October...

Well, they do say Autumn is a time of change. I suppose it's nostalgia for the school timetable that makes it still feel like a time of new beginnings, freshly-sharpened pencils, and making plans for the year ahead. This October was definitely no exception, and managed to surpass even my usual frequency of ricocheting between highs and lows like a hyperactive pinball. 

There were times where I felt parts of myself, my positivity, my sanity, being chipped away, like a miniature dinosaur excavation...

The sale of my flat, my new home, dragged on and on and ON, and just when I thought it was done, my solicitor unearthed something so insurmountable that nothing could fix it. I cried in the work toilets made my peace with it, ate commiseratory cake, and started plotting a Plan B.... 

Then, one week later, it was (magically) All Fixed And Fine Again. Cue street parade, celebratory cake, apologetic tweets to those who'd offered help with Plan B etc. etc. 

It was only after I'd started packing, with my moving date mere days away, that the "Everything Is Awesome" message was found to have been sent in error. Apparently, there'd been a mix-up with my file (with the Lego Movie script, I can only assume) and things were Very Much Not Fine after all. So, it was time for a New Plan B*...

My New Plan took the form of an eagle renting a rather sexy little room (in the Brighton Laines no less!!), complete with leopard print wallpaper, five lovely housemates, and only one bathroom.... 

The location couldn't be more perfect (it's so close to my favourite Mexican restaurant that I practically shouted in my order on moving day), and I've finally been reunited with my stuff that's spent 11 months in storage. It was like Christmas, with more fairy lights. And, if nothing else, living here is going to give me a bladder of STEEL. 

My new bed - complete with an actual mattress(!!)
and WiFi access. HURRAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

Thankfully, gratefully, October was far from solely doom and gloom. In spite, or perhaps because, of feeling so stressed and helpless about the whole flat thing, I managed to fill every spare second (and millimetre of stomach) with the best things life can offer, including:

1. Cheesy carbs

Do you think it's a sign that your pizza is excessively huge when it needs THREE plastic table things in the box? (The third one is blocked by J's hand - I promise I can count to three) Or is the sign when one slice takes up an entire plate?

Seriously- the box on top is a normal 12" pizza...

2. Halloween Parties, by the (severed) handful. 
This year's festivities included a night out on the town, dressed as what most people guessed to be a "microwave kitten"... I wasn't.

The lack of rabbit ears probably didn't help (the bunches were the best I could do last-minute; especially as I'd drunk too much rum to be wielding scissors) but I maintain that my DIY-d tunic dress was OBVIOUSLY a boiler. 

The second outfit, for the Halloween special Boardgames Meet-Up, was marginally more obvious. A DIY-d checkerboard t-shirt, laddered tights, and half a dozen rubber snakes entwined round my limbs, hair, and waist...

I was going to share a photo here, but my Halloween 1 Hangover left me looking so ghoulish I would probably give you nightmares.

3. Pub roasts
Including a "sharing" roast - something I've never experienced before. I really wasn't sure how I felt about the whole thing, until my fellow roast-lover pointed out that they'd given me a double portion of cauliflower cheese because I wasn't going to eat any of the meat. Maybe they're not so bad after all...



4. Biro tattoos
Because what else are you going to do after eating your own weight in cauliflower cheese?!

[Comments below saying "DUNCAN - YOU HAVE TO GET THAT MANATEE TATTOO FOR REAL" would be very much appreciated]

5. Noodle Soup
Milliseconds after shifting the final box on Monday, I was struck down with a cold so brutal that it's basically kept me bed-bound for this whole week. On the plus side, my new bed is so pretty I don't mind living in it 24/7, and it's been the perfect excuse to cook up vast amounts of seriously scrumptious noodle soup with gyoza from my local** Asian supermarket. I've managed to get my packet-to-bowl technique down to under 6 minutes. In your face, Jamie Oliver.

What have you been up to lately? 

Katie xxx

*I know this should probably be "Plan C", but Plan B just sounds better. Although, come to think of it, Plan C kinda sounds like fancy. I might be coming round to it after all.

** Oh, Brighton - how I've missed you!

Photo an hour

Hello lovelies!!

How are your weekends going so far? 

My day involved catching up with chores and life admin, which I decided to thoroughly document for your reading pleasure, like a slightly more feminine David Attenborough. I've even included instructions in case you want to live like me for a day. 

8.30am
Wake up late, after staying up 'til stupid o'clock the night before watching Ru Paul's Drag Race. Write To Do List on phone while still in bed.

9.30am 
MacGyver takeaway box into container to post blog competition prizes. Use half world's stock of Sellotape. Hipster moustache tape optional*.

10.30am
Eat very late breakfast of marmite on toast. Drink orange juice. Watch Him & Her on Netflix while catching up on web admin.

11.30am
Dye old shoes with shoe polish. Ignore instructions about using two shoe polish brushes and two cloths. Use old pair of pants instead.

Have a shower. Eat (half past) elevenses. Photograph your drink. If there's one thing the internet needs, it's more shoddy phone photos of hot beverages. You're welcome, internet. 

12.30pm
Sweep floor. Offset poor progress with To Do List by adding stuff you've already done. 

1.30pm
Take parcel to be posted, stomping through autumn leaves whenever possible.

2.30pm
Worry about your choice of newsagent after the cashier makes a point of putting your parcel on a hard-to-reach shelf "so no-one steals it". Contemplate buying a bottle of wine for the label alone.

