Autumn favourites.

September has come and gone, now we're in the month of October when leaves start turning into all shades of orange, yellow and red, fall off the trees and shorter days mean that I can spend more time wrapped in my blanket reading books. Today I want to share with you some of my Autumn favourites: things I really enjoyed, found helpful or that simply enriched my life in one way or another.

The Canterbury Tales a retelling by Peter Ackroyd.

Written in the 14th century in Middle English, this beautiful work of literature is retold using modern language, without using any of the grace of the writing. It's such an interesting window into the life and mindset of people of that time: by the looks of it, a mindset filled with fear of sexual infidelity, the tension between the spiritual and the corporal, and the interest in ancient mythology. I thoroughly enjoyed all 25 stories in the gathered by Chaucer, laughed at many and got moved by others. Highly recommended for everyone who needs a very different book than most of novels around.

Loose leaf tea

I stopped buying teabags and I am so enjoying brewing loose leaf tea. It might be less convenient, but the taste is amazing each time, so much better than any other teabag tea I've had. I've just purchased another batch of different types of teas, earl grey, chamomile, peppermint, english breakfast and popcorn tea to fill up my containers. Making my tea now is like a celebration and a leisure activity. Such joy!

Neutral flats

I don't usually buy shoes in any colour other than black, occasionally navy, but I bought a pair of neutral pink flats from Ecco so that I have some school shoes (killed the ballerinas from last year, holes in the soles and all) and I am very pleased with them. I was initially skeptical about wearing light-coloured shoes, bu I've covered it with protective spray and it hasn't been raining, so they still look great, even after days and days of intense wearing round the school. These flats are such a nice addition to my wardrobe. They took a couple of weeks to get really comfy, but they go with everything and are very light, so I hope they last until the summer. I do wreck shoes quickly, because I have so few they get used almost every day.

DIY deodorant

Made from coconut oil, cornstarch, baking soda and a few drops of essential oil, this DIY deodorant works so well, I'm not ever going back to a store bought one. I made it out of necessity as I run out and didn't have time to pop to the shops. Smells lovely (I've added lemongrass oil) and keeps me nice and fresh all day long. It's a definite keeper. It might be a little unusual to make your own toiletries, but in search for more sustainable and more affordable life, I've found that I can really pare down the personal products I use.

Wednesdays
Mr Magic has been coming down for Wednesday and it's so good to get back from work and have your loved one waiting for you and cooking food. Midweek can sometimes be horrible, with tiredness kicking in and weekend not yet in sight. You still have so much to do and only a couple of days to go. Having something to look forward to on a Wednesday is wonderful for my wellbeing and it helps me with work-life balance which hasn't been great so far. It's a weekly treat, a space to pause and breathe. I cannot put in long hours of work in the evening when Mr Magic is here, so I switch off my work-mode more easily than on a normal week night.

Monthly planner
I've shared my planning routine with you before, but I've realised that weekly spread does not work that well for me and now I just use the monthly pages. I don't have many appointments during the week beyond things that are not time sensitive, so I don't need all the space for putting activities and times in. My planner ended up looking rather sad some weeks when I only got to work and the only extra thing on my schedule was hoovering. Now I write down the most important appointments and schedule in house activities on two pages rather than on eight different ones for each month.  I got my monthly planner for 2019 already and I'm going to purchase some stickers also to go with it, this is super exciting. Look out for a planning update early next year.

There has been many more things I really enjoyed in the past month, including baking, bits and bobs of diy, reading many books and looking after my plants. Life has been busy, but it has been good.  Heating is on after a sudden drop in temperature. I'm buying a dishwasher to make my life more convenient and to save time. We've been planning New Year's trip. Another three weeks until the half term. And there's a lot of cake on the horizon.