Tag: autumnal

10 Things I Love About Autumn

Annette14 Comments

It feels like it’s finally here – my favourite season.

Oh Autumn, how I love you. 

2016-06-17 15.35.18-2

Let me count just some of the ways…

  1. I love reaching for a cardigan, a blanket, or the dial on my trusty Vulcan heater. Cosiness is everything!
  2. I love the changing light. The brightness of summer mellows into wispy cloudy skies and I revel in the shortening of the days. 
  3. I love the food of cooler months. Today I got my slow cooker out for the first time since last winter. My gorgeous sister Lisa gave me a ‘grab bag’ from her freezer – satay chicken curry which will feed, and warm, me for days. 
  4. I love the sound of rain on the roof. This morning at about 6 o’clock, a thunderstorm rolled over my house. The windows rattled and the rain pelted down, and I smiled a big sleepy smile and snuggled further under the covers. 
  5. I simply ADORE autumnal foliage. The way the trees shed their incredibly brightly hued leaves… it utterly captivates me. A wet footpath strewn with a beautiful autumn leaves, yes please! 
  6. I love the way my home’s decor changes. Treasured vintage blankets come out of the ottoman, reminding me of my grandmother. Candles come out and create a cosy flickering glow at nighttime. 
  7. Hot showers become a place of refuge on chilly mornings. Steamed up bathroom mirrors make me happy. 
  8. Weekend drives up to yonder hills take on a magical quality. Between the bracing air that hits your face as you leave home and wait for the car’s heater to kick in, to the rich colours of the landscape and welcoming warmth of favourite cafes, a weekend drive is a special treat.  
  9. I’m inspired to create as the weather cools. I might pick up leaves that catch my eye, or snap 20 photos of a particularly gorgeous tree, or sketch leaves for days, and days. Autumn is my muse. It’s why I love to look up. 
  10. Last but not least, autumn reminds me that life is cyclical. It may look like an ending, but it is really an opportunity to recharge, to draw on unseen reserves, and embrace a few months of life at a slower pace. 

Welcome back autumn, I missed you. 

Leaves.jpg

 

Oh, I forgot one of my favourite things about autumn, it’s my birthday in a week! Autumn babies are the bestest. 

Are you a lover of autumn? What’s your favourite thing about this time of year? 

 

Annette x 

 

 

Autumnal Joy

Annette14 Comments

I love autumn. 

Let’s make this crystal clear – I adore it, always have, always will.

Let me count the ways… 

The chill in the mornings and evenings. 

The colours. 

The changes that autumn signifies. 

Dusting off the slow cooker, planning your Easter break – autumn’s here! 

I love the end of daylight savings, when we all feel like hopping into bed at 8.30pm because it’s so dark it must be later. 

Needing a blanket. 

Grabbing a cardigan. What is better than cardigan weather!? 

That smell when your neighbour lights their fire for the first time. 

The crunch of leaves underfoot. 

It makes me so happy!! 

It’s kind of like seasonal puppy love. And I’ve got it bad. 

The light. 

The sky. Just look at it! 

I feel like these flowers today, joyful and bright and content to just be me. 

I hope you feel like that too. 

Try looking at all the beauty around you this weekend, even if you’re busy. When you’re at the traffic lights – look at the sky, not your phone. At the sports ground early with the kids? Grab a coffee and look at the trees. Aren’t trees magnificent? 

Autumn reminds me that it all just goes on – this life, the seasons, the sun rises and sets, day after week after month after year… and we can’t control any of it, so let’s REVEL in it. 

I feel so grateful to be here today. Life is beautiful. 

Are you in? 

Let’s REVEL in autumnal joys. 

Yours in a cardigan,

Annette xx

A new season for 52 Paintings

Annette2 Comments

Good morning!

I’ve ventured into new territory this week, to match the changing of the seasons.

Drumroll and standing ovation for the best, most colourful and glorious season of them all….. autumn.

You’ll probably see #crushingonautumn pop up a lot on my Instagram feed, as I post snaps of chilly, cloud scooting skies, the changing colours of the leaves and my kitchen bench loaded down with delicious things to slow cook and roast and turn into soup.

Swoon.

Even the language of the season gives me a thrill – think about the word autumnal and how it conjures up crunching leaves underfoot, fireside catch ups with friends, putting on your cardigan before going out, reaching for a scarf, loading up the kids and driving through the hills to find a pub with a great roast lunch special and a playground you can see from beside the fire.

The wine drinkers change from enjoying crisp chilled whites to warming reds. Salads give way to soups. Dining out morphs into staying in, being cosy and the age-old dance of the clothes horses in your living space commences.

The days are getting shorter, but we’re not in the depths of winter yet… oh, it’s just heaven I tell you. Easter approaches, we seem to collectively be changing gears as we prepare for the colder months.

I decided to try and capture my love of all things autumnal with my watercolours.

autumnal skies
Autumnal Skies 9/2015

I’d love to be ‘better’ at this kind of painting – perhaps with practice that will come, but for now I’m happy to be exploring, playing and wishing for the temperatures to drop so I can pop the heater on.

Autumnal feasting
Autumnal feasting

 

Are you an autumn lover too?

Tell me your favourite things about my favourite time of year.

Cheers, keep creating.

Right now, it’s time for a warming cup of coffee.

Annette x