Happy Friday, Magical Ones. I hope you’ve had a good week and maybe have some weekend plans to look forward to. I haven’t had the most productive of weeks, to be honest, but I’ve spent today getting some systems in place so that next week goes a little better.
I feel a bit like September has come along and someone has hit a switch! The weather, while still occasionally sunny, has taken a colder turn and the mornings feel really dark all of a sudden. I know we are going into the darker half of the year, but I don’t remember the mornings being this dark already – or maybe I am just getting up earlier than I have before. What do you think?
On that note, we are venturing into the darker half of the year with the Autumn Equinox coming up next week. The Equinox signals the official start of Autumn and marks the point when daylight and night are roughly the same length. In Witchy circles, this celebration is also called Mabon, however, I have come to learn that Mabon is a Welsh God who has no connection to the Autumn Equinox at all. If you’d like to find out more about this, I highly recommend following Mhara Starling for anything you need to know about Welsh Witchcraft.
This year, the Autumn Equinox will be celebrated on 23rd September. As a harvest festival it’s time to celebrate what has been harvested, to show gratitude and celebrate the balance between light and dark. It doesn’t have the fanfare of Samhain or Yule, but arrives quietly and asks us to reflect on what the year has brought so far. I have no big plans for the Autumn Equinox, but I will be starting to decorate my home for Autumn and embracing the cosy evenings. I will update my altar to include acorns and leaves, using yellows, oranges and browns, and will likely do some journlling around gratitude. I’ll share more on Instagram, so make sure you’re following @onmydiningtable if you would lile some ideas.
What I am Reading
My reading has slowed a little since finishing the ‘Court of Thorns & Roses’ series. I am just not enjoying my current books in the same way. So I am still working my way through “The Book of Life” by Deborah Harkness, which is the third book in the All Soul’s Trilogy. I am listening to “The Secret History” by Donna Tart for book club, although I have a considerable number of hours left to get through before our next meeting. I am enjoying “The Celtic Wheel of the Year” on my Kindle by Rhonda Mccrimmon, as I am getting more and more interested in learning about witchcraft a little bit closer to home.
What I am Watching
I have a confession to make – I am a fan of Big Brother UK and am already enjoying the current series that started last Sunday. I haven’t really got any big feelings about any of the contestants yet, but there’s still plenty of time for that. It does look like there’s going to be some drama though. Another reality show I watched this week, was the final of The Great British Sewing Bee. I thought the sewers were fabulous this year, especially achieving what they did with the pressure and time constraints. I was so gutted for Beth when her bow tie didn’t go to plan and thought her final made to measure was just gorgeous!
What I am Crafting & Creating
There’s been very little crafting happening lately. I have started and nearly finished a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle, definitely need to get myself a little crafting lamp I think. And I have starting finding lots of knitting and crochet patterns I quite fancy having a go at, so it may be time to get my needles and yarn out – especially with all the reality TV I’ve got to watch.
What we’ve been Cooking
Matthew made a delicious Beef Pot Roast last Sunday, the epitome of cosy, Autum food, served with roast potatoes and mashed swede and, of course, Yorkshire Pudding. We cooked a Ham in the slow cooker this week too, and had a delicous (and easy) dinner of ham, egg and potato wedges. With plenty left over for ham sandwiches. Plus we have Ham Stock to make a leek and potato soup on the weekend.
As a food blogger I seem to be doing a terrible job of actually posting the food we make, which is ridiculous as we cook all the time. Which leads me on to…
What I’ve been Planning
…meal planning. We have been making an effort to plan our meals out for the last couple of week – and by ‘we’, I mean Matthew – as he is currently tracking his diet, he lays out the plan for evening meals and includes extra portions to use for lunches to take to work. We are also trying to make sure we aren’t wasting food and are using what we buy and cook. Another thing that will be coming to the website! I’d love to know – are you interested in meal plans and reducing waste or are you a decide on the night, kind of cook?
So, that’s what I’ve been up to this last week, thanks for joining me and if you’d like to add to the conversation, leave a comment below. I’d love to know what’s going on with you.
Rhi x
