September seems to have passed by in the blink of an eye, I don't know where these months are going. The temperature has most definitely dropped now, the mornings are rather chilly but we're still getting some beautiful days too. I've resisted putting the heating on so far but it feels just a matter of time now before I do.
We've had more lovely days out this month. We visited York to see The Ghosts in the Gardens trail which is in full swing at the moment. I have to say that they do look ethereal, very ghost-like. It just depends how the light falls on them as to how you see them, one minute they can look like a solid form but take another step or two, or if the light changes, and they look hardly there. The trail began in 2021 with just ten sculptures, now there's sixty. We didn't manage to find them all but we enjoyed what we saw. The monthly food festival in Ilkley is a lovely day out with so many great stallholders as well as the towns independent shops to look round so we had a trip there this month and came home with some lovely goodies.
It was Heritage Open Days during September where many buildings, sites and gardens open their doors for free. We took advantage of this offer and visited somewhere I've been wanting to look inside for a long time, Shibden Hall in Halifax. This was the home of Anne Lister 1791-1840, a Yorkshire landowner, traveller, mountaineer and diarist. Her diaries detailed her life and financial concerns, her work improving Shibden Hall, and her lesbian relationships, which she wrote about in code. We've visited many times, but always when we've had Archie with us so we've never been inside the hall before. The popular BBC historical drama, Gentleman Jack, is based on the true story of Anne Lister and much of it was filmed at Shibden Hall, though I have to say that I was expecting something quite different after watching the series. It was grander than I anticipated, quite dark because of the wood panelling as you could see in the series, but there were beautiful carvings in the wood. The stained glass windows in the housebody are quite fascinating with glass panels which were taken from churches in York dating back 700 years decommissioned under Henry VIII. There was good, detailed information about everything on show. It was a really interesting day out.
It was my birthday on the 3rd. It was a Wednesday, which meant it was a day I was looking after Jack so I decided I'd like a quiet day at home, no family meal out this year, though Mick and I did go out for breakfast with Jack in tow. Everyone came round in the evening after work, which was lovely. I received some really wonderful cards and gifts, the ones above were from my lovely friend Maggie who blogs at BlackCountry Wench, she always spoils me. Who knew there was a salted caramel version of Bournville, absolutely delicious!
I've read six books this month.
I wasn't sure I'd enjoy The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, I don't know very much about American history so I wasn't sure this book was for me. How wrong could I be, I absolutely loved it. The story takes us back to the 1930s and the American Dream on a farm on the Great Plains. When drought and dust storms shatter that dream, Elsa and her children must fight for survival. I didn't know anything about the Dust Bowl and this period in history, how millions of people were displaced with many seeking better lives in California. Elsa is such a strong woman, as I'm sure many women of this time had to be in order to survive. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
I'm continuing to read the books in the Dr Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths. The Dark Angel takes us away from Norfolk, this time to a village in Italy where Ruth has been asked to look at some bones, she's a forensic archeologist, but many of the recurring characters are there too. Another great read.
I'm not really into science fiction but I thought I'd give The Time Machine by HG Wells a go. It's a relatively short book so it did manage to hold my attention and I found the story engaging. Written at the end of the nineteenth century, the message conveyed in the book is as relevant now as it was then.
Another Ruth Galloway book by Elly Griffiths, The Stone Circle took us back to Norfolk where Nelson and Ruth had a cold case to solve, that of a murdered child. Another character, which will become a regular, came onto the scene in this book, and a big questions left at the end of the last book finally got answered. Another enjoyable read.
Someone on Instagram recommended All Things Consoled by Elizabeth Hay, a Canadian novelist. This book is a memoir about her parents and it won the 2018 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust award for non-fiction. It was an interesting read, the author having a complicated relationship with her parents but taking on their care as they aged, her mother suffering from dementia. Written with honesty and compassion.
A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe is the author's debut novel and one of the best books I've read so far this year. The book begins with the terrible true events of 1966 in a small Welsh village called Aberfan when a colliery spoil tip slid down the hillside and landed on a school killing 116 children and 28 adults. Newly qualified embalmer, William Lavery is asked to help but he doesn't realise just how the disaster will affect him long term. The story then goes back to when William was ten and the circumstances which brought him to this moment. It's an emotional read from the start but it does have its lighthearted moments too. Beautifully written, a huge thumbs up.
I'd been waiting for Wool Warehouse to have their Drops Super Sale as I wanted some Drops Merino Extra Fine to knit a couple of sweaters for Jack. The sale has been on throughout the month so I bought two different colours which Eleanor chose. One of them looks like a grey here but it's actually a lovely sage green. I also got a couple of balls of King Cole Cherished for another cardigan for him. I'm hoping I can get cracking before too long. My crafting time has taken a huge hit now that I look after Jack three days each week.
As soon as the nights start drawing in we begin to get all the new autumn series on TV. We don't watch very much TV but Strictly Come Dancing is back and that's one thing we do watch. I don't have a clear favourite as yet but it's fun to watch how each of the contestants progress week on week. All Creatures Great and Small is also back, another favourite. It's filmed in the Yorkshire Dales so I enjoy watching to see which places I can recognise. Two good old-fashioned shows where all the family can sit down and watch together.
So we're now well into autumn though I know from past experience that October can produce some beautiful days still, I'm hoping that it does. I'm saying goodbye to September with a chest infection, which is annoying as I've got something very exciting coming up in the next couple of days, more of which I'll tell you about in my next post.
