It’s the lack of eggs that give it away. The leaves turning my garden orange, yellow and brown. Being unable to do the school run without a coat. How on earth is it almost October already? My children are all windswept hair and ruddy cheeks, bottomless pits. Little fridges. I barely have time to unpack the food shopping before they’ve consumed it like little bacteria.
So, what’s new with me? The Life Craft is on hiatus for now and I have enjoyed over a month away from work. A much needed break, I’m still finding myself so bone-crushingly exhausted that I struggle to get out of bed in the morning. The new incarnation will help with this. Shorter hours, less pressure. That kind of thing. I’ve been trying to fill my life with colour and cheer instead of my usual brown and black, hoping that the colour will increase my joy.
I’ve become a Blipper. Yes, me! I know my photography leaves a lot to be desired but I’m reliably assured that the best way to get better at something is to keep doing it. I’ve been doing some voluntary art workshops with the kids’ new school, I’m hoping it’ll help me make new friends in the community I’ve dropped into. How sad am I?
I’ve made new connections with family I didn’t know I had, ditched some toxic friend & family relationships which were causing me pain, celebrated my gorgeous and funny children and thanked God every day for blessing me with Bob. Many people say to me, “I don’t know how he puts up with you” and genuinely, I don’t either. I must have hidden talents or something.
Anyway. Speaking of colour and things that bring me joy, I was emailed recently by the DotComGiftShop and asked if I’d review a lunchbox on my blog. A lunchbox?! I mean, how do you review a lunchbox? “Yes, this magnificent specimen of plasticity is unique amongst sandwich carriers” – not really likely to capture the imagination now, is it. But I had a little look at the range and actually, the design really tickled me (One, Two, Three, Four). I picked number one:-
It’s really brightening my day! With four children all at school & nursery, a significant portion of my day is spent lovingly creating scrumptious and healthy boxes of nutrition for my little darlings. I try not to give them sandwiches every day, and I’ve discovered that this box is the perfect size for two wraps, an apple, a banana, a bag of cheese cubes and a frube. It’s not a standard huge lunchbox that holds the entirety of your larder but for primary school kids it’s perfect. And for big kids like me, it holds enough pasta salad to share at the park with the one you’re blessed with. Ask me how I know 
Anyway, as usual I have a lunchbox to give away for one of you lucky lot. To enter, simply leave a comment with your favourite Autumn activity