Tag: autumn

Life Lately..!

Time seems to slipping away from me as we approach the end of the year. We are so lucky to have such distinct seasons here in Scotland, early November was unusually mild but the last couple of weeks brought a cold snap full of frosts and subzero temperatures, and we’re all looking forward to the merriment and cheer of Christmas.

Our oldest daughter started school in August, and she has settled in so well, making a little group of friends, building on her number and counting skills, writing and learning to read. I couldn’t be more proud of her as she works her way through the phonics books we borrowed from the library. She’s moved up two classes in gymnastics since May and we’re thinking about looking for a competitive club because she shows such aptitude and skill, and she enjoys it so much.

Our youngest is enjoying extra one to one time with me, something she hasn’t really had since she was a baby, and she’s coped better than I expected with going to nursery without her sister. We celebrated her third birthday with a little party at the start of November, and she’s moved up to pre-school at nursery. This season of parenting is bringing a lot of new challenges but I’m leaning into it as much as I can.

I’ve also made a big change, resigning from my role in council social services to move into the charity sector. Giving up a profession and taking a paycut feels like a step backwards, but I’m hoping it will be less stressful and a better balance for our family. Our daughters will only be little for such a short time and I don’t want to miss it. My husband’s been self employed full time since February and his business has been more successful than we expected so it feels like a good time for me to try something new.

I’ve also returned to my old yoga studio after a five year gap, it’s a lovely restorative and relaxing class that’s just what my mind and body need at the moment. 

Yesterday was the first anniversary of our cat Mara’s, death. I’ve been struggling with a lot of grief through autumn, as I loved snuggling up with Mara in the evenings as she snoozed on my lap while I read, or when she would sleep between my ankles, or crawl under the duvet to snooze pressed into my side on the coldest nights. The girls had been asking if/when we’d get another cat, so we started making enquiries to see if it would be possible to adopt a house cat with small children. At the end of October, I visited a little black and white cat being fostered on a Saturday morning and we adopted her on the Monday morning. I’ll write more about our little Pixie soon, but she’s settling in well.

Life still feels fairly hectic at the moment, and our calendar is already filling up with Christmas events but I’m trying to find quiet moments amidst the hustle and bustle, and to embrace all the changes. Have a lovely week. X

An Enchanted Tradition

We recently returned from our annual trip to the Enchanted Forest in Pitlochry, which has been our tradition for over a decade.

The theme changes every year, and this year was called Luminara, which tried to capture the interconnection, balance and harmony between nature and technology. We have been to a lot of light shows around Scotland over the years but the Enchanted Forest is easily the most ambitious and technologically impressive. There were a few parts that were stunning, but overall this wasn’t our favourite theme as it felt less cohesive and a bit more spread out than previous years.

We stayed at a lodge just a few miles outside of Pitlochry and it was ideal, cosy with slightly more space than a caravan. We took a trip into Pitlochry again the next day to visit the Christmas Emporium to let our daughters choose ornaments for their Christmas tree and a lollypop from the sweetshop, before we ate a simple but tasty lunch at Hettie’s Tea Shop.

It’s always interesting to chat to the locals while we’re in the area, who have a bit of an ambivalent relationship with the Enchanted Forest as it brings a huge amount of tourism and money to the local economy, but locals always complain about a month of parking restrictions and none of the locals we spoke to had been to the show themselves.

We stopped at Active Kids Adventure play with the kids on the way home, our girls had a hoot climbing up and sliding down the indoor tree house, then we went outside for trampolines, go karts and crazy golf. I think this might become part of our annual tradition too while the kids are young.

This was our last trip for the year, we’ve been so lucky to have had some lovely holidays from our visit to Northumbria in Spring, our Summer holiday in St Andrews, our glamping trip in September and finally The Enchanted Forest. Every time I’ve loved seeing the kids’ excitement about staying in a caravan or lodge, exploring somewhere new or returning to a favourite place together.