3.30pm
Eat late lunch of tortellini with pesto and goats cheese. Collapse on sofa due to carb overload.

4.30pm
Stay on sofa, pinned by weight of own stomach. Watch one two three episodes of Ru Paul's Drag Race.

5.30pm
Vacuum carpets. Set up sewing station and fix pile of broken clothes. Like a clothing hospital.

6.30pm
Turn tunic cursed with eternal static cling into pillowcase. Upon discovering the pillow fits perfectly inside tunic, try not to get paranoid that your torso has the same dimensions as a pillow.

7.30pm
Make vegetable tagine for dinner. Pretend this counteracts earlier carbohydrate consumption. 

8.30pm
Eat dinner while watching Goldie Hawn film of your choice.

9.30pm
Write letter to penpal. Eat chocolate for sustenance. 

10.30pm
Review To Do List. Feel sense of accomplishment.

Katie xxx

*It's not optional. Get some. 

Autumn

I'm writing this tucked up in a blanket with a cup of tea in reach, listening to the rain lashing against the windows. Tea and a blanket is basically my religion, but I do love a legitimate, weather-based excuse to get cosy and hibernate. Hence why:

I've always loved autumn and actually bought this badge long before I started blogging, which explains why it's gone rusty- oops! This existing love of autumn certainly helped during my Blogger Brainwashing Induction Session, leaving The Brainwashers to focus on cultivating my love of cute stationery, crochet, and photographing rounds of cocktails instead...

Food and crafting are perennial favourites of mine, but they both seem to become much more comforting in autumn. Melt-in-the-middle puddings, every dinner swimming in gravy, and bowls of wholesome veggie soup are all good things in my (recipe) book.

And evenings are certainly cosier in front of a roaring fire...

What are your favourite things about Autumn? 

Katie xxx

P.S. There's going to be a new competition on here very soon, so keep your peepers peeled! 

Cider and Sparkle

I have a sneaking suspicion that, if I were to admit feeling anything other than head-over-ankle-boots adoration about autumn, I'd be expelled from the blogging community faster than you can say "Instagram Photo Of A Starbucks Latte In A Hand-Knitted Cup Warmer". Thankfully, I genuinely do adore it.

To me, autumn means:

1. Getting to wear my excessive collection of novelty/strange knitwear (hello Owl Jumper!).

2. Excellent opportunities for nature-based photography.

3. Lots of stews, preferably with coriander dumplings.

4. An unquashable compulsion to make things out of wool. I've gone a bit pompom mad after spotting this gorgeous garland:

[image from tea pea]

Until I've made enough pompoms for a suitably impressive garland, I'm going to keep them in one of my new jars. Although, I think I really need a deer head to set them off properly (not a real one obviously. Eurgh.)

5. Upping my hot chocolate consumption to a practically death-defying quantities*. Except today, when I decided to switch things up and mull some cider. 

Mulled cider in a teacup. Because early-afternoon drinking goes from "problem" to "classy" the minute one involves a saucer, doncha know.

The only thing I don't like about autumn is the ever-earlier-encroaching darkness. Gloom isn't cheering for anyone (except maybe goths?), so I was thrilled when DotComGiftShop sent me one of these beautiful antique baubles to brighten up my life living room.

This bauble is more than your average decoration, because:

1. It's absolutely huge (15cm diameter - like a sparkly, festive melon).

2. It's filled with fairy lights. So, when you turn it on, it looks like a cluster of fireflies having a party inside an antique silver disco ball. There's no way that could be anything but cheering!

It's also excellent at illuminating the face of That Other Bloke From Queen
on the front of record sleeves.

I have to say, though, it looks rather lonely on its own. There's only one thing for it - I'm going to have to buy it some little friends. 

Katie xxx

*Did you know humans can die from Theobromine poisoning after eating one kilo of chocolate? Amateurs! And who says I don't live on the edge?!

Kentish Castles

Hello m'dears

I hope you're all having a fun-filled weekend.

Tom and I spent today adventuring around Kent; visiting National Trust properties, eating scones, and taking a lot of photographs. I was worried an autumnal visit to places centred around long countryside walks would end up a miserable, rain-soaked muddy stomp under grey, dreary skies. I was ecstatic to be proven wrong; the weather was perfect for a rosy-cheeked walk, and the leaves were unbelievable- I took nearly 200 photos in four hours! 

Our first stop was Scotney Castle; a beautiful country house with incredible landscaped grounds including a moated castle. Betty Hussy, the final owner of the house, was a huge fan of cats, and always had at least one living with her. She was a particular fan of Burmese cats, and apparently called every one of them "Minou"...

The Beams Have Eyes... eep!

I thought this looked like a wooden Loch Ness Monster. Tom did not agree. 

Would you like to know a secret? I've turned this photo upside down, because this is actually a reflection of trees in the moat. True story.

How crazy is this toadstool?! Nature is amazing :)

After eating our own weight in scones, we then moved on to Sissinghurst Castle. The buildings and grounds were of a very different period and style to Scotney but equally lovely. And some lucky people get to live there in adorable cottages... *jealousface*

I've put some more photos up on my flickr account if you fancy having a peep :) If you've got any recommendations of other places to visit in the South East of England I'd love to hear! 

Katie xxx