Autumnal Equinox: Day 3

It was a bit of a quiet one yesterday, as it was the day of the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Not really a day for celebrating, so instead it was bit more about reflecting on the season and spending time with my family.

Autumn Equinox Earrings

As I was going to the woods yesterday, my Autumn Equinox earrings were squirrels and acorns.

Blackley Forest

I went for a walk in Blackley Forest yesterday. The woods were quiet and peaceful, with just a little touch of autumn colour.

Flavours of Manchester Chocolates

I bought some Flavours of Manchester (Manchester tart, Vimto, Uncle Joe's Mint Balls and honey) chocolates from The Chocolate Cafe in Ramsbottom to share with my parents yesterday. And they were glorious!

Autumnal Equinox: Day 2

It's the second day of our Autumn Equinox (aka Mabon) celebrations. We both had quite a lot of work to do today, so it's a bit of a short post. We still found a bit of time to celebrate though.

‘Wakes, Revels and Hoppings’

I read a seasonal chapter of Ronald Hutton's The Stations of the Sun tonight: 'Wakes, Revels and Hoppings'.

Mabon Candle

We lit our Mabon candle from Chalice Creations tonight. Ginger, rosemary, clary sage and petitgrain to see us through to the equinox.

Autumnal Equinox: Day 1

It's Autumnal Equinox time, the sixth event in our Year of Celebrating the Seasons and the last stop before the big ones (Halloween and Christmas). Time to celebrate the harvest and the arrival of autumn! I think our plan of marking the passage of time better has worked, because it feels like years since we started out with our tentative celebrations of Imbolc! So, as is our new tradition, we've got a week of festive things planned to see in the new season.

Autumn Equinox Earrings

My first pair of Autumn Equinox earrings... blackberries!

Horrocks Wood

We went for a lovely autumnal picnic in Horrocks Wood in Bolton today. We saw quite a lot of butterflies and two gorgeous dragonflies (impossible to photograph), but there were plenty of signs of autumn in the woods as well. We also saw some alpacas where the woods meet Smithills Farm, and Rob made friends with some horses.

Maple Walnut Green Sencha

We took a moment to enjoy the season under a tree in Horrocks Wood with a maple walnut green sencha tea from It's Tea.

‘Harvest’ and ‘Mr King’

We wanted something seasonal to watch before we went out for dinner. We couldn't think of a film, so we watched the 'Harvest' episode of This Country and 'Mr King' (Inside No. 9). A perfect Autumn Equinox double-bill!

Dinner at Croma

We went for dinner at Croma in Prestwich tonight. I started off with an Apple and Elderflower Martini (I have a feeling our Autumn Equinox week is going to be a little bit apple-themed!), and then I had Mushroom Bruschetta, Mushroom & Goat's Cheese Rigatoni, Sticky Toffee Pudding (no mushrooms in that one).

The Dark Secret of Harvest Home

We ended the first day of our Autumn Equinox week by with The Dark Secret of Harvest Home, the 1978 miniseries adaptation of Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon. I'm not sure it's a strong recommendation, but it's certainly seasonal!