Keeping it Cozy

Mellow in Autumn

 Autumn is well and truly here, and what a beautiful season it is. D and I took advantage of our location a few weeks ago and went for a long, lovely stroll through the New Forest. The sun was shining and the light through the trees was amazing. Wherever we walked there were fallen leaves and the most amazing mushrooms. D was incredibly patient as I stopped every few paces to capture yet another fine specimen on my new camera. We saw literally hundreds, in all shapes and sizes; in circles and rings; on trees and in hollows - they were everywhere!

We also made friends with quite a few of the gorgeous New Forest ponies, that roam through the woods and on the common land, but the best thing we saw was the Landford Village Autumnfest. I'm not sure that I have ever seen anything quite so bizarre as their scarecrow competition! Outside every other house in the village was a homemade scarecrow, some modelled on famous people; the Pope, the X-Factor judges, Wayne Rooney, some based on fantasy characters; all manner of fairies, the cast of The Wizard of Oz, Shrek, Borat(!) and some ordinary people; the cellarmen outside the Landford Poacher and the couple getting married outside the old chapel. It was brilliant - click on the link to see the overall winners.

The Finished Mittens 

On the needles, I have now finished my winter mittens, and just in time too! Already, I have to leave for work in the dark, and that extra little bit of warmth will make all the difference as the days get colder. I've also made a little something fro Emily from the Poultry Cross Knitters who will soon be giving birth to her little acorn! I'm also embarking on another Noa Noe scarf for my sister and I am determined to finish Cheadle before cables go back out of fashion! It has been lovely seeing in all the glossy magazines just how much knitting has been shown on the catwalks of the various fashion weeks around the world - here's hoping that more people get knitted and join one of the most gentle crafts going. Mittens crossed!

Messing about with my iPhone!

I'm still completely smitten with my iPhone and happy downloading apps left, right and centre! My favourites so far include Hipstamatic, the Man Booker Prize app, Nike+ GPS for tracking my running and the LSE Mappiness social experiment app. Hours of fun, and my life is way more organised too!

Beautiful Oddness

Something else that I have enjoyed, almost beyond measure was The Enchanted Palace exhibition at Kensington Palace. I visited this weekend with my sister and it was quite possibly the best exhibition that I have ever been to.  It was everything that I would imagine for a dark, beautiful, fairy tale brought to life in an enchanting setting. It contains dreamlike installations, fashion beyond compare, from the likes of Vivienne Westwood and Stephen Jones and William Tempest, a bewitching quest to uncover the stories of seven real-life princesses and contemporary art and poetry from some of the most talented modern artists. It's on until the 28th of February next year - if you can get to London, I urge you to go. Check out this blog of one of the characters Peter the Wild Boy.

One last thing - I have discovered a new passion - the joy of muffins! If only I had known years ago how easy it is to bake these lovely little beauties...  So far, I have tried raspberry and white chocolate, banana and mile chocolate buttons and double-chocolate chip. I shall soon be as big as a house - but very, very popular!

Yummy!