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Reading, Knitting & Golden Leaves // Autumn Seasonal Journal


Hello darlings!

Welcome to a new series on my blog!

In series I will be documenting the beauty and little joys of each season throughout the year.
I will be sharing projects I'm working on, highlights of the season, recipes, photos, and any other interesting tidbits I feel like including.

So lets hop right in!

I think Autumn has to be my favourite season of all!
I think it's so beautiful and peaceful. The leaves start to softly fall, woodpiles are stocked up, the scent of wood fires burning penetrates the crisp air.
Produce is in abundance which means soups, pies, crumbles and stews are on the menu.
The following links are to some delicious recipes I have enjoyed this month:

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chilli

Spiced Baked Fruit (I haven't gotten to making this one yet but it is a easy and quick dessert to enjoy on these cold evenings!)

Swedish Cardamom Buns (These are some of the best things you will ever bake if you try them!)

Ultimate Sticky Buns


This season I have been filling my room with flowers, fresh and dried. I found these ones by the footpath on one of my many walks in the past few weeks.


I have been reading a lot in that past few weeks and have somehow manged to get 5 books on the go all at once!
One of those books is Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, which I felt would fit the season perfectly with its slightly dark and Gothic theme. So far I'm finding it a great read and I can't wait to finish it!
It is the perfect book to read while the rain is pouring outside, except we have not had much rain this month so I read it outside on a blanket with a cup of coffee instead.



After finishing a vintage cardigan I was working on for over a year earlier in the season, I couldn't wait to get started on a new knitting project. Knitting is a very appropriate autumn & winter activity for me and once summer comes around I usually put a hold on it. 
My current project is a throw blanket, made with a soft cotton in a lovely oatmeal colour.
I have since knitted quite a bit more than what is pictured here. We have been watching a lot of different TV series and I like to knit away while I watch.

Quick story: I remember when I first started learning how to knit. My Nonna had come for a visit and she helped me to knit my first wobbly rows. That evening out family settled down to watch a movie and she brought out her knitting and began clicking away with her needles with her eyes on the screen. I figured I'd be able to do it too, so I got out my knitting. But my Nonna discouraged me saying I would need a bit more practice before I could both knit and watch a movie.
Well Nonna, I can do it now and quite well if I do say so myself! 


This past weekend I intentionally made time for rest & restful activities.
One thing that I really enjoyed was doing some simple sketches of leaves and other little things in nature. It was really fun to just sketch. I didn't worry about making them perfect and just tried to capture the simplicity of each leaf.


Little Things
~ the fire burning in the fireplace
~ hot cups of tea & coffee
~ plaid shirts and jeans
~ Birkenstocks
~ colourful leaves pressed in an old book
~ sketching in the sunshine
~ stewed apple
~ feijoa jam making
~ baking lots of goodies
~ staying in my warm bed on crisp mornings
~ blooming zinnias
~ sugar and spice
~ pumpkins, apples and sweet potatoes
~ turning the pages of a book
~ making coffee in a french press
~ acoustic music


Music: I've really enjoyed listening to acoustic songs and instrumentals this season. The warm, deep tones of the guitar really warm my heart and I love the mood they create. I'll link to some of my favourite playlists:

morning mist and coffee {autumn}

Sweater Weather Instrumentals

Into Freedom - Lovkn album



I hope you enjoyed my highlights of the season so far.
Let me know your favourite Autumn recipe in the comments!

keep blooming,

Autumn Reads


Hello darlings!

I love reading all year round but in the colder months, I feel like its a much more common activity.
You can sit there all snuggled up with a hot cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate (or what ever else you fancy) and be transported to another world.

I am quite seasonal reader. With the changing of the seasons come the changing of my reading tastes.
In Autumn, I gravitate to mystery novels, old favourites, classics and comfort reads.

So I am putting together a list of some of the books that I feel fit that description.
Not all of these will be ones that I have read, though the majority will be as I don't like to suggest books that I have not read. I mark titles that I have read with a *.



Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier {currently reading}

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell*

Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus*

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak*

By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder*

The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

Brambly Hedge: Autumn Story by Jill Barklem*

The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen*

Thin Ice (Men if Valor #2) by Irene Hannon*

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott* {currently rereading}

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier



What are your favourite cosy reads?


keep blooming,

An Autumn To Do List


Hello darlings!

With Autumn approaching fast (some might say it has already arrived), I have been thinking about some seasonal activities I want to do to get the most out of the season and enjoy it.

Each season is beautiful it its own right and so this Autumn/Winter, I want to make the most of them and learn to enjoy each day.

So I'm sharing my ideas with you and maybe you'll give some of these ideas a try too!

~ ~ ~ ~



- Go to a farmer's market

- Collect leaves to be pressed

- Decorate with dried foliage & flowers

- Make cinnamon rolls or cardamom buns

- Switch over your summer wardrobe to more winter appropriate clothes

- Make your own candles

- Bake these amazing pumpkin cookies



- Start a new knitting or crochet project

- Make a batch of chai tea (link to recipe)

- Go apple picking

- Read a mystery novel or a beloved classic

- Plant flowers that need to be planted in Autumn

- Eat your perfect bowl of porridge for breakfast




- Get some warm socks

- Have a cosy night in by the fire

- Simmer some Autumn potpourri on the stove

- Play in the leaves

- Go thrifting for warm jerseys

- Bring some baking to a neighbor or friend





keep blooming,

I ♥ autumn tag


While spring is in on the other side of the globe, autumn is kicking in here. Autumn is nearly my favourite season.
So I had to do an autumnal tag! Or you could call it an excuse to show you my favourite autumnal pins from Pinterest!





I think just seeing the first hint of orange or red on the trees. That and when we light the first fire!





Chai! Cinnamon, chai, vanilla, anything that smells cozy and makes me want to snuggle up with a cup of tea.






Neutral, earthy, warm tones all make me think of autumn. But my favourite would probably have to be burnt orange. Or maybe darker red.






 Chai tea/vanilla chai tea/rooibos chai or Teeccino Maya Chai. Anything chai flavoured!
Mmmmmmm!





I have Victoria Season 2 on my list along with The Crown Season 2 and Little Women. But we'll basically watch whatever. 






Plaid/tartan patterns. I have a plaid thrifted dress which just screams autumn to me! I really love it and I plan on wearing it a lot.






Going for a walk in the crisp autumn air is quite nice. Collecting little bits and pieces form a nice walk is great too. I collected some beautiful leaves yesterday and now they're pressing inside some books.






I swapped the original question 8 for my own, which is this. The books I hope to read in autumn are My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier, The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien, I Never Promised You A Rose Garden by Hannah Green and Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell.




Have a lovely spring/autumn!