Have a lovely week. X

Embers and Ambers

We woke yesterday to a thin layer of Frost on the car windscreen, the first of the season. We’re in the middle of autumn here in Scotland, always a season of contrasts: beginnings and endings, the last of the sun’s warmth and the first frosts, the glorious colour and texture of the leaves, and of course death and decay as leaves, flowers and insects all die back before winter.

There are still a few hardy geraniums (Rozanne just doesn’t stop), roses, nasturtiums and calendula all stubbornly blooming in our garden, though Storm Amy battered the sunflowers. There are also pots of cabbage, kale, chard and pak choi seedlings in the greenhouse that may or may not come to anything. I’m planting Meteor peas in the raised beds which are apparently hardy enough to overwinter. There are still daffodil bulbs to plant, as well as finding space in the long border for anenomes and michaelmas daisies, but I’m starting to feel the pressure now as winter is on its way.

We had lots of Red Admirals visiting the garden and feasting on our plums all through September, but this month we’ve found lots of Caterpillars in the garden much to the children’s fascination.

While most people are looking up at the trees, there’s lots to see at ground level too. Our little street is hidden beneath a carpet of beech tree leaves at the moment, and I’ve spotted a few Aminita Muscaria (or fly agaric toadstools) at the base of the trees. It seems like the world is full of reds, ambers, golds at the moment, all the fiery shades for the “ember” months.

As we move through the autumn months, life still feels hectic with no signs of slowing down and there are some big changes ahead, but I’m trying to ground myself in nature, enjoying pottering around our little garden and taking time to notice all the little wonders of nature at this time of year. Have a lovely week. X

Glamping Anniversary Trip

To celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary (and 17 years together! 😱), we decided to take a family trip glamping on a farm just outside Edinburgh.

We used it as an excuse to visit two of our favourite attractions that were nearby, our youngest wanted to go to the zoo so we had a day at Five Sisters Zoo, where we were lucky to see the adorable otters gambolling around, eurasian lynx, lions, say hello to the new black bear and clouded leopard, and learned about the snow leopard and conservation efforts to save this beautiful creature which is struggling with the impact of climate change in the wild.

Our oldest daughter had asked to go back to the World of Illusions in Edinburgh which is full of interactive exhibitions that the kids loved exploring and playing with from kaleidoscopic mirrors to plasma balls, and of course the mirror maze and the vortex bridge.

The pod we stayed in was small but very cosy with an en-suite. The girls were happy to play on the swings, chute and toy cars scattered around the farm, and enjoyed toasted marshmallows in the firepit, while my hubby and I loved soaking in the private hot tub once the girls were asleep.

View from the pod and toasting marshmallows

We finished our weekend away with a trip to Dalkeith Country Park, which is one of our favourite places to take the kids. The kids spent the morning jumping and flopping on the bouncy pillows, climbing the forts and riding the flying foxes.

Though it was a busy few days, we all really appreciated some time together after so many changes to our family routines lately. Have a lovely week. X

Finding Hope in the Garden

Despite being the most urban-dwelling of our families, we are still a very outdoorsy family and the garden has always felt like an extension of our home.  The kids love their slide, swings and the little mud kitchen we set up under the pergola on the patio, but our little garden offers so many other opportunities for play, learning and discovery too.

As a child, I remember the delight of picking fresh strawberries from my mum’s garden every June, and I started my own strawberry patch to share that simple joy with my own daughters. I find peas will grow almost anywhere so I plant them everywhere, and the girls love picking them fresh from the pod as a snack. We grow cherry tomatoes in the green house, which our girls also love picking as soon as they turn red. We’ll never be self-sufficient but growing some of our own fruit and vegetables is a great way of teaching our children about food production.

I’ve tried to make our garden as child and wildlife friendly as possible, and we’re always delighted to see bees bumbling and butterflies fluttering around the garden, as well as worms wriggling, caterpillars crawling and so many other insects just going about their daily business. At time when there is increasing alarm about the decline of insects, I like to feel we are doing our bit to help the insect population, offering them food, water and shelter, and my kids already understand that we need pollinators if we want to keep eating so many of their favourite foods like strawberries, raspberries and apples. My kids often help filling up the little trays of water we leave out for insects and birds in hot weather, as well as the bird feeders, combining their scooping and pouring skills with another lesson in taking care of nature. We’ve had lots of butterflies in the garden this year from small whites nibbling my kale and red admirals feasting on our plums.

Over the years, we’ve had a few hedgehogs visiting the garden much to everyone’s delight. Last year we helped fatten up a little hoglet that found his way in over the summer before he moved on elsewhere for the winter. We haven’t seen any hedgehogs this year, but I hope they’ll find their way in again.

I know that one small garden can’t save the world, but when so many young people are struggling with climate anxiety, our garden reminds us that it’s not as hopeless as the headlines make out, that nature is abundant and generous, and that humans can live in harmony with nature. Our garden is a little sanctuary in the city where we can escape from the hustle and bustle to play, learn and grow in every sense, a place where we can enjoy the sweetness of strawberries, chase butterflies, count bees and marvel at how tiny seeds grow into tall sunflowers. 

Have a lovely week. X

October Reading Wrapup

November has been such a busy and turbulent month that reading and blogging have been on the back burner and I’m only just finding time to share my October reading wrapup midway through the month.

Not the End of the World by Hannah Ritchie 🎧

This book really requires the reader to keep an open mind as it challenges many of the preconceptions people worried about climate change hold. Having said that, I wholeheartedly agree with the central premise of the book that despair is as dangerous as denial when it comes to climate action, and that we have to remain hopeful that we can mitigate the worst effects of climate breakdown and adapt. Hannah Ritchie refutes most of the clickbait headlines by zooming out and taking a wider look at progress and trends over longer time frames. She also promotes focusing our efforts on a few actions that will have the greatest impact rather than stressing about lots of things that won’t actually make much difference. I found it a bit contradictory in places, and I still believe that individual actions pale in comparison to tackling corporate and industry emissions but this is an informative, pragmatic and hopeful book that counters climate doomism.

The Witches of New York by Ami McKay

I often feel a bit apprehensive about books that are over 500 pages, and I found this one had a very slow start as the story didn’t really grip me until 300 pages in. The story follows three witches, Eleanor and Adelaide, who run a tea shop in New York and their new apprentice, Beatrice who is only just discovering her powers. This was a bit reminiscent of the Practical Magic series, but set in the late 1800s, as the women navigate personal traumas, grudges and persecution. Overall I enjoyed this and loved the strong sense of female friendship and camaraderie throughout, but it was let down by pacing issues, and although the main storyline wraps up neatly, there’s a few subplots left open for a potential sequel.

The Secret of Nightingale Wood by Lucy Strange

Having thoroughly enjoyed, The Island at the Edge of Night, I was eager to read more of Lucy Stranger’s backlist and picked up her first book from the library. The Secret of Nightingale Wood is narrated by 12 year old Henrietta as her family move from London to Hope House in the countryside following the tragic death of her older brother. Henrietta is a plucky heroine who has to overcome her own fears, grief and survivor’s guilt in order to save her family from the scheming husband and wife villains who intend to use the family to further their own ambitions. It’s a tense, poignant children’s adventure from a writer who brilliantly captures the fears and feelings of helplessness of childhood.

Weyward by Emilia Hart

A powerful tale of three desperate women from the same line moving from fearful victims of male lust, spite and violence to survivors. The story follows three women from the Weyward family from Althea accused of witchcraft in the 17th century, to Violet a rebellious and determined young woman straining at the shackles her father and society have bound her in, and Kate in the present day fleeing an abusive relationship. This is very much a story about female choice and agency, but one that is often bittersweet as the three central characters have to make difficult choices based on circumstances beyond their control. I was completely hooked by this and adored it from start to finish.

Cackle by Rachel Harrison

What a strange and surprising but thoroughly enjoyable story this turned out to be about love, heartbreak, friendship, trust, fear, and spiders. Cackle follows Annie Crane, recently hearybroken and scared of dying alone as she moves from New York to the little town of Rowan and immediately falls under the spell of her new friend, the mysterious and charismatic Sophie. Cackle seemed like it was going to be light-hearted romance, but it was such a delightful novel about female empowerment with some unexpectedly unsettling moments and atmosphere.

The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland

This seemed like a cross between two of my favourites, Ninth House with all  occult elements and a female version of The Raven Boys as three teenage misfits band together to stop a serial killer hunting women. The plot follows Emer, a curse writer (or witch) who helps women willing to exchange part of their soul for magic; Jude, an exiled, filthy rich socialite looking for a witch to help her break a a curse; and Zara, a grieving woman investigating the murder of her sister. I devoured this supernatural murder mystery full of twists with a slow burn saphic romance in a couple of evenings, though I found it more gory than spooky, but the final section was particularly cinematic.

Have a lovely week. X

All aglow for Halloween 🎃

We ended October with our second light show, Glasglow at the Botanic Gardens in Glasgow. Glasglow has been hit and miss in previous years, but we all really enjoyed it this time around. The kids are also at an age to appreciate these kinds of events, especially with the treat of toasted marshmallows (which appears to be a staple at outdoor events now) and chips for supper.

Taking place around Halloween often means the theme has a few spooky sections, but there were only a couple of parts with clowns and skeletons that were a bit too scary for kids (and big kids like myself).

Elsewhere there were smoke-filled bubbles to pop, strings of lights changing colour in time to the music to walk through, a graveyard full of amusing epitaphs, and a walkway over the field of light, and of course, Kibble Palace itself to list our favourite parts. Just like last year, the designers had filled Kibble palace, a 19th Century glasshouse home to the national fern collection with lasers, it is a genuinely original way of using the space that delighted the kids and I’ve never seen anything like it at any other light show we’ve visited.

Back at home, I carved pumpkins for the girls’ nursery Halloween party. Our 4 year old asked for a ballerina, and our nearly two year old wanted a hedgehog, which ended up winning a prize.

It gets dark early in the autumn and winter months here in Scotland, and I really appreciate these evening events that give us a reason to wrap up and get outside for a few hours. October has been such a busy but lovely month, and Glasglow was such a fun night to round it off with. Have a lovely week. X

More Autumn Adventures 🍂

It feels like time is slipping through my fingers, this has been such a hectic year and we’re well into autumn and the ember months. The weather has cooled and the evenings are growing darker, the leaves have turned into a gorgeous array of gold, amber and scarlet, and every breeze causes a flutter of them to fall.

We had a really fun day trip to Dalkeith Country Park in Midlothian where the kids enjoyed exploring the adventure playpark and Fort Douglas with its all it’s climbing frames, bridges and slides, as well as the bouncy pillows and flying foxes. It’s a bit of a jaunt for us, but always lots of fun and great value.

We’ve been out foraging for chestnuts or conkers at our local parks, and collecting seeds, flowers and leaves for sticky pictures. We also enjoyed the loveliest walk through the woods at Rouken Glen with the kids filling their baskets with the most colourful leaves, pine cones, moss covered bark and branches covered in lichen that they could find for a little show and tell nature project at nursery.

My husband and I even managed a day out by ourselves on a bank holiday Monday at the end of September. After dropping the girls off at nursery, we drove out to Callendar for lunch, a wee browse around the Nutcracker Christmas shop and a walk up to Bracklinn Falls. The waterfall itself is actually quite hard to see from the path, and best viewed from the rocks in front of it, which are sturdy but can be a bit slippery when wet. It’s been about a decade since we last visited the falls, and was really lovely to rediscover it again after so long.

I really love living in a part of the world with such distinct seasons, and autumn is particularly lovely in Scotland. Have a lovely week. X

An Enchanted Adventure

October has been a beautiful month with the trees all putting on a glorious show of colours before they shed their leaves. One of the highlights of the month for us is always a trip up to Pitlochry to wander around our favourite light show, the Enchanted Forest.

This year has been particularly hectic for my husband and I with lots of work changes and stresses, so instead of a single night, we decided to make a weekend of it and booked a lodge at Moness in Aberfeldy. Of course, travelling with two little kids is never as peaceful or relaxing as we imagine, but we all had fun.

The Enchanted Forest is such a long standing tradition of ours and we’ve had so many different experiences here at different points in our relationship from getting engaged here 11 years ago, returning as newlyweds a month after our wedding to now sharing the excitement with our little daughters.

The Enchanted Forest was really wonderful this year, the theme was Symphony of Nature, and it had some really beautiful and impressive features. It was a late night for our little girls but both really enjoyed it, especially with the treat of chips for dinner and a toasted marshmallow afterwards.

In contrast to last year, when the kids didn’t really want to stand still and preferred the interactive parts, our favourite parts of the show were the sections over Loch Faskally with a display projected over the water, and another part with beautiful fountains of water all illuminated. Our youngest also loved wandering across the sparkly bridge and finding all the frogs hiding in the forest.

Moness Resort was a great place to stay, we woke to the excitement of ducks quacking at our windows demanding breakfast every morning, before enjoying an early swim in the pool we early risers had all to ourselves. It was a lovely weekend adventure, but I’m glad to be safe and cosy at home while the winds howl, rain patters against the window and Storm Ashley rages outside. Have a lovely week. X

Autumn Equinox in the Garden

After a week of warmth and sunshine, there’s a nip in the air and the garden has definitely gone over. As today is the autumn Equinox, it seems like a good time to share a long overdue update on our garden.

It’s been a patchy summer here in the West of Scotland, seems like we never had more than a couple of days of sunshine and warmth before being soaked by another deluge of rain. Most of the veg I sowed struggled in the cool, wet weather, though the kids have enjoyed eating peas fresh from the pod, and I’m still hopeful the tomatoes will ripen before the first frost.

Growing fruit has been much more successful. We picked bowlfuls of strawberries all through June, a handful of cherries from a dwarf tree, we got about twelve sweet and juicy plums from the Victoria plum tree, and we had enough rhubarb and apples to bake a pie (with lots of apples still to pick).

This year, we’ve let the ground along the fence grow wild, while the climbing roses, clematis and apple trees establish themselves. The long border pretty much takes care of itself, though I want to divide the geraniums and move some to the front garden. It’s been my best year for sunflowers, they grew tall and flowered despite the weather.

It’s not all been good in the garden as we’ve only seen sparrow and starling fledglings, and after noticing that we hadn’t seen the Robin or Blue Tits around for a while, we checked their nests and found both abandoned. I fear one of the neighbourhood cats either got one of the parents or scared them off as all the Tits and Robins stopped visiting the garden for a while. This loss was counterbalanced somewhat by the arrival of a hoglet that has moved in and built a nest inside the little brick house we put together for it, and appears every evening for his supper of wet cat food and hedgehog food. Watching our resident hedgehog scurry around in the evenings is more entertaining than TV.

The biggest change was removing the bamboo, which provided an excellent screen but was an environmental deadzone with nothing but a few spiders inhabiting it, and I’m planning to plant a couple of trees there instead.

Our garden is such a wild clash of ideas, but it is also the best antidote I know to the almost constant climate doomism that pervades the news. I really love seeing how excited the kids are when picking fresh food from the garden, and it’s an easy way of helping them to connect with nature and learn about so many environmental issues. It is our little haven, surprisingly calm and private, in the bustling city. Have a lovely week. X