Blogtober - Day Thirty One

Well, here we are the last day of Blogtober.  Thirty one days of posts some happy, some not so, some easy to write, others not so.  Some days knowing exactly what I wanted to write about, others struggling for inspiration and words.

I want to say a big Thank You to everyone who has been reading and leaving comments.  I've enjoyed  reading your comments immensely and have enjoyed replying to them.  I hope to catch up with your blogs over the next day or two if I haven't already done so.

It's All Hallows' Eve.  I don't know if we will have any 'trick or treat' children around.  I have a little packet of sweets just in case.  I think the idea in the area, according to the local on-line forum, is that if you wish to have knocks at the door you put some sort of decoration outside or in your window.  Quite a few houses around have decorations in the window or carved pumpkins outside the door already.

Paul has carved our pumpkin, it's only a small one and there is enough flesh left to make soup.

I went into the garden to collect some leaves for the pumkin to sit on.

Whilst I was out there I collect a few of the last blooms of October for the kitchen table.

Cosmos, Echinacia, hardy Geranium and Verbena.

Look what has opened up overnight.

The first Paperwhite flowers to take us into November.

Thank You

Just popping by to say thank you for all your lovely comments on my last post, they meant so much to me.  Also thank you too for letters, cards and e-mails we've received over the last week.

Yesterday there was a knock on the door and a staff member from the vet's surgery came with flowers and a card too.  Max was so well known there as he'd been registered with them for twenty two years.  We only had to ring and they'd say Max?  Especially over the last year.

We've been busy in the garden where things are looking blooming I'll be back with a post about that soon and will also get back into the routine of visiting you all again.

Looking forward to....

 One of my favourite 'dip-into' books from our  bookshelves is Dorothy Hartley's 'Food in England'.  I bought this copy quite some time ago and am always fascinated by the snippets I pick up from it.  It is a social history of  English food through the ages; its uses, its preservation. preparation and presentation.

I know very little about Dorothy Hartley's life except that she was born in Skipton, Yorkshire, that for several years she lived in the vicarage at Rempstone in Nottinghamshire, where her father was the Rector, a village we pass through a couple of times a year on our way into Lincolnshire.   She spent most of her later life in the village of Froncysyllte near Llangollen in Wales, somewhere else we pass through quite often on our way to Porthmadog, where she died  in 1985 aged ninety two.

Consequently I'm very much looking forward to one of the programmes which is part of the 'Food, Glorious Food' season on BBC TV this week.  Historian Lucy Worsley is presenting a television programme about this renowned and well-respected author and illustrator called  'The Lost World of Dorothy Hartley' on Tuesday at 9p.m. on BBC4.  I just know I'm going to find it fascinating.

 I'm also looking forward to putting these pretty Christmas trees on our tree!

I was so lucky recently to come second in Suzy's giveaway at Rustic Vintage Country and when my lovely parcel  arrived as I opened it the smell of lavender was so wonderful.  Your handmade goodies are beautiful  Thank you Suzy.