Maybe it just means popping a bit of booze in your hot chocolate. Or making a warm banana milk.

Hot White Russian perhaps?

I'm going to do a very late spring clean and sort my garden out

@Nearlyadoctor - I’m not a huge fan of my slow cooking attempts! For some reason, everything seems to turn out tasteless.

However, one book that I love is The Slow Cook Book by Heather Whinney. Firstly, it had lots of recipes that really tempted my taste buds (I find a lot of slow cook book recipes just don’t grab my attention).

But the main thing I like is that each recipe has measurements and instructions for cooking in the slow cooker or on the hob/in the oven.

I love autumn, I feel like I come alive in the autumn.

Lots of spicy smelling candles
Walks in the woods
Coat and boots
Slippers
Halloween party and decorating
Baking
Hot chocolate
Curries
Fire pit marshmallows and sparklers

I'm going to get an autumn wreath this year.

Marking my place

I adore the Autumn. This season I look forward to:

Long Forest walks
Getting the fire going
Roast lunch in pub
Fireworks night
Stews and hearty puddings
Wearing big coat and boots
Dark mornings and evenings

Let's keep this thread going for more warm and fuzziness

Just been handed a big bag of cooking apples by a kind neighbour. Should get a fair few crumbles out of them. 😋

Off the back of this thread I have just bought the most beautiful autumn wreath. Looking forward to boots and scarves, big coats, hot chocolate and cake and Strictly being back on the tv!

I too love Autumn for all of the reasons already listed.

One thing I did miss last year though was ‘autumn events’ it was all tinged with Covid, Trick or treating didn’t really happen, none of the Halloween scare fest type attractions were on, we got pit into lockdown on 1st Nov so no bonfire night etc. I feel like a lot of the good Autumn related events last year just didn’t really happen.

Really hope that’s not the same this year.

I’m looking forward to wearing big, knitted jumpers and jeans and Chelsea boots, my nice long coats, scarfs etc.

Looking forward to lighting the log burner and turning on the fairy lights around the lintel. Hot chocolates, marshmallows and cream!!

Also, will be WFH for the first time this year so looking forward to being able to stay cosy at home

We live very rurally so also looking forward to long dog walks and seeing all the fields and landscape change.

Might pick blackberries and make a pie or crumble for the first time ever this year!

Autumn is my absolute favourite season. I cant wait for pumpkin picking, long walks in boots and coat, halloween, blankets and glass of red wine in the evening with the heating on!

@Justonedayatatime11 Ooh - pic? (Or description/where to buy!)

@evtheria it's this one from Etsy