First Frost

It was a pleasant surprise to wake up to more seasonable weather yesterday. Overnight we had received our first real frost, and during my journey to walk I felt quite spoiled, being able to enjoy the quiet of the morning. The sky was clear and bright and the surrounding fields sparkled in the sunlight. A welcome change from the mild damp days we have been experiencing in recent weeks. 

Thank you so much for your kind messages regarding Mog. I am pleased to say she is completely recovered now, and back to her usual self. Even my 5am wake-up calls have been re-established! I must admit, I had been quite concerned to begin with, as until this recent setback, she had never previously shown any signs of illness. Not bad going for over seven years. And Boo appears to be growing bigger by the day. He really is the sweetest, most affectionate little ball of fluff. 

And I'm also feeling much better now. It turns out there was a virus doing the rounds at work, and thankfully I got off lightly compared to most.

Looking back, November has been a quiet month, and if I'm being honest it felt as though I had wasted some of my days. In hindsight, I think I needed this time to pause and reflect. Looking ahead, December is going to much more busy. I am still not feeling as prepared as I would like, but I hope I might be making some headway after the weekend. 

This evening, I've hung Lily's Advent stockings and tucked a festive, foil wrapped chocolate into each one. Whilst doing so, I whispered a grateful thanks to last year's me, who clearly decided it would be a far better idea to leave each individual stocking firmly tied to the garland, and saved this year's me an hour or so of unnecessary faffing. A small win, but a win nonetheless :)

J. X

Colours of Autumn

 

November is hurrying by, and I haven't been in this space as much as I would have liked. Not that I have much to report - my days have been rather ordinary. 

Mog and Boo are getting more and more used to their shared living arrangement. Unfortunately, it seemed that when I rescued Boo, I also 'rescued' a virus, and although Boo was completely asymptomatic, it did result in a trip to the vets for Mog. She is totally fine now, of course. In fact, she appears even more playful than she was before, and my mornings have become much more lively :) 

Speaking of viruses, I was a little unwell myself last week. It wasn't serious, and fortunately it didn't stop me from getting out and enjoying a gentle walk in a fleeting moment of autumn sunshine. And thank goodness I did, the weather so far this month has been pretty dismal. I'm certain Novembers never used to be so dreary. I have memories of far more bright autumn days and clear blue skies, but perhaps, in reality, they were always damp and grey. 

I've been resting as much as I have been able, and have spent some time crocheting the blanket for my friend. I really need to start making more progress soon, before her baby arrives!

 

The vibrant greens of summer have given way to pale golden grasses and the bracken, which covers the fell side, has become a rich russet brown, gradually retreating and revealing tracks often hidden during the summer months.

My thoughts are now turning towards the end of year :)  Now that my working hours have increased, I have been feeling more concerned than usual as to how I am going to find enough time to organise everything, but I am reminding myself what is really important. For me, this year it will mean sending a few cards, exchanging some small gifts, and an appreciation for the warmth and joy of the season. This year, more than ever, will be especially difficult for so many. 

Today, we are forecast snow up on the higher fells. Winter is on it's way.

J. X

Boo! 🐈‍⬛

There is no denying that November is my least favourite month of the year. Dark mornings and even darker evenings. Gloomy, wet and windy weather. Bright, blue sky days, where the leaves almost appear to glow in the autumn sunshine have been too few and far between.

Hallowe'en was quiet again this year. We received several callers, slightly older than I had expected, but all of whom were lovely, polite, and had made a lot of effort with their costumes, so they were more than welcome to some treats.

Lately, most of my weekends have been spent close to home. A busy working week means I need to run errands or catch up with housework. Finding that work/life balance has proved difficult since starting back again after the summer. Still, things should hopefully improve as time goes on - she says optimistically :)

Last Saturday, we enjoyed a trip into town. Unusually for us, we travelled by bus, which was surprisingly straightforward, given as for some reason I am absolutely terrible at reading bus time tables. We found some new winter boots for Lily and I managed to pick up a few less exciting bits and pieces for myself, before rewarding our achievements (I don't particularly enjoy shopping) with lunch out. After which I may or may not have also bought some mince pies from a well known high street bakery :) 

During the afternoon I  made bonfire toffee and later that evening we lit our sparklers in the garden. Fireworks were thin on the ground here this year. Not that I am complaining. I do love a proper, organised display, but most back garden fireworks can be a little underwhelming to say the least. Fortunately, neither of the cats appeared bothered by the few that had been set off nearby. 

Yes, that's right. I said CATS. I now have two!!!

Introducing...Boo.

Boo is just under 4 months old, he has the most velvety soft fur, bright green eyes and besides proving to be somewhat of a house plant menace, he has settled in just fine.  

J. X

Haworth

 

At the beginning of the week, just after we had visited the pumpkin farm, we enjoyed a two night stay in Haworth, West Yorkshire. This was really down to the lovely Jo, who had piqued my interest in the area with this post here, 

I had been lucky enough to have booked us into a small cottage in a very convenient location,  just off the historic, cobbled Main Street. We were right across the road from the beautiful Central Park and a short walk up the hill from the railway station. Main Street is lined with the most charming, independent shops, it really feels like you've stepped back in time, and at this time of year most of them were beautifully decorated for Hallowe'en. Our cottage was lovely and cosy, and just perfect for the two nights we stayed there. And after a wander around the village, we spent a quiet first night in front of the TV with a delicious curry.

The following morning, I packed up a lunch and we set off for the station. Haworth Station is part of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, a heritage railway line, which runs along the 5 mile track between Keighley and Oxenhope. We travelled the full length of the line on a steam train, stopping to look around both Oxenhope and Oakworth stations. Oakworth is best known for the filming of The Railway Children, although now it is for where I enjoyed eating my picnic lunch on the platform, in the warm autumn sunshine :) 

The station is beautifully preserved, with an old style level crossing, separate waiting rooms for ladies, and it even still benefitted from an open fire in the booking office.

Returning to Haworth, we took a walk around the park, before enjoying another walk up Main Street, this time taking in the Church, The Bronte Parsonage, and The Old School Room. There might even have been a refreshment stop at The Black Bull pub, which Branwell Bronte used to frequent - for the historical interest, of course :) Then it was back to the cottage, once again, as by this time we were tired after our long day.

The next day, in order to enjoy the full Bronte 'experience', we walked out of the valley and on to the moors to view the picturesque Bronte Falls, the Bronte Bridge and Stone Chair. Then we walked further along the path up to Top Withens, the ruined farmhouse thought to be the setting for Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. It was definitely wuthering that morning, although, thankfully, it wasn't cold.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Haworth and might gladly have stayed there a little longer, if only there hadn't been something even more exciting I needed to do...

J. X