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thanks to the trains being in a chaotic state sunday, we drove into portsmouth and went to have a nosey around charles dickens birthplace (first brick house in centre) - what an architectural paradise amongst the 70s high rise flats!

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walking around arundel on saturday morning i encountered this dog relaxing in a streetside window under the gaze of an owl.....

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friday, and off i go to north island, passing en route hms warrior

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squelched around a field at the car boot sale this morning.

arrived a day too late for the national honey show,

stonebaked bread for lunch,

huddled, shivering, under a duvet to watch the grand prix.

this afternoon, baking and cooking and washing and cleaning.

and now, coffee and costume drama.

 

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the christmas craft fair is coming up,

and there's smoke coming from my knitting needles.

it's so satisfying, to make something with your hands.

i wish my job was a bit more practical sometimes.

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i knew it had to come from him, eventually.

it wasn't something i could influence, nor would i have wanted to.

it's exciting, thinking about a change.

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autumn orange.

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hooray, new table!

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lunch time walks through the park are pretty much the highlight of my working day.

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the mist has descended.  it didn't lift all day.

it feels like we're under a damp blanket.

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i missed the best moment when a whole lot of calves filed by in the villa's neighbouring field, but here are a few

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the light cast through the fog from the setting sun was very eerie late this afternoon - much more dramatic than conveyed by the photo

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it's market day and these guys were enthusiastically playing away in the square outside the bank!

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back to work and a very damp dismal monday

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much on the mend from cold symptoms but enjoying a thoroughly lazy time indoors

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take away the spout of this pot and i thought the round body looks just like the moon!

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seriously stricken with a cold and housebound so must conjure up a few more still lifes ......

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am developing a cold so pottery abandoned this evening :o(

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went to an interesting talk this evening on the excavations that took place at the castle before the princess beatrice garden was laid out ....... hence botanical theme of potpourri

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i love sundays like this:

a lazy morning coffee,

a spot of gardening (planting out the garlic),

tea,

a stroll down to the park in the rain to feed the ducks,

more tea,

a bit of home baking,

sitting under the blanket.

pretending monday isn't coming.

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back down to farnham for more craftiness today,

and charity shopping too.

then back to dave and ali's just in time to see this amazing sunset.

a small consolation for the cold, and the dark ...

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the nights are drawing in;

it's dark shortly after we arrive home now.

i can't think where this year has gone.

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latest knitting project completed ...

these are ridiculously cosy.

how have i managed to get through a single winter without a pair of these??

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took the afternoon off 

to go for 'crafternoon tea' in farnham.

wish i could spend every wednesday that way ...

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such an exciting day ... our honey arrived!

and it tastes amazing ...

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what a nice day ..... down at the quay and i thought this looked like some peculiar arthropod ready to scuttle off on its stick legs

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mission control room door .......

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sunday and we all ventured in to london, some for bees, some for books ........ and met up again in russell square

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one of the highlights this time of the year in slindon, west sussex, is a visit to the pumpkin man ......

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off to the mainland for the weekend passing Old Portsmouth

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some more experiments with pots!

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leaves are one of autumn's delights

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a corner of the newport jungle

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next time it's a dark wet day and you are stuck for a photo, look inside the washing machine

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sunday. the day of our beekeeping training.

what a great day.

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an autumn rainbow at winkworth arboretum

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masterpieces on show at frieze art fair.

i would love to know what the two guys on the right are talking about ...

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i've made so many bootees for other people's children

that i'm starting to get knitwear envy.

i had to make something for myself instead.

half way there ...

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view of buckingham palace from st james's park

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oh my word.

it's that time of year

when it's so horrible outside

that the close-ups of food start appearing again.

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autumn: it's all in the detail.

the sickly rays of october sunshine never reach parts of our garden now,

and the dew is still undisturbed in the late afternoon.

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view from the dizzying heights of st paul's cathedral.

what an incredible place.

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well.

what can i say?

the blackberries taste AMAZING.

much-needed comfort food this time of year.

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walked along the sea front between colwell bay and totland bay this afternoon and encountered this rock full of fossil shells ......... we were very excited as we noticed that it was the exact shape of the isle of wight, and thought we had better inform the iw county press .........

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visited st catherine's point on saturday - beautiful views as ever, and shortly after visiting the only sandy spot in sight we saw a seal swimming along just behind this rock!

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have you noticed the amazing number of spiders' webs in the garden at the moment? it's hard to venture outside without getting a face full ....

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had an accident at pottery tonight with a plant pot that decided to explode whilst making final alteration .....

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it's that time of year again.

the fairy lights are on,

and we had jacket potatoes for supper.