Last Days Of October

Hello all! I am very sad to see October fly past so quickly this year, being so busy with the house renovations has just taken up so much time, and annoyingly I've been ill for the last few days so haven't felt up to my usual Halloween festivities, except for putting together a little display on the fireplace which cheered me up as I slouched under a blanket in front of the telly (Hocus Pocus was on Film4 which made my Halloween! One of the best!)

I am now wishing it can get chillier out there so we can start feeling a little more seasonal, I can't believe how mild it has been, the garden is definitely a bit confused by it all! I was pleased to find this surprise little squash hiding in the patch, just in time for halloween! I had no luck growing squashes and pumpkins this year, I will try a different part of the garden next year, they evidently needed richer soil. More signs of confusion from this mild autumn include the roses flowering again, the tomatoes continuing to ripen in the greenhouse with the sunshine and a jolly dragonfly zooming around the pond in the woods, I have been escaping on lots of woodland walks!

Hoping you have a lovely weekend and a great start to November....how can it be November???

Thanks for reading!

Katie

Goodbye October!

I told you I wouldn't be able to resist posting a few more spooktacular October treats, Indulge me! I found all these simply amazing images from the brilliant 'Vintage Everyday' blog, they have an amazing picture for every occasion, I highly recommend a browse! I'm afraid that despite my best efforts, I have yet to collect my own Halloween postcards, they are so rare in the UK that when you do find them...they are ridiculously overpriced (normally £50+) which is not in my budget I'm afraid!

This year I've stuck to familiar territory for the Halloween theme....the garden! As I discussed in last years 'Historical Halloween' post, the carving of jack-o'lanterns comes from the souling custom (on All Souls Day, a Roman Catholic day of remembrance for friends and loved ones who have passed away) of carving turnips into lanterns as a way of remembering the souls of the departed that were held in purgatory. The turnip has traditionally used in Ireland and Scotland at Halloween, but immigrants to North America used the native pumpkin instead. The American tradition of pumpkin carving in recorded in 1837 and was originally associated with harvest time in general, not becoming specifically associated with Halloween until the mid-to-late 19th century. 
This would certainly help explain the sheer bizarre nature of the following postcards, which feature, wait for it...spooky vegetables! Of course, the celebrating of harvests also reign very strongly this time of year, which is another explanation for them I'm sure!

Sheer ghoulish genius right? I've personally never seen anything quite like them! But whilst I'm on the theme...I think this young lady has the right idea for her costume, 'The Terrifying Human Cabbage'! I think this costume comes with some wear-ability issues, but full marks for ingenuity! Let's hope she put it on the compost afterwards, reuse-recycle!

Personally, I haven't been dressing myself up as a vampire-vegetable, sorry to disappoint! I have however, been worrying the postman with my 'Autumnal Delights' front porch, as I don't think many in Aldershot indulge Autumn in such a manner...shame!

And finally, some of natures own decorations, and my attempts at pumpkins this year, well, round one of pumpkins - more to come! (I know I have an addiction...I do need to control the autumn cravings!) I went for Wicked Witch riding past the moon for the pumpkin this year, sadly couldn't fit the flying monkeys on though - next year! The squash featured above just got the classic jack-o-lantern treatment, hard to believe I didn't lose a few fingers trying to carve that fiend!!!

Happy Halloween everyone! And goodbye beautiful October, until next year! x

Last days of Autumn

Finally, after much technical difficulty, here are my last photographs from autumn, including those from Mine and Claire's autumn tea party! My favourite time of year is drawing to a close now, with the misty November days becoming shorter and shorter, at least i've got some nice photos to look back on from those golden afternoons! There's some nice woodland shots at the end too (naturally!), hope you enjoy,

Hope you're having a good week! I'm looking forward to cracking on with the christmas crafts this weekend, I have such a lot to get on with :S

Katie

With the compliments of the season

I found this fantastic postcard at the Farnham Maltings, it's from 1879 and is beautifully hand-painted. It captures the delicate lichen, moss and fungi which appear at this time of year, I was so pleased to find it, and it means I have a new theme to collect now, hurrah!

Here are some more "compliments" of October,

It was mine and Claire's autumn tea party last weekend, here's a hint of what we got up to, proper pictures coming soon!