along came Autumn...

Autumn is such a seasonal delight...

I love the garden and the landscape beyond over the Devon hills changing in all shades 

of golden and red tones.

Watching the leaves float down from the tree's...getting excited for the toadstools and mushrooms appearing and gathering up the last of the apples...

The Kitchen table... I love the colours. The last of my dahlia's and lettuce leaves.

But the Tomatoes have really ripened and we've been enjoying a fruitful crop.

Lots of Apples...I'm still picking them up...We've had many 'a crumble!

Myself and Stevie one quiet drive Down to Cornwall decided to visit one of the National Trusts houses having a 'Heritage Day'...We visited Trerice Manor House and Gardens enjoying 'Brunch' in the Barn overlooking the garden and allotment...Its a beautiful Elizabethan Manor house with fine, beautiful interiors as well as a delightful garden to explore...We played skittles on the lawn after 'Brunch' on the beautiful lawns above the house on the hills...then sat underneath the old trees watching a lady in Elizabethan traditional dress having her photographs taken...We then explored the rest of the Manor house and gardens and apple orchard. It was more like a Summer's day than the beginning of September...

Stevie says 'You always find the bunting wherever we go'...

My only answer is 'Yes'...'I certainly do'...

We enjoyed visiting the second hand books for sale and sweet gift shop...

The Barn restaurant was absolutely beautiful...so spacious too...garden flowers on the tables.

Loved the Allotment style garden...

This was our picturesque view from the Lawn seat that wrapped around the tree...

Such an impressive house with lots of wonderful paintings, furniture of the period, tapestries, wall hangings and the windows from the bedrooms look out towards the garden with wonderful landscape views...

...But I love the gardens most of all. I Came away with an array of ideas and inspirations for my own garden and pots for next year.

I've been working on a few new drawings/illustrations...for up and coming New stock for Christmas market fairs and for my Etsy shop (Link in left hand sidebar)...

Sophia's settled back into School routines...and so far all is going well. She's taken up quite a few after school activities which are keeping her busy and fit!, she now does Netball as well and an after school Drama class...She is almost officially a teenager!...About a week til her birthday!...Where do these years go?. So I've been busy trying to wrap gifts and sort out a special cake with fireworks!. I will also be hosting a sleepover for her to celebrate and taking them to the cinema with treats.

We went to the orthodontist appointment last week and she now is wearing braces and will have to for the next two years...she was really brave!.

I love looking through past magazines such as the Simple things, Country living, Country homes and interiors magazines for ideas and inspirations...Ive also got a scrap book of 'fav' pics/cut outs...

I'm going to change my little seasonal 'all year round' wreath on the front door for a more Autumnal style.

I'm going to collect some red berries, branches, seed heads, decorative foliage and ivy...

We had a lovely family day trip to Padstow in Cornwall...We all got up early last Sunday (for a change!)... And felt like visiting the sea...and enjoying hot pasties and tea on the beach by the sand dunes...BUT

Boy' did it rain!!!!...Jeeezzz...It was quite a down pour. It had not started off that way we'd had very warm blue skies!...But by the coast the weather can change quickly. I'd left my coat in the car! So I was soaked.

But you know what I Just Love the sea side...despite being soaked through to my undies. We ended up covering for shelter in a small cliff cave...All part of the adventure isn't it...Look at that view though!...

The sea was calm, blue and beautiful...We forgave the rains.

Its still raining today...I had been quite enjoying the golden Autumnal Sun light I do hope it returns.

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Summer's end...

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I walked around the garden on the 1st September in the late evening light...
There was definitely 'Change' in the air...cool, crisper feel..The dappled orange glow of the Sunlight through the Apple tree's...and the garden on the turn to Autumnal changes.
I often think of September like a New year...A real beginning of change and that followed with the start of a new academic year...The blackberries seemed to come so early this year and I was already picking apples at the beginning of August.  My tomatoes are yet to ripen...Seem to take an age!. Does anyone know if you can take them off and let them sit in a sunny window to turn red and ripe?.

