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! 🍂

@DoAsYouWouldBeMumBy

I've been inspired by this thread to get myself some new boots

Looking forward to autumn walks by the sea and countryside where I live 😀
I got them in purple, and they are so comfy.

www.moshulu.co.uk/product/hatter-2112

😍

Such a great thread!
Thanks for the ideas. Ive got sticky gingerbread in the oven (smells amazing).
One of my favourites is making Golden turmeric latte, smells and tastes incredible and lovely to put in a flask too. My DC love it too

So many gorgeous ideas on here, I've had to start a list! I'm going to start with a good clean and declutter- possibly listening to an audiobook if I can work out how to do it. I'm going to clean and pack away all the summer sandals and holiday clothes and take out the winter woolies.

I have picked and frozen/crumbled the plums and damsons, and the Katy apples are bright red and so juicy. The cooking apples are still on the trees for now but I'm looking forward to picking those too.

This weekend I've picked elderberries and made my elderberry elixir, which involves boiling up elderberries with lots of warming spices and then straining through a muslin cloth. I then add the juices into a bottle with brandy and sugar, mix well and store until the winter colds start. It makes the most amazing hot toddy with a squeeze of lemon juice and completely knocks a cold on the head. They're absolutely packed with vitamin C, I would definitely recommend trying it.

I'm also going to pot up my paperwhite narcissi for some indoor colour and fragrance over the winter. I'll start some in the next few weeks, and again just before Christmas so I'll get two potfuls of joy from one bag of bulbs!

Oh, and having radio 4 on in the background whilst I'm pottering around. Not sure why but I find that incredibly cosy.

First conker of the season found today!

@freesolo

Oh, and having radio 4 on in the background whilst I'm pottering around. Not sure why but I find that incredibly cosy.

Hearing Radio 4 instantly takes me back to cosily pottering around with my mum as a child

What's everyone's favourite autumn/winter fragrance? I love Hugo Boss Deep Red. Found a very weird dupe for it- Pamela Anderson Malibu.

Can I join in?
Wore a summery dress today with a denim jacket and trainers and I think it’s the last weekend (or maybe that will be next weekend!) I’ll get wear out of summery things.

I’m going to vacuum pack all my summery stuff including shoes, maybe a week today, but spend this week getting new vac bags and folding things up making space in the wardrobe for winter bits.

Im hoping its a really good way of transitioning in my mind to a new season.

I’m hoping to treat myself to 4 or 5 decent quality high neck jumpers to wear with jeans and boots and just alternate them as a winter wardrobe. Then maybe a couple of shirts tucked in when spring peeks around and then it will be the summer clothes back out again!!

It’s funny how fast time goes isn’t it.

I booked a night away for the end of October and a night away for the end of November today, something to look forward to. By the time they’ve both been and gone, with activities to plan for the both weekends we’ve got away, it will be the run up to Christmas! Crazy!

f

I’ve also got a Pinterest board just for autumn (well, all the seasons) as I try and have a thanksgiving type roast in November with friends, it’s just food not gifts so much more relaxed and a roast is the only meal I could cook with my eyes closed. They have so many lovely autumn looks on there. I’ve managed to find something similar to this in a trendy shop near me (smaller though) and I want to find some bits to put on it in a similar style.

I also did this with loo rolls in the downstairs loo- everyone laughed at me but they did look good actually.

Massive spiders, hornets, Stoptober, misery, death.

🎉

On the plus side, telly gets better in autumn.

This thread is lovely! I had started my own list .. Chelsea Flower Show, planting bulbs, candles, cooking, forest walks, Strictly... so many therapeutic ideas on here.

Those loo rolls are cute 😍

Love this thread.

I thoroughly recommend Bam for bamboo socks.

I’m watching closely for ideas.

I asked my mum to take apart an old cashmere jumper of mine (ruined beyond repair) and knit me some cashmere bed socks with it! She said no. It probably was a bit of a cheeky request

@PrincessMaryaBolkonskaya

I have the first Strike book ready to read. I’ll probably get out my ancient copy of “September” by Rosamund Pilcher to re-read, it’s been yonks since I read it. Does anyone have any other autumn reads recommendations?

Disappointingly it’s blooming roasting down here on the South Coast of England today. Feel a bit nauseous looking at the blanket I was gleefully under reading this thread last week.

I love September. A great read for autumn.

I remember reading Jamaica Inn one autumn or winter and finding it a very suitable read for cold weather.

love this thread. Ive managed to find my autumn leaf fairy llight garland in the loft, and have gor some autumn scented wax melts. Feeling very cosy today.

Thanks @stealingbeauty I’ll add it to my list

Ice hockey season starts this week!

@covetingthepreciousthings

Can we have suggestions for autumn movies please?

Hocus Pocus is my ultimate favourite, but feel I should branch out.. is Halloweentown any good? I've never watched it but not sure where it would be available in the U.K.?

Love Story is a great autumn film!

I'm half way through a colour by numbers
(William Morris)
A painting which i can frame. You can choose loads of different pictures its absolutely brilliant and so therapeutic. It looks fab

I'm rereading the Hannah Hauxwell books. Can thoroughly recommend them as winter reading.

I've worked my way through Rebecca, The Other Bennett Sister (excellent) and first two Cormoran Strike books. Great autumn reading.

Cute pumpkins!

@covetingthepreciousthings ALL the Halloweentowns are on Disney+, don’t know if anyone answered that yet.

Going to local garden centre tomorrow in the hopes there will be bulbs left, I’m going to try doing paperwhites indoors (never attempted this) for winter blooms. Will also drop a few coats of mine off for charity, and do a big eBay upload before I attempt to buy any more books or clothes.

Today I was given 2 gorgeous candles (Aery, and Só Soy) and A LOT of chocolate for my bday so my evenings are looking good!

Have also ordered 50 (small, not real) bats for the 31st Oct. Too soon?