Crisp

I’ve had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the year so it is officially Autumn and therefore the real New Year.

Fuck January and the blues that subsequently follow the turn of the year. Fuck wet weather and grey days. This is my new beginning, that beautiful crossover, from Summer into burnt and rusty Fall. I’m here for it more than ever.

It’s corresponds perfectly with the start of my new job which admittedly isn’t brain surgery or saving puppies, but it is exactly what I needed to do and I’m feeling much more myself than I have in months. My last new beginning turned out to be miserable and more than that, damaging to both confidence and general well-being and I am so delighted to be free of it now.

I feel positive again and valued, and that in turn makes me want to start creating. I’m dying to get back into writing more, reading more and just being more present in the projects I love – and with people I want to spend time with. I want to do meaningful things, even if they’re just for me.

I want to be me again – and that is what I’ll be focusing on for the rest of the year (like, the official end of the year). I’m going to be kind and generous to myself – start as I mean to go on, basically.

In other news, my new work crew are all lovely and interesting people. I couldn’t be luckier and again, that’s why I wanted to leave my old job in the first place – to meet new people, stretch my wings, learn new things and mix it the fuck up. Now I’m going to enjoy it.

How’s your week so far?

Goodbye Summer

Picture via Unsplash

How quickly we turn our backs on the summer.

As the calendar flips over to September, the dreams of Autumn begin. Talk of Christmas commences. What will we do, where will we be? Halloween goodies manifest themselves beside the mince pies, hoping desperately not to be forgotten. It’s our turn first, they insist as you pass them by.

As if Halloween isn’t the greatest holiday we have. As if Autumn isn’t the best season.

As if I haven’t been counting every day since last Autumn finished waiting for the next, daydreaming about longer sleeves and boots to crunch crispy leaves beneath.

As if I’m not Autumn’s child.

I can’t wait for the temperatures to drop, for BBC dramas to light the darker nights. For blankets and books and the hard ground. Soft jumpers and nests.

I’ve got it all planned out.

I’m done now, Summer. Move along.

 

 

Getting Into Fall Spirit

I’ve been tagged by Keeping Track to partake in a questionnaire about my favourite time of year. Cute, huh?

The gist is to answer 19 questions about Autumn and then tag 10 fellow bloggers to see what they have to say. I might not get to ten whole nominations, but I’ll definitely pass on the questionnaire.

So, to my questions!

Favourite candle scent? I’m not great with artificial scent, unfortunately. It tends to do my head in so I rarely burn scented candles. However, around Christmas to impress visitors, I might go for something spicy and cinnamon based, maybe a French Vanilla.

Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate? Tea, all day, every day. Strong (2 teabags), no sugar, splash of milk. It’s true what they say, never accept a badly made cup of tea.

What is the best fall memory you have? Autumn in Vancouver has been my most memorable to date (2008). I was living alone again, having come out of a bad long-term relationship, had just had a wild  summer and I was falling in love long distance with my now husband, who was in the UK.

My fondest memory from this year was all the walking I did with friends, supping on hot chocolates, meeting my best friend David after work to write in a cafe most evenings, and pumpkin carving with his family for the very first time.

Best fragrance for fall? I don’t wear perfume ever, so nothing.

Favourite Thanksgiving food? England doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving so this tradition is not part of my year, however my mouth salivates at the thought of anything pecan/pumpkin flavoured.

Most worn sweater? Plain grey sweatshirt, a la Jennifer Beals in Flashdance.

Football games or jumping in leaf piles? Leaves. I hate football.

Favourite type of pie? Anything, but if we’re talking sweet, how about cherry or traditional apple?

What is autumn weather like where you live? Wet and miserable usually. That’s the great British summer/autumn/spring/winter. I dream of sunny but cold, crisp days with crunchy leaves underfoot and if I’m lucky I might get a few.

Which make-up trend do you prefer, dark lips or winged liner? I’m all about smokey eyes every day. Black Kohl is my staple, I’m terrible at the winged liner though. I’d like to be more ambitious with my lips as well, and prefer berry hues.

What song really gets you into the fall spirit? Can I have November Rain by Guns N Roses?

Is pumpkin spice worth the hype? Fuck yeah. But not the horribly sweet stuff we get in the UK. It’s all about the Pumpkin Spice you get in the US/North America.

Favourite fall TV show? I like the American Horror Story series. And Scream(TV Series) has just appeared on Netflix, and that’s quite good. Anything you can snuggle up to under a fleece blanket will do in the Autumn.

Skinny jeans or leggings? Leggings under a dress or massive baggy tee/cardigan combo. Skinny jeans/jeggings aren’t what you want for lounge wear.

Combat boots or Uggs? DMs. Obviously.

Halloween – yay or nay? All the yays. Except a lot of people here are terrible at it. We’re getting better and personally, I love it. Not sure who I’ll be this year yet.

Fall mornings or evenings? Evenings. I like it when it’s dark straight after work. I like to be warm and snuggly.

What do you think about Black Friday? Again, being English it’s not as big a thing as in the US. It’s started becoming bigger, but I avoid it. I think it’s a bit pointless and indulgent.

One fall 2015 trend you love? Big gorgeous jewel coloured coats. Dark nails. Thick knits. Boots. I’m not sure these are strictly 2015 trends but I love these things every year for A/W.

Here are the bloggers I tag:

• Jillian of The Pink Panther Snipes Again
• Hayley Margaret of A Stitch to Scratch
• Tatty of Camelia Ophelia
• Michelle of Movin’ it with Michelle

What are your views on autumn?