Autumn snuggling

Well folks, it looks like Summer has finally come to an end and Autumn has been thrust upon us. It's freezing in my little cottage. I have even resorted to turning the heating on! Having lived in cold little holes for so many years now, you learn to tune into the seasons and the properties themselves. Each of the eight houses I have called home since leaving 'the home' have had their own little quirks. You learn how to maximise the heat and beat the draughts at the right time. Not too much heat too early for fear of freezing when it really gets cold. So thermostat set at 17 degrees and clothing layers on. I've lit the fire a few times to take the chill off. You can't beat a roaring fire on a cold dark evening, we live by the hearth in the Winter :-) Actually when my babies were little we literally did that. Much of the day would centre around 'life by the hearth'. Of course now that the small people are no longer so still or small and have developed worlds of their owns, they tend to wander off and potter about in other areas. There's still a draw though on chilly dark evenings when that fire is blazing. Blankets and snugly clothes come to view and the board games come out on the fireside rug. Mmmmmmmmmm :-)....fireside cosiness. We've even roasted a few chestnuts on our shovel already, how good to they taste!

So far November seems to have been a time of clearing out. I wouldn't normally think of Autumn as a time for squirrelling but this year although I have squirrelled a fair few walnuts for the coming year, I am intent on banishing the old and unused and clearing my space.
Since my crazy shoe buying stunt at the beginning of the year my home has seemed really rather cluttered. Initially all 900 pairs started off in one room but since then many have sold but many still remain and they seem to have spread themselves into all the little nooks and crannies of the house in a desperate ploy to make better use of the space. I have been sorting out my little dining room which has become known as 'the shoe room/common dumping ground' for the past ten months. Now that sewing seems to have evolved into my source of income I figured it would be a sensible idea to base all of my sewing related things into one area and perhaps use it as a workroom too. Of course good intentions are all good and well but putting plans into action is another matter. Let's say it's 'a work in progress!' Watch this space.....

I've also been clearing the field at the back of our house with the intention of creating some sort of 'paradise garden'....well perhaps just a usable space!!
We have a good sized piece of land behind the four cottages in our row that would have been the communal vegetable garden once upon a time. It's been practically abandoned in recent years apart from some mowed paths being created by my lovely neighbours. Not surprising really due to the busy lifestyles that folk have created and the readily available produce available to buy from the supermarket these days. I adopted a couple of tiny patches this year and created a mini vegetable patch, not a 'patch' on those from my previous life but enough to give us a sense of care and nurture and a couple of mouthfuls of veg too :-).....next year......wait for new year.........Of course I say that, but it's tough to be motivated when you're going it alone. Ease does tend to take precedence unfortunately.
Enough of sounding doubtful...my neighbour and I made a start last week and removed a good twenty sucker trees to clear some space and allow existing trees some space to bloom. It's amazing what you can achieve in an afternoons work when you put your mine to it. The space looks totally different. The following day another kind friend offered her help and between us we removed all the small branches from the suckers and cleared the mess and are now left with a number of very usable stakes. They will come in useful when I get around to creating a hazel screen to hide my unsightly oil tank. I do love hard work :-)

It occurred to me last Saturday night that fireworks have a 'clearing out' effect too. They whizz off into space, explode with a bang and leave a silence in the air...well momentarily anyway.

I wonder if anyone else is sensing the need to clear out?

Ed note: Sorry for the recent lack of photos, can't seem to sync my camera and upload....grrr any help appreciated :-)