Soulful Reflections | 10.24
What I'm focusing on this autumn, some seasonal dishes, my October favourites, and a few cosy reads.
In my ‘Soulful Reflections’ series, you’ll discover a monthly nature-inspired reflection, along with what I’ve been up to, a few of my monthly favourites, plus I’ll also be sharing what books I’ve been reading, and lots more… so get nice and cosy and let’s take a few moments to pause, reflect and unwind.
As I sit here writing, the autumn sun is shining through the trees beyond our garden fence, the leaves glistening with gold as some drift gently to the ground.
I sometimes find that as the days grow shorter and the temperature drops, my mood can feel a little dampened. Sometimes a change in season can feel slightly challenging. Although I love autumn and its beauty, I must admit I do find myself craving the light and warmth of summer. Perhaps you feel the same too? It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, so to manage it, here are a simple few things I’m focusing on this autumn:
Spend time outside during the day and amongst nature
Appreciate the small moments of joy
Prioritise self-care
Make time for activities I enjoy
Find small ways to stay cosy and feel extra comfortable
Gently set boundaries
Reflect on the inspiration and encouragement that autumn brings
What else would you add to this list?
I love this quote by John Muir from The Mountains of California. I thought it was a lovely reflection on finding joy and comfort in this autumn season:
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”
Here are a few of the things that I have been up to this month:
I’ve been having a go at trying out some different recipes this month with squash, one of my favourite autumnal foods. I also made a yummy chicken and leek pie, and a couple of loaves of honey, oat and milk bread.
We had the most amazing and vibrant full double rainbow over Lichfield, which I admired out the kitchen window until it faded away.
We had a trip to the Denby Pottery Village to look round, and also had a picnic.
I had an autumnal walk around St Micheal’s churchyard, which you read more about here.
We’ve been continuing to get our bedroom ready for decorating, which we are finally going to be doing this coming week.
I had my last Infliximab infusion. As my Crohn’s Disease is now thankfully in remission, after 6 years of having the infusion every 8 weeks, I’ve now officially come off it.
We took the car up the road to Castle Ring, which is on the southern edge of Cannock Chase, and had a lovely autumnal walk round. I’m really looking forward to going back there again. Maybe take a picnic with us too!
Some October favourites:
Lyndle Oddling
Welcome home Lyndle Oddling! How beautiful is she! We brought Lyndle home this week from Bespoke in Lichfield (one of our most favourite shops to go to here in Lichfield). Inside you’ll find so many wonderful and beautiful handmade items by local artists. I have a few Oddlings now, which are handmade by Angela from Bespoke (also creator of Burman Bears). These little Oddlings bring me so much joy. They’ve currently made their home on our bookcase.
Needle felt pumpkin by KM Studios
This lovely needle felt pumpkin is also from Bespoke in Lichfield, and has been beautifully made by KM Studios. There were so many pumpkins to choose from! We chose this one, and as you can see Lyndle has already claimed it. I thought it would be a lovely autumnal touch to our bookcase. Plus the best thing is this little pumpkin will last forever!
Died lemon balm tea
This year I have been collecting lemon balm from the garden and drying it out in the kitchen. Literally nothing fancy was used for drying it, just a bit of string tied round the bottom of a bunch, and hung up on the shelf upside down in the kitchen wherever I could find room. It definitely did the trick though! It means that I now have a jar full of lemon balm for over the coming months. It’s one of my favourites to make tea with. I’ve also been adding a little bit of thyme from the garden to my tea too.
What I’ve read, want to read, and am currently reading:
Again, I’ve not actually read many books lately. I feel that I perhaps completed my Goodreads 2024 reading challenge a bit early this year, so my reading has slowed up a bit. But it gives me a good opportunity to start going through (and adding more to) my TBR pile! So this month I thought I would share with you a couple of books by the same author that have been on my Kindle for absolutely ages, but I hadn’t got round to reading until recently, and also one book that has only just been published, which I’ve been really excited to get.
The Little Vintage Carousel by the Sea by Jaimie Admans
It’s no secret that I absolutely love a good cheesy romance novel, and this one definitely didn’t disappoint. I knew exactly what was going to happen in the story, but that made me want to keep reading it even more!”
“Ness has almost resigned herself to being single forever, when she catches sight of the most gorgeous man she’s ever seen on the train to work.
But just as she plucks up the courage to speak to him – he steps off the train and disappears into the crowds, without realising he’s accidentally dropped his phone!
It’s her ‘glass slipper’ moment, she’s sure of it, she just needs to track him down – all the way to the gorgeous seaside village of Pearlholme, where she finds him restoring a vintage carousel by the sea…”
Home for Christmas by Heidi Swain
I’ve been so excited for this book to come out after Heidi announced it. I have most of Heidi’s books, and I’ve been on a mission to collect the remaining few that I haven’t got. Every time I visit a charity shop I’m always on the lookout! I’ve managed to find a few.
Bella is living her best life in Wynbridge, with her beloved Spaniel, Tink. She’s found a way to keep the house she inherited from her grandparents while expanding her dream business – Away With the Fairies – and she’s ecstatic that Christmas is on the horizon!
In fact, everything is perfect until family friend, Catherine Connelly asks Bella if she’d be willing to rent part of the house to freelance author, Jude who is researching the history of the Connelly Clan and Wynthorpe Hall ahead of turning his findings into a book. The plan had been for Jude to stay at the hall, but he can’t cope with the chaos and Bella reluctantly agrees to open her door to him.”
It’s a Wonderful Night by Jaimie Admans
Another book by Jaimie that I’ve just started reading. Already it’s hard to put down!
“Georgia Bailey is closing up her little charity shop in Oakbarrow when she gets a mysterious late night call from a stranger, threatening to jump off the town’s bridge.
Something about the man’s voice is faintly familiar but all she can do is stay on the line and after talking for hours, losing sense of time passing, coax him back from the edge.
The next morning, Georgia walks to work, buys a festive latte from Leo (who she’s had a crush on for months!) at the local coffee shop, and is shocked when she suddenly recognizes the voice from last night…
A heartwarming festive love story that reminds us that even in the darkest of times, hope is always just around the corner!”
What have you been enjoying throughout October?
Until next time…
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I love a good cosy read. I'll look up those that you mentioned.
I've been reading the Dream Harbor series by Laurie Gilmore. The first two are perfectly Autumnal, The Pumpkin Spice Cafe and The Cinnamon Bun Book Store.
What a lovely month recap! I'm always on a hunt for some cosy Christmas readings. The other day I got myself "Murder in the Season" which is a Jessica Fletcher cosy mystery set during Christmastime. As a fan of the show Murder She Wrote, I enjoy so much the books!