Autumn Days When The Pumpkins Are Rolling In...

It's here, it is truly upon us. Autumn. I have been gathering in my harvest on the plot. On the window sills, catching the last few rays to cure their skin for storage, sit an array of pumpkins, squashes and gourds. Baby Bear, Acorn, Festival, Vegetable Spaghetti....all beautiful, oranges, greens, stripy, a bit warty and knobbly.

All ready for sweet pies, curries, pasta dishes, gnocchi with sage butter, roasting with rosemary, soups, making into garlands, Autumn door wreaths or scary faces for Halloween.

Picked up finds of Horse Chestnut, Sweet Chestnut, pine cones and berries sit on table tops (out of a Little Bird's reach!) and around vases of flowers. I always did love the nature table at school. I used to stick leaves and sycamore wings into a scrapbook or make characters out of sticks and beech nut cases as a child. I'm still that person, just lacking the time.

It is now noticeably darker come tea time and the mornings are damp and nippy. On rare sunny mornings, I hope it lasts and we can go out for a walk for more nature collecting for my little projects....

.....for I love to decorate the house for each season.

I have been gathering ideas from old magazines and Pinterest. So many great ideas but first and foremost it's an autumn door wreath so we are off to collect a few more items and get the floristry kit out of the shed, ready to wire up flowers and leaves. Hopefully I'll be able to show it to you next week.

This is a song we used to sing at Primary School and I adore the words. It's so cheery and was our absolute favourite.  Do you know it? 

Autumn Days - Estelle White (1925 -2011)

Autumn days, when the grass is jewelled

And the silk inside a chestnut shell

Jet planes meeting in the air to be refuelled

All these things I love so well

{Chorus}

So I mustn’t forget

No, I mustn’t forget

To say a great big thank you

I mustn’t forget.

Clouds that look like familiar faces

And a winter’s moon with frosted rings

Smell of bacon as I fasten up my laces

And the song the milkman sings.

{Chorus}

Whipped-up spray that is rainbow-scattered

And a swallow curving in the sky

Shoes so comfy though they’re worn out and they’re battered

And the taste of apple pie.

{Chorus}

Scent of gardens when the rain’s been falling

And a minnow darting down a stream

Picked-up engine that’s been stuttering and stalling

And a win for my home team.

{Chorus}