September and October - including September's #photoanhour

September and October have been busy - September with holidays and October with work.  As someone who researches and teaches in a university, October is very busy with new students, returning students, lectures starting again, as well as the actual research which keeps ticking along.  I get to work around 7am (I leave early in the morning in order to avoid most of the motorway traffic) and it's now dark when I arrive and it won't be long before it's dark when I leave, too!  The winter duvets are on the bed (Ben and I have one each - it's the key to sleeping well) and my scarves and hats and cowls are getting outings once again.

So here are a few photos of things I've been up to over the past couple of months...

The end of September saw me visit Yarndale with Vikki (she has a shiny new website!).  Vikki is one of my favourite people (I've written about her before) and despite texting each other constantly, we rarely see each other as we live at opposite ends of the country.  So quite a while ago we planned to go to Yarndale together and make a weekend of it in York.  I booked an AirBnB (first time I've used the site, and we stayed in a lovely flat - based on that experience, I'd happily recommend it) and Saturday saw us head off reasonably bright (after tea/coffee and a cupcake breakfast) and early to drive to Skipton with Vikki driving, her phone trying to navigate, Vikki ignoring the phone, and me trying to take photos in a moving vehicle for #photoanhour.

It is hard to take photos of something specific from a moving vehicle!

We parked the car and decided against getting the shuttle bus when we saw the very long queue.  Using our best navigational skills (I didn't get that Gold DofE Award for nothing, you know) we made it to a supermarket for lunch supplies and then accidentally found the canal and the yarn walk.  Yarnbombing usually isn't my thing but I quite liked the various decorated lamp posts as we walked through the park to the auction mart.

We got there around 10 and it was absolutely packed - so many people! Thankfully most people were very polite and everyone shuffled about to try and let everyone see into all the corners of the stalls.  My FitBit said I didn't do many steps that day, but I reckon that was because there was only room to shuffle, not actually take a proper step!

I was quite restrained in my spending, buying only a Yarndale bag and some jade rainbow sock yarn for my mum (who had given me money to spend on something for her, as long as it wasn't orange, hairy, or furry).  Vikki, who very much knew what she was doing and had a plan all the way along, spent a bit more but sadly not on one of Sincerely Louise's unicorn kits.

After lunch outside, and a bit more wandering around, we were feeling fatigued so stopped at the little cafe for tea/coffee and a spot of knitting.

When we'd done a final lap of the building, and Vikki had decided she really wasn't going to buy a unicorn, we got the shuttle bus into Skipton where we had yet more tea/coffee and cake, and did a spot more knitting.  The gentleman serving us asked if we'd been to Yarndale.  What gave us away?!

One of the great things about staying in a proper flat was that we had a whole kitchen to cook in, so we didn't need to go out to eat.  We stopped at a supermarket on the way back to York and then spent the evening knitting and eating.  Which is an excellent thing to do with excellent company, especially when you don't know when you're next going to have that excellent company again.  

In crochet news, I've made a few more animals from Edward's Menagerie recently.  The peacock was very time consuming but is gorgeous, and my favourite so far.  He is for my line manager, and there's another flamingo for her toddler daughter, who calls it a 'flalingo'.  

I don't need new mugs, but I bought one anyway from Veronica Dearly.

Chichester Festival Theatre had productions of Love's Labour's Lost and Much Ado About Nothing.  I saw Much Ado About Nothing first, and liked it but didn't love it.  I followed the plot but a lot of the dialogue confused me.  Love's Labour's Love was brilliant, though - I followed the plot, I followed most of the dialogue, I laughed out loud in places and nearly cried at the end. Each ticket only cost £10, so that's quite a bargain for two nights' entertainment!

Last year I made some raspberry vodka and blackberry gin.  I liked the vodka much more than the gin, so this year I've just made double the quantities of vodka instead.  It's currently doing its thing in the kitchen and turning a gorgeous dark pink. Very much looking forward to drinking it!

This month has been pregnancy and infant loss awareness month and I donated my #firstfiver (well, my fifth, I spent the other four on tea and cake before I knew about this campaign) to Sands. If you could donate something too, it would be very much appreciated.

Think that's pretty much up to date!  I have a few things waiting to be photographed (a koala and a unicorn) and a few busy weeks and weekends ahead...mainly full of Guiding!  And hopefully a few evenings where it's cold outside, but I'm warm and comfy under a blanket on the sofa with a cup of tea and a good book.  I like autumn, really.