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! 🍂

Lovely! I’m thinking of making some kind of autumnal dried/artificial flower piece to put in our fireplace (sealed up so just not in use), will look at Etsy now for bits...

Currently trying to resist buying new pyjamas...I have about 8 pairs, plus half a dozen sets of harem pants and assorted t-shirts.

Have just ordered 8 pairs of bamboo socks and also need slipper though.

In drinks related news, I stumbled across a recipe for gingerbread tequila yesterday...

@evtheria I was in Hobby Craft today and they had loads of autumn wreath making "bits" for sale.

What a strangely emotive thread. It's a great thread though.

I too feel a bit ripped off by the summer it never really got going did it.

I can see the blackberries turning dark in the hedges. The apples on the two trees my mum planted in my garden are weighed down with fruit. We will pick blackberries in the field behind the house and make crumble. Dd1 will insist it's Madagascan custard from marks or whatever poncy supermarket it comes from to go with it. I will buy it. I do every year.

@20FlowerPower I’ve never been there - nearest one is 2 long bus rides away, but judging from the site it’s just the sort of place I like to empty my wallet in!

@nevernotstruggling I made crumble 2 days ago, due to constant rain, and thought I’d try stick to food budget here & there by buying a cheap custard in a tin. “Big mistake. Big. Huge.” Ate the leftover crumble ‘dry’. Stick to the posh one in the chilled aisle!

I am not allowing the sudden return to summer temps and ice lollies derail me, and have found A Celebration of Soup in the charity shop. I just feel like autumn is new cookbook time! And I have put my name down for a long list of non-cooking books with the library, hope they start coming in soon because I’m on a trial with Kindle Unlimited and I hate it.

@evtheria I agree the bog standard custard is rank in comparison.

On another note I love the school walk when the temp is turning and the air is clear and you can see your breath. The dds love that.

When it gets colder and they wear their ear muffs or bobble hats and gloves they look so cute.

[quote nevernotstruggling]@evtheria I agree the bog standard custard is rank in comparison.

On another note I love the school walk when the temp is turning and the air is clear and you can see your breath. The dds love that.

When it gets colder and they wear their ear muffs or bobble hats and gloves they look so cute. [/quote]
Your post made me smile, we love seeing our breath when its cold.
Can't wait until I can smell the cold!

Can I just recommend to my fellow autumn lovers that you get the October November and December issues of Landscape magazine, they really encapsulate everything we love about autumn they are amazing. If you get readly you can look at all the back issues too

I love these threads. I don't know why but I could talk about seasons for hours! Autumn is my favourite for so many reasons. I love going to the pumpkin patch, watching the leaves fall, going for walks when the leaves are colourful, Halloween, cooking in my slow cooker and scented candles in the evenings. I just wish we did thanksgiving in England because it always looks so nice on films!

Can I urge all the autumn lovers to go have a forage in the hedgerows
There's some delicious blackberries that are ripe now and that officially signals autumn is coming in my books, crumbles have to be served with Birds custard powder stuff, none of this fancy chilled custard!

@covetingthepreciousthings

Can I urge all the autumn lovers to go have a forage in the hedgerows There's some delicious blackberries that are ripe now and that officially signals autumn is coming in my books, crumbles have to be served with Birds custard powder stuff, none of this fancy chilled custard!

I had mine with ice cream at the weekend...does that make me and autumn Philistine 😆?!

I only ever eat crumble with carte d'or vanilla ice cream! Not a custard fan

(I don't want this thread to ever die)

I’m married to an American, so we follow their tradition of decorating for autumn. I start mid September and add Halloween decs mis October and then replace those with thanksgiving decorations in November and then replace them all with Christmas decs in December. It means it’s all decorated and cosy through autumn and part of winter.

In January to I fill the window sills abs outside pots with daffodils, tulips and primroses. Also hyacinths. Buy or change up cushions and start spring decor mid feb.

I find it really helps to embrace and celebrate each season.

The free Marks & Spencer food magazine has some lovely autumn recipes in. They are free in the shop and online: food magazine

@Chipsahoy that sounds like a lovely idea!

I've just started stewarding at my local non league football club, for various reasons, none of which are to do with loving football. I'm looking forward to the floodlights going on late afternoon, seeing everyone wrapped up in their club hats and scarves, then meeting my chap for some post match drinks in a little micro pub we go to. The windows steam up in autumn and winter and from outside it casts a warm inviting orange glow. One of my favourite things of the season is seeing electric light reflected on damp pavements.

Does anyone else think you can smell autumn in the air? Not yet, but in October time when you open the door into the cold dark night it just smells of autumn?!

Blatant place marking

@covetingthepreciousthings

Does anyone else think you can smell autumn in the air? Not yet, but in October time when you open the door into the cold dark night it just smells of autumn?!

Yes - IMO it’s a combination of the colder air and a particular smell that comes from all the fallen leaves if they’re at all wet, even just with dew.

One thing I love making around Halloween/Bonfire Night, is sticky gingerbread. Very easy but pretty lethal calorie-wise.

Autumn starts on the 1st of September, doesn’t it? Not officially probably but I’m starting it from then.
I’ve been away and eating lots of takeaways and I’m looking forward to rebalancing myself with good wholesome autumnal recipes.

@Chipsahoy that sounds so lovely. Can I ask you what kind of decorations you put up for autumn?

Yes autumn starts for 1st of September then the orange lights come out, and orange cover for my cushion.

One thing I love making around Halloween/Bonfire Night, is sticky gingerbread. Very easy but pretty lethal calorie-wise.

What's sticky gingerbread @GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER ?

@covetingthepreciousthings, it’s just a gingerbread that’s sticky on top, because of all the black treacle and golden syrup. Lethally moreish, to me, anyway.

It’s a recipe from a very old Mary Berry book, no creaming of fat and sugar, you just melt the butter or equivalent with the sugar, GS and treacle, mix it up with the other ingredients and shove in the oven.

One of my favourite things of the season is seeing electric light reflected on damp pavements.

Yes, me too.
I've just bought this jigsaw as I love the wet pavements and dreariness of it

I've also bought the autumn leaves fairy lights that romany4 mentioned. I bought them in the red version to hang around the fireplace.

I can’t wait for when you can blast some fresh air through the house with doors and windows open without getting flies/wasps/midges/etc floating in, likewise when it’s getting darker and can let the dog out and open the door properly, without bloody horrible moths trying to come in! Insect fan I am NOT