Five Happy Things In February

1. Finding proper signs of spring whilst out dog walking, such as these beautiful wild crocus
2. Lots of snuggle time with the little werewolf 
3. Valentines hotdog night with Katy and Oscar, who made me this fab card too!
4. Brunch and a great catch up with one of my oldest friends
5. Rediscovering the super power of yummy matcha tea! 

First Days Of Spring

"February is merely as long as is needed to pass the time until March."

There have been walks this month where spring does appear to be in the air, dappled sunlight through the bare branches hints that longer, warmer days will soon be here again, I just wish they would hurry up! Birdsong sounds all that more cheerier, dogs are pleased their paws aren't feeling so frozen and even the squirrels seem to be out enjoying the better weather, although this proves tricky as Mia see's them as fast food! There are of course plenty of reasons to enjoy February - Shrove Tuesday and all the delicious pancakes combinations you can imagine...mine's always lemon and sugar on the day as I'm a purist about such things! The daffodils, snowdrops and crocuses appearing on verges and in flower pots around your neighbourhood are a reminder that gardening time is about to begin again, I haven't been down to my greenhouse in a few weeks as my garden has flooded, hate to think how messy it is out there! For now I will just enjoy taking plenty of bracing walks (with a spot of dog rescuing thrown in - I reunited the adorable beagle below to her owner in a few minutes thankfully!) and I will have a flick through some seed catalogues for my 2016 gardening plan of attack!

What are your plans and aspirations for February? Have you already started cracking on in the garden this year?

Thanks for reading,

Katie

Halloween & A Misty Start To November

"It's said that All Hallows' Eve is one of the nights when the veil between the worlds is thin - and whether you believe in such things or not, those roaming spirits probably believe in you, or at least acknowledge your existence, considering that it used to be their own. Even the air feels different on Halloween, autumn-crisp and bright."

It's no secret how much I adore Halloween and those spooky misty days that seem to come with it! I had a week soaking up my favourite spooky delights - Hocus Pocus (MANDATORY viewing!), numerous Most Haunted episodes (so bad, they're good!) and several documentaries following The Pendle Witch Trials (true stories are the scariest!). I might of accidentally also eaten half the sweets that I had prepared for trick or treaters, but again, that's practically a tradition in itself! 

I couldn't wait to get my fireplace looking seasonal, I can never have too many candles this time of year! A few neighbours popped round and seemed to take it as some kind of Pagan alter - which I'll take as a compliment! Even my pumpkin was pumpkin themed, like most girls on Pinterest I can't get enough. 

 I was working on the day itself, so I dressed up as an accidentally-rather-90s Witch - I was going for that "just off to the coven" look! Mystical faux-tattos were enjoyable, I think most customers just assumed I was that gothic everyday, which was good fun! I then headed to my pals house for an evening full of Halloween Strictly Come Dancing and eating more sweets, October I will dearly miss you! 

 And then before we knew it, November arrived swathed in fog, which lead to some rather spooky woodland walks. I couldn't help imagining Sleepy Hollow-type characters riding in the mist, damn that overactive only child imagination! The spiderwebs were dusted in dew, which again only added to the fright factor, I didn't realise how many were hiding in those hedges! Why do I get the feeling this month is just going to fly by?? Hope you are off to a great start!

Thanks for popping by,

Katie