Slip Sliding Away...

...into the Autumn.  September is nearly over, in the blink of an eye we will be into October. 

The weather today has been glorious, so after running a few errands DH and I headed up to our local Outwoods, nothing too strenuous as I am still left quite breathless from my recent illness, but a gentle stroll was just the thing.

On first glance the woods seemed to still be in summer mode...

 

But, look closer and signs of Autumn were everywhere...

 

 

... a stunning blue toadstool like in a fairy tale...

.

...autumn leaves, these are sweet chestnut...

 

...from the mighty oak...

 

....and from the birch trees...

 ...huddled together, a group of little toadstools...

 

...and a solitary one just peeking from amongst the grass and fallen leaves...

 

....all signs that the autumn is getting ready to launch in full swing.  And now home for one of DH's legendary roast dinners.  Just the thing for these evenings that are now drawing in so quickly.

 

Enjoy a lovely, cosy Sunday evening everyone!

 

Helenxx

Welcome Autumn, season of mists and mellow fruitfulness

Hello everyone, here we are on the first day of Autumn, my very favourite season of all.  Last night the moon was incredible, lighting up the countryside, casting it's gleam on everything.  Truly magical.  (BTW the photo above was edited by me, but the image was from Google - my photography skills are not quite this good!)

 

I just cant wait to see those autumn colours over the next few weeks!  At the moment I'm looking for a scene to photograph each week to log the changing colours - some of you joined me in the Autumn Photo Challenge last year, it was so lovely to see how the colours changed week by week.  I got the idea from an American website which charts the weekly progress of autumn in New England.

 

So, what has been happening since I was last here in blogland?  A lot has been going on - the illness I mentioned in my last post turned into bronchitis - not very nice.  I had to continue to work throughout which was been tough.  But now on the mend and getting back into the flow, including starting a new job this week which is very exciting! 

So I must give apologies to my lovely Autumn Swap partner - hopefully will be ready to post off my parcel to you by the end of next week.

Anyway, I have been continuing with my crochet.  I found this lovely yarn, which is made in Turkey

 

 It reminded me so much of a pumpkin!  The silver pumpkin is part of my growing pumpkin collection, I just love 'em.

 

 And here is what I made - Autumn Cushion #2:

 

 

 It is such a lovely texture, very comfy and cosy

 

 

 just the thing for snuggling up with on a chilly autumn evening!

 

Well, must away and hang more washing out - it is a lovely, sunny, breezy early autumn day here.  Later on I am going to make a bread and butter pudding, my DH saw one on a TV cooking show last week and has been going on and on (and on and on and on) about it.  This though is an angel cake I made a couple of weeks ago having seen it made (with mixed results) on Great British Bake Off (one of my "must watch" TV shows at the moment)

 

 

It worked out quite well, the inside of the cake was delightfully light and fluffy

 

It didn't hang around very long - this slice was eaten seconds after I took the photo!

 

Have a lovely Sunday.

 

Helenxx



Autumn Crochet Cushion #1 completed

Good morning everyone - and first of all a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you lovely bloggy friends who wished my wonderful son a Happy 21st Birthday.  He had a lovely day, at home with friends and family, enjoyed lots of presents (many of which were sporty-themed), had a barbeque (DH is the king of these, he makes such delicious things) and a yummy cake (made by DD and me). 

By the end of the day I was happy but very, very tired...and woke up the next day feeling a bit rough.  This then turned into laryngitis - and as a teacher having no voice is quite inconvenient!!  The students laughed a lot, but then were surprisingly sympathetic.  In the end a cover teacher had to be found as there is only so much that can be achieved by squeaking and sign language.  I have to say it has been a difficult week, as I felt pretty rotten, but kept going into work as we had a big exam board meeting this week (which thankfully went really well).

Yesterday the Moonstruckcreations crew insisted that I sit with my feet up, something which was hugely appreciated!  So I picked up my crochet and got on with my Autumn themed cushion, the second in a seasonal set I am planning. 

Here we have some work in progress...

And, here is the finished cushion...

Front:

Back:

It is just so soft and squishy, and sits perfectly on my favourite chair.  And I love the colours.  And the good news is I have enough yarn left to make another cushion.  I think that both front and back will have to be made from 2 giant granny squares as there wont be enough to make lots of smaller ones as of course this uses more yarn. 

You will probably guess that I have been totally bowled over by the autumn colours I have used, so I hope to make a couple more, including one with the most scrummy blobby orange, red and cream yarn I picked up on a little shopping trip to our local market recently.  I also bought some yarn in readiness for the winter cushion too.  DH is quite impressed with all this as some of our cushions are looking worse for wear - well they do get a lot of punishment in this house, what with kids and cats.  And he does love to lounge about on cushions whilst playing on the PS3 (yes, I am a Playstation widow...but its all good as while he is kept quiet with that I can get on with crafting!  Only thinking of him of course ha ha)  He is never quite so impressed though if I craft solely for decorative purposes.  You will have to excuse him, he is an engineer, and to him creativity = utility. 

And the cushions are coming in especially handy as now Darling Daughter has come down with the lurgy so she is curled up on the sofa with the cushions, cats, and a good book.  Ah, silly season of back to school illness!

Well, had better away and make an impression that I am getting back to normal - might hang out a bit of washing then slump back in the chair!!

Have a great Sunday.

Helenxx