Autumn, despite my best efforts, is not my favourite season. The colours are wonderful, of course - and I have been told quite often that I dress like I’ve just stepped out of the seasons palatte - but that’s not quite enough.
I love the idea of autumn that we’re so often presented with; crisp sun-filled days where you have nothing more pressing to do than wrap up in warm clothes and walk through wood blazing in shades of reds and golds against the deep dark evergreens before curling up under a pile of blankets with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book.
But the reality, especially in October, is rarely so delightful. For a start the loss of daylight since the autumn equinox has become palpable, a situation not helped by the clocks going back the last weekend of the month, and this year especially it feels gloomsome, containing far more grey skies and rain than anything approaching cold and bright.
With Storm Babet only just having stopped wreaking havoc across the UK and dusk now falling mid afternoon I can love the concept until the cows come home but that has absolutely no effect on my desire to curl up in a small ball and hibernate until spring1. Since that is not possible I’m do the next best thing and going into a sort of nesting mode that involves two main things, comfort food and as much light as I can get in my face.
Comfort food
This is the season of soups and stews and I thought that I might share the links to some of my favourites in case you too would like thick, warm, unctious deliciousness to give your lunches and dinners a bit of cheer2. And of course there is a cake recipe too, because sometimes you just need a bit of sweet to give you a lift.
Parsnip and Apple soup - a National Trust recipe that simply tastes of autumn and orchards and makes a wonderful accompanment to a sandwich made of sharp cheddar. I don’t often bother with the thyme and oil drizzle but it is very nice.
Potato and Courgette soup - this is thick without being heavy and just needs a warm roll and a drizzle of cream to become a wonderful lunch. I am not vegtarian so I add a couple of tablespoons of my homemade chickenstock after it’s been blitzed to add an extra bit of omph. You can also add a couple of carrots if you want to make it go a bit further, just remember to chop them up small and add another 5 mins to the cooking time before blitzing.
Chicken and Mustard one pot - another one from the National Trust. I usually serve it over a baked potato for a quick hearty dinner.
Beef and mushroom stew - you can always trust Mary Berry with stews and this recipe no exception. It’s something I make when company is coming since you can make it ahead of time and the depth given by the red wine and umami of the mushrooms is a real crowd pleaser.
Apple Cinnamon Buns - apple-y, cinnamon-y, bread-y, caramel-y goodness is just what this time of year needs and this is an incredibly easy recipe for just that3. And yes, I have been cooking and baking my way through the National Trust website’s recipe section, why do you ask?
Light:
My mother has quite severe seasonal depression and I am aware that it has quite a significant affect on me too. So as well as taking vitamin D tablets and getting myself outside once a day regardless of whether there’s any actual sun to be had, I also have a daily date with a SAD4 lamp.
If you’ve never heard of a SAD lamp before it’s basically a very bright lamp that has a bulb/bulbs inside which mimic actual sunlight. This tricks your body and brain into thinking they’ve had far more exposure to the actual sun than they have and thus increases serotonin and reduced melotonin (lifting your mood and lowering how tired you feel).
I use mine first thing in morning (if I’m not headed straight out for a walk) and for at least half an hour in the afternoon once the sun has set, often paired with an audio book and my latest crochet project as the brightness is excellent for close work.
It doesn’t miraculously cure the depression but it sure does help keep the shadows at bay!
House clearance news:
Yes, I actually have news. We’ve been chip-chip-chipping away at clearing cupbaords and boxes and nooks and crannies and - without wishing to jinx anything at all - I can finally see that we’re actually getting close to being able to get some proper valuations.
There are only two rooms left that need immediate clearing attention and one of those is the box room. I have been able to book someone to come and quote to change the flooring in the bathrooms and one carpet. I am currently looking at skip hire for the big things that we’ve not been able to take to the tip. I can see a light at the end of the tunnel and it genuinely neither looks nor sounds like an oncoming train.
Crochet-wise, head on over to my latest Wrangling the Yarn blog post to see pictures of the biggest project I’ve attempted to date, which I have finally finished and delivered to my friend to grace the sofa in her new home. I’m still musing on what might be my next “leveling up the skills” project, somewhat hampered by most of my yam being packed for the move and being unwilling to buy more. You’ll probably be the first to know what I pick as there won’t be another wrangling the yarn blog post until the end of December.
Writing-wise, I will absolutely not be attempting NaNoWriMo this year. I’ve managed to catch up with the blog schedule so I’m no longer chasing my tail after the blip in the summer and I don’t want to put any more pressure on myself. I had some rather lofty goals at the start of the year in relation to my Arthurian novel and they simply are not on the table any more because I need my mental and physical health to remain as boyant as possible to keep working on the house move. So all I’m aiming for, over the next two months, is to finish and share the rest of the year’s planned posts on time.
Since the last newsletter, the following have gone up on the blog:
• The Small Things Spreading Joy in September
• Living with Hearing Loss: The Questions Edition
• Hearth and Home (the newest Flashes of Feathers tale)
• Working with the Wheel: All Hallows’ Eve, or Samhain
Two of the blog series I’ve been working are now finished - Living with Hearing Loss and Working with the Wheel - freeing up some of my writing time over the next two months for other things. Mostly I shall use it to work on my fiction but it also gives me a little space to maybe start to think about where I might focus my writing next year.
Speaking of next month, my Wildwood tarot deck has a card for you to consider:
Autumn may feel, to many of us, like the time to gather the fruits of the harvest and retreat with enough to sustain ourselves in isolation until we have weathered the dark of winter but this card is asking us consider an alternative; to take what we have, whether that be food, money, time, support or energy, and share it with kindness and love wherever we can. Given what is going on across the world at the moment this feels like a timely reminder that - regardless of how little you are able to do, how little you may have to share - there is always something, no matter how small, you can do to make someone else’s day a little brighter. And that is a magic all of its own.
So until November, my friends, I offer you a blessing …
As we move into the depths of autumn may we both know and share the gifts of warmth, kindness, light, and love.
I am certain there is a dormouse somewhere far back in my ancestry.
You’re going to need a stick blender to make the soups, sorry!
Provided you have a standing mixer with a dough hook. The dough does work up okay by hand though, it’s just a bit messier.