Farewell November

November has been a month where we have seen some sunny days with blue skies...

some cloudy days, where the Autumn colour seems to be even brighter...

 
and many days of mellow mistiness...

I have to say that I really like these sort of days...

November is a month where many of us remember those who have gone before.  As a family we remember two of our loved ones who passed away in November, one of whom was my sister who sadly died before I was born.  For some reason, the other evening, I decided to jot down a November poem and this is what I came up with (it is very melancholy in tone, as it is a poem of rememberance and lost opportunity)...

November
Now in the eleventh month of the year  

Our thoughts go to those we hold dear

Very near in our minds and yet so far

Each year that passes yet cannot mar

Memories we have that still hold might

Blessed be those who have gone each day and night

Every day we remember and yet we

Realise together on this earth we no more shall be.
(HM, November 2014).

I still love the month of November, in spite of the sadness that accompanies it.  It is a month of spellbinding beauty and we do have many reasons to celebrate too.

I hope that this month has been kind to you and that next month will be one of happiness and blessings.

Tomorrow I hope to embark on a little blogging project for the month of December organised by Julie - looking forward to it!

Helenxx

Feeling Thankful

Thank Goodness its the Weekend!!!!!!!!!!  Wow, what a week.

Hello everyone, hope you are well and looking forward to a lovely weekend.  My feet haven't touched the ground this week, it has been very hectic again.  But now it is Saturday and I can have a little scrap of time to sit down, have a coffee, and reflect on things I have been thankful about lately.

First of all, a few weeks ago I received a lovely message from Susan to say that I had won the monthly apron giveaway she organises.  She makes the most amazing aprons, and very generously gives away one each month.  She is also an amazing cook and posts super recipes. 

The apron I had won had an October theme in the colours of the fabric, and to say that Susan is a talented seamstress is a vast understatement.  Susan, thank you so, so much, and I must apologise for the poor quality of the photos - it has not properly got light here for over a week.  Please go over to Susan's blog to see the apron in all it's true glory, but here are my efforts at trying to show how lovely it is...

Don't you just love the pocket design - so neat...

Trying to give an idea of the true colours of the fabric...

 

 

She also included a sweet card with a lovely message inside...

Susan, you are amazing, thank you again so much.

Last Sunday saw the last Formula 1 motor race of the season, if you read this blog regularly you will know that this household is an F1 fanatic household.  Darling Daughter made Red Velvet cupcakes to celebrate our favourite driver Mr. Kimi Raikkonen... the 2007 World Champion...

Number 7 is the number of his car...

 

watching the race munching cakes...

 

 Bless him, he has not had the best of years but we are hoping for better things next year.

This morning I have had time to sit and actually enjoy a cuppa without having to rush around...

And last night DH bought these home with him, didn't take long before they all disappeared...

Finally I thought I would share some batik and quilting work my Darling Daughter has been working on for her A level Textiles project.  She, like me, loves Autumn and has been using autumn leaves as inspiration.  I am so delighted with the quality of her work, she has really started to show a real skill and maturity in what she produces.  And her machine embroidery puts mine to absolute shame!

Well, I am going to treat myself to another cuppa (steady on there!!) before getting organised to go out on errands.

Hope you have a lovely weekend.  And of course, to all my friends out there in the US, belated Thanksgiving greetings.

Helenxx

Essence of November

Well, here we are at the weekend!  But today I am looking back to last Sunday, when son no.3 and I went out with our cameras on a damp, chilly November afternoon.  He had a photography project to complete for a university assignment, so I took the chance to go out with him.  He had a top-of-the-range camera (borrowed from uni) and I had my little camera with me.  I had a great time helping him to compose shots, and of course managed to do a lot of snapping of photos myself.  Some folks would have thought the weather and the light and the general dampness quite depressing, but is really is my favourite kind of weather for my favourite time of year.  And we had a lovely time chatting away, he really was super company.  At first he was a little self-conscious about taking photos if anyone was about but as soon as he saw his dear old mother taking her photos with not a care in the world he soon got into the spirit of things.

 

So here are some of the many photos I took!

 



 Walking down this footpath the trees looked glorious...

Misty countryside in all it's splendour...

Autumn leaves...

Fascinating fungi, I love their ethereal beauty...

Melancholy signs of decay...

Grand old houses...

"Autumn is the eternal corrective. It is ripeness and color and a time of maturity; but it is also breadth, and depth, and distance.  What man can stand with autumn on a hilltop and fail to see the span of his world and the meaning of the rolling hills that reach to the far horizon?" -   Hal Borland

Have a lovely late November weekend!



Helenxx

Traditional street food

Hello again, hope you are well.

When we visited our local street fair at the weekend it was fun looking around the food stalls in search of all those treats enjoyed at such an occasion...

Mmm, candy floss...

Always baffles me how this is made...

And, for more years than I would care to remember, we have always bought a bag of two or these to come home with us...

Made by a local firm since 1888 to a traditional recipe...

Scrummy...

And, we would always buy these, Grantham Gingerbread...

image courtesy of Google



However, none were to be found on any of the stalls.  On further enquiry, it turns out that the owner of the firm which manufactured them passed away in the summer, and so has ceased to operate - such a shame after such a long history.

 

These biscuits are quite unlike any other ginger biscuits, they are pale (no syrup or molasses) and have a hollow but chewy centre.  And they are VERY hot and gingery. And scrumptious.

 

So now DD and I are trawling the internet to try to find an authentic recipe so we can have a go at making our own.

 

Will keep you posted as to our success (or otherwise).

 

What is your favourite traditional food linked to your local region?

 

Helenxx