Into Autumn...

Today really suddenly felt like Autumn.
Normally in September I feel like its the 'End of Summer' still, but with the dull, rainy weather we've had for the past two weeks, the fireplace has had to be cleaned and stoked up and the autumn chill has arrived early. 

(Tonight's fire blazing and crackling as I type!)

Our big goose and duck feather duvet has been taken from the loft to the dry cleaners, and over our current summer duvet we had swathed the big crochet blanket and snuggled up in our brushed cotton pj's and nightshirts again. 
The boys have had the radiator on at night, although our one in our room has gone to my step-daughter Jess. 
Late this afternoon I felt inclined to take a walk around the field at the back of our cottage. 

The field this time last year








The field this year, in the rear left, the row of trees there are the edge of our garden, and yes, my chickens followed me on my walk!!!







The uneven grasses were moist and damp and scattered within were 'villages' of mushrooms and toadstools.
 I was really fascinated with the different varieties I saw. 
I have no idea what's what, I tried looking on a foraging/wild food site but just got confused and unsure...so many mushrooms that are edible are so very similar to those that are deadly poisonous, and grow right near each other too, so much to my chagrin I left them well alone.

 

 

I shall call these 'nipples'

I also came across trees laden with these blue/black fruits, I was sure they were Sloes and I was correct! from a Blackthorn tree. The only thing I can find to make with these is Sloe Gin...not really my thing. Apparently they are very bitter. Oh Well.

But then my eye caught..sumptuous plump blackberries!! So I got my basket and went a-foraging...oh the bushes were so plentiful and bejeweled with these bounteous, juicy nuggets of sweet brambly goodness!

I was our for at least an hour, in the distance I could hear my boys playing the the garden, they occasionally came out to the field to bolt around and chase each other, totally immersed in their game, with sound effects and background music all included! i so remember doing that as a kid, there I'd be hurtling my barbie along a dangerous, valley wide zip wire (mum's washing line...my barbie was no princess she was more a Lara Croft type, long before Lara existed!) as she effortlessly swung across her perilous transportation, I be singing "dunna dunna dunna dunna, durrr durr durrrrrrr, durdurdurdurdurdur durrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr dundundun" and so on...haha! and always played with an American accent!! hahaha!

The air was chilling but still not cold. I had my 3 quarter length sleeves,

 tunic with a new woollen sleeveless cardigan that i got for a bargain £2 at the charity shop today, with leggings, chunky boot socks and ankle boots. 

I sauntered down the lane and breathed in the moist earthy aroma, heard the Canadian geese and water fowl from the adjacent fishing lakes heralding the dusk. A lady passed me her evening bike ride and we greeted each other with a friendly hello, she smiling knowingly/approvingly at my overflowing basket of blackberries!

i really felt that i was doing something so very natural and normal. It feels so good and right to forage wild growing foods. I suddenly felt more spiritual and content knowing that our Creator designed our Earth to provide us with such simple joys and nourishment for us and wildlife too.  

Life should be simple and unhurried, we should be able to just take the time out to walk and enjoy our countryside, our surroundings. To pick fruit from the hedgerows and to savour the turning season's air. 

I feel blessed to be fortunate enough to live somewhere that has these things. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to live in the country. 

It isn't everyone's idea of comfort and idealisticality, (yeah, I made that word up!Spell check is denying its existence too but hell, if 'Twerking' can make it into Webster's, so can mine!! hahaha!) 

but...I'm done with conforming to the generic, materialistic masses!! 

As I type, the fire is roaring, Hubby is reading in the glow of a candle lamp and the subdued corner lamp, its so nice to not have the TV on..we don't even have a TV channel reciever or licence, we just watch DVD's or stream an occasional program or film. I think it's kinda sad that I used to spend every evening in front of the TV watching whatever was on...the same old entertainment, the same formats and mediocre talent...I did get all caught up in it all and I'd get upset if I missed an episode...but now, I don't miss it at all...I have come to be totally bored by it all and when I do look at an entertainment magazine in the shop I have no idea who's who!! haha!   

Back then, I would have thought not having the TV on would be boring! But, the peace and real relaxation we get from reading, a cheeky browse on Ebay/Pinterest, and spending time together as a family is not at all boring to me. 

Anyway....here is my foraging results....

Oh what to do with them...blackberry and apple or pear crumble? (I was eyeing up my neighbours pear tree, that was drooping with the laden fruit!) or take another walk in a few days to pick more to make Blackberry Jam (my favorite smell in the whole world is making Blackberry Jam, takes me right back to childhood)

Hubby wants them to make a fruit cider with but he has too much to be getting on with at the moment and they'll go bad before he's ready to use them!)....hmmmmmm, what to make! What do you think?