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! 🍂

Making my autumn playlist on Spotify today
Blink 182 Miss you
Amy Leigh Sally's Lament
Green Day Wake me up when September ends

Any other suggestions?

DH even said why haven’t we dug out the autumn stuff yet? But this September is lovely and hot where I am so it seems wrong.
Have just ordered myself a bath and body works pumpkin soap from eBay for downstairs loo and some pumpkin coasters from Etsy as we needed some anyway (now I’ll have to buy more for spring/summer)
There are some great autumn toddler/child activities on Pinterest- mine are all grown up now! 😭

I’m still loving this thread. Thanks for all of the ideas. I’ve tried several already. While it’s warm here today, we just had a little bonfire and it smells delicious.

Tomorrow it gets properly autumnal here as I’m wheeling out Mary Berry’s spiced venison casserole.

Then next week DH and I are off to the Chelsea Flower Show. It’s normally held in early summer so I can’t wait to see the autumnal garden designs 🍂

I'm just back from TK Maxx where I treated myself to a very snuggly black jumper (to go with the 5 I already have) from French Connection + Emperor's Red Tea candle by Fired Earth, which has a beautifully warm, soft fragrance.

Also, just ordered a new Hypnos mattress with a downy topper. It's going to feel like sleeping on a cloud 💤💤💤

Some of my autumn moody tracks:

• Agnes Obel ‘Aventine’
• Cocteau Sisters ‘Alice’
• Pixies ‘Where Is My Mind’
• Nirvana ‘Something in the Way’
• Morphine ‘Take Me With You’
• Michael Kiwanuka ‘Solid Ground’
• Otis Redding ‘Dock of the Bay’
• The Be Good Tanyas ‘Waiting Around to Die’
• Florence + the Machine ‘Big God’

Blink 182’s Miss You is such a vibe!

I made this cake today with blackberries we picked at the weekend, it was delicious. Had it with a coffee in the garden as I enjoyed the sunshine with a lovely hint of a chill in the air.

That cake looks delicious. We've not really had any decent blackberries round our way this year. They were really late to ripen and they seem really small, so we've left them for the wildlife. I might have to buy some instead

@WitchBaby I must admit, the blackberries we picked were a bit sad looking so I did mix them with some huge frozen ones from Aldi...

Happy first day of Autumn 🍁 🍂

Our blackberries were perfect in the last two weeks of August. I usually get caught out and leave it too late but I was ready this year.

Looking out for the Aurora Borealis on clear dark nights

@Garbanzo

Looking out for the Aurora Borealis on clear dark nights

Yes, I recommend the AuroraWatch UK app for this. It pings you if there's a high chance of sighting the Aurora. Grab a flask of tea or hot chocolate and go Aurora hunting!

Today I will mostly be making my autumnal door wreath, I got all the makings from the local craft market and have borrowed dds glue gun - wish me luck please, I am the least 'crafty' person in the universe and will proberbly end up stuck to the table, I will have tried though

Good luck babe. Make sure you show us a pic when you're finished

How's the wreath going, @thebabessavedme, or can you not post because you're still glued to the table?

I have a fine crop of fallen leaves all over my front garden, which I'm hoping don't all blow away before Halloween. They finish DH's seasonal cemetery beautifully.

I took out the faux furry through for the sitting room and DD has claimed it, so her usual pink fleecy one has been packed away till spring. This day week we'll be lighting the First Fire (no, I don't care what temperature it is, I'm lighting it on the first of October even if there's a heatwave!).

I'm loving my new cream fleece pyjamas, patterned with autumn leaves, pumpkin spice lattes and doughnuts. DS is very into the change in seasons as well this year and, I suspect, is coming dangerously close to taking a bite out of them.

Graham Norton's back!

I listen to a podcast called 'As The Season Turns'. It's a monthly 20ish minute podcast that sets the scene, captures the atmosphere of each month. It's easy listening for me on the first Sunday of the month while I make lunch. I look forward to it each month as it's educational and she's a nature writer so there's a lot of focus on nature

Autumn 🍂 has finally arrived in the UK!! 🥳 Nice cool, rainy, windy, cosy weather I’m so happy!!!! And it’s come just in time for my ELCS tomorrow!! 😃😃

Well I have been thwarted (interupted by every bugger and his dog) at every turn and my wreath is still not done, however today might be the day! Its very windy here and it feels a little chilly, I have some some xmas shopping over the weekend and hurrah hurrah hurrah, dh has a nice new office to go and work in, the days will be my own again

What a lovely, lovely thread. I'm going to sit and pore over it tonight when I have more time, and bask in the autumnness of it! For me, the only things I've done so far are practical ones - had the chimney swept, had the logs for winter delivered and unpacked into the log store, and taken the log burner door to the local repair place to have clear glass put into it (someone had bodged it with some old oven door glass, and it really bugs me!). The weather is grey and cool today so I'm looking forward to the first fire of the year later on this week :)

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I got the red version for an autumn winter transition duvet. with my Fairy lights and autumn leaves string it looks great.

Added some accent cushions in our neutral living room for an autumn pop too.

Cox and cox and garden trading sometimes good for seasonal decorations and twinkly lights...

Have done a lot of the things already suggested on this thread but yesterday in M&S picked a couple of their Scottish tins of shortbread. One for Christmas and one to go with with autumn hot chocolates etc. Lovely red tartan stag tin

My Whittard hot chocolate order has arrived! I went for salted caramel, white chocolate and creme brulee.

I've only tried the salted caramel before (which I adore) so hoping I'll enjoy the others as much.

I've loved reading this thread and gathering ideas. I had all 3 of my babies in Autumn and I still have an expectant feel at this time of year, the nesting cosiness creeping in. I've got the blankets out on the sofas, and this weekend we're going to have a bonfire.