November Days ~~~

Gentle Reader ~~~ I was shocked this morning when I came online to compose this entry to find I have not been here for more than a month! How quickly October flew by, blustering past in a flurry of falling leaves, tossed by the winds, and now November is already at the mid~point ~~~ we have celebrated Hallowe'en, and while I try hard to continue the celebration of Autumn that is always in my heart, the weather outside my cottage is a stern reminder that Winter cannot be far away ~~~ next week is Thanksgiving and then it will be Christmas; I find myself asking, in earnest, where has the year that we numbered two thousand and fifteen gone?

I feel a bit late to the party saying this, but ~~~

{I love the warm glow and bokeh effect of this image that was nearly dismissed, but even the most out of focus image can be used!}

We have had a mixed bag of weather, mostly quite kind, but now the Winter winds and wuthering weather descend. We are in the last throes of our first storm, Abigail, or A Big Gale as I saw fit to rename her!  As of this year, we now name all our storms in the same way as the hurricane system does, alphabetically. So, Welcome A Big Gale! Goodbye A Big Gale because the next big low, unnamed, is waiting ~~~ with another after that, and another one again ~~~ and the Jet Stream is keeping them well anchored above the British Isles ~~~

I turned another year older in October but we won't talk about that~~~but thank you all for your wishes that came in via the post {oh, I do love proper post} and also wishes on Facebook, Twitter, and by email ~~~

Here are a few photographs to remind us of the Autumn months just passed as everything winds down ~~~

The Rosemary is in full flower ~~~

It looks almost late Spring~like, don't you think?

but on the other end of the garden, the rose hips are turning orangey~red and tempting in the small birds to help themselves to a vitamin rich feast ~~~

As the Autumn sun drops lower and lower in the sky with each passing day, the evening skies offer up bejewelled magical sunsets ~~~

A surprise parcel in the post from a crafty friend ~ a talented lady ~ who made me this lovely Remembrance Day pop up Poppy Card and hand made felt Poppy pin to wear with pride as we remember the Fallen ~~~

"When you go home, tell them of us and say

For their tomorrow, we gave our today."

John Maxwell Edmonds

In the same envelope was some of my most favourite tea ~~~ and  Bigelow Tea are celebrating their 70th Anniversary and so they are foil wrapped in special commemorative envelopes, each with a vintage image from the Bigelow Tea archives ~~~

I took up a new hobby! These are the very first images of my Folk It! folk art painting projects ~~~ I really enjoy this method of creating something pretty ~~~

I won fifty pounds {£50.00} of Lakeland vouchers just by filling in an online survey from Crafts Beautiful magazine, and I'm treating myself to the Buttermere Hamper.  I have always wanted a luxury hamper for Christmas and this is just perfect.  I shall look forward to packing a delicious picnic in this hamper in the future ~~~ I do love a proper picnic, don't you?

To finish for today's little update, the December Country Living magazine is here, it has been for a few weeks now, and something to look forward to reading on a dark and dreary Autumn afternoon ~~~

Next time isn't so very far away, and there is a real treat in store for any Tasha Tudor followers coming ~~~

Sincerely yours
Deborah xoxo