...I'm forever picking apples this late Summer

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I decided to make pies, crumbles and one day I made a strudel/tart with the left over Apples and blackberries...it was delicious! ;)

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I think I might have to give a few bags of apples away as we wont eat all of them...

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We went back to the Duchy of Cornwall nursery one Weekend in August... Lovely cup of Cornish Tea followed by a wonderful walk around the greenhouses and Bumblebee Garden with glorious views to their Shepherds huts...The Sweetpea, Lavender and Sunflowers were so beautiful and full of bees and butterflies...It only opened a few months back and is already established like it had been there years...Obviously attracting bees, butterflies, birds and lots of other wildlife habitats. Its really worth a visit.

They have a small apple orchard as you drive in...We had a look at all the varieties of apples mainly to see if we could spot something similar to our old Apple trees.
We also had an early evening walk along the Estuary towards the South hams, Devon. Aveton Gifford.

Such a peaceful place...and it was low tide so you could watch the wading birds looking for shell fish.

Reminds me of my East coastal upbringing on an Island...salty marshes, muddy estuaries, sounds of the sailing boat masks clanging like bells in the breeze...picking up feathers from the tide lines...

Also a drive to Avon Mill nursery and a look around the garden shop, gifts and Gallery...And a wonder a long the river bank there too...

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I had a lovely day in my little Market town a few week back when the rain fell heavy and my little Market town became quite quiet...I found a lovely book that I used to own but was a hard back and this was a paper back with a lovely front cover. Cider with Rosie ...also a Kirstie Allsopp Christmas makes book, candles, a small wicker pot and a pair of red decorative clogs...

(flags flying in Lostwithiel , Cornwall..along the river Fowey...)

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When the Sunshine came out so did the Butterflies... Someone kindly told me on my Instagram feed that the smaller butterfly is a Small Copper Butterfly...the other a  Small Tortoiseshell...But too quick for my camera I spotted Common Blue, Large White, Red Admiral, Peacock and Speckled Wood. The grass hoppers and crickets make quite a noise on the lawn where the Apple tree's are...We had left it 'WILD' up there most of this Summer for the wildlife...But we've had to strim and mow to reduce it getting too out of hand. But still leaving patches for wild life havens. Also I've left the rambling blackberries too as they are producing so much fruit.

Beautiful Dartmoor ponies...Under the trees in the dappled light...

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Do any of you follow YouTube Channels?...I'm really enjoying 'Lavender and Leeks' (Allotment tales from the purple potting shed)...also re-watching the' Edible Garden' BBC series on there with Alys Fowler.

filling my notebook with ideas for a more productive edible garden next year!....

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'NEW' Autumnal Art work... It would make a lovely gift for someone's Autumnal birthday or a child's bedroom and even a great treat instead of a Christmas card...(Link to my shop in left hand sidebar)...Lots of New things in my etsy shop...

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A Lovely Last Summer's Day trip before the end of the Summer Holiday to our beloved Kingsands and Cawsands...This beautiful Cornish village holds such special memories in my heart. 

Its a place I came a lot when I was bringing my daughter up on my own, it was our little place that we used to get the ferry to from the city of Plymouth...it was our little 'happy' escape from all the worries and anxiety that filled my head at the time...I always feel better after a trip to the sea!.

We paddled our toes and had a lovely walk along the rocky paths...I love looking at the sweet Cornish cottages and beach combing...I found some lovely pieces of blue pottery. Its so much nicer to have Stevie now to share it with...He loves it too.

It was blissfully hot and we layed on the grass on the hill above the sea watching the boats sail passed.

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Sophia starts her 2nd year at Secondary School tomorrow...She's rather excited about getting back and seeing her friends. We will all be getting back into routines. I'd better remember to set my alarm a lot earlier!

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