Joy in the Everyday Ordinary - October, 21-31

Hi there everyone 😀

Seriously ... where did October go? It really seemed to pass in the blinking of an eye

The last 10 days pretty much gave us everything bar snow from a weather point of view ... we've had days of solid rain, which has meant we've managed to get cracking on some indoor jobs that have been hanging around ... clear blue skies and sunshine ... and we've now had our first frost ... Winter must be on the way ... and I am sooooooo not ready for it.

Looking back ... as well as being pretty productive ... we did manage to get out and about a bit too ... though one outing did result in a bit of an 'incident' with the car, which is currently away awaiting some repairs as a result of an insurance claim. I have to say I have been incredibly impressed with Direct Line so far. I've only had to make one phone call and they've done everything ... arranged for the car to be picked up ... arranged for the car hire ... kept us very well informed. Fingers crossed that it comes back when expected and looks fabulous ... but so far, so good.

November has started off with a really jam packed weekend of catch ups, baking and crafting and the rest of the month is looking very busy, with plenty of birthdays, a couple of Christmas craft fairs and a week away in The Peak District all on the calendar, so there will be plenty to keep you posted on but ... for now, here is the end of our October ...

Day 21 - The soup maker is really earning its keep at the moment ... today it was a scrummy tomato with orzo 💓

Day 22 - It may seem a bit odd but I can't tell you how happy this sight makes me. Pot saucers all scrubbed and clean and ready to put away until the spring ... it makes me even happier that it wasn't me that did them 😀

Day 23 - Today was a beautiful Autumn day and we spent it exploring Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens and taking in afternoon tea. The sky was crisp and clear and I took lots of photos and this is definitely one of my favourites.

Day 24 - Today was spent with us both in the kitchen on a production line of beeswax wrap making in readiness for Christmas craft fairs. We did really well and made up a mass of wraps to keep us going.

Day 25 - It was out for brunch, shopping and errands for us today, including calling in at mum and dad's, where I just had to take a photo of her fungi, which seem to be all over the place this year. This one is a proper fairy toadstool 🍄🍄🍄

Day 26 - Saturday and it rained pretty much the whole day. We were very productive and cooked up apples and blueberries for the freezer, packaged up beeswax wraps, made a start on a Scrabble frame order and went for our first real visit to my God daughter, Rachel and her Fiance Tom's for a home cooked Indian feast, which was just fabulous.

Day 27 - It was another wet and miserable day and we spent it cleaning out the kitchen cupboards, before settling down to watch the Halloween Strictly on catch up ... I can't think of a better way of spending a wet afternoon.

Day 28 - The grass had its last cut of the season and I wrote the first of many Isle of Wight Holiday Diary posts and this dropped on the mat. It's always a treat when the new calendar arrives, filled with photo memories of our last year.

Day 29 - Our first proper frost and how pretty do these succulents look ❅❅❅

Day 30 - It was Wednesday so after a few chores and a bit of crafting I had a wander round to Jackie's where we did the usual and sat curled up on the sofa putting the world to rights for a good couple of hours.

Day 31 - Just look how strong this love in a mist is looking ... planted with seeds from mum's garden. Planted in a circle, as per Monty's advice, so it's easy to tell the seeds from the weeds ... clearly it works well.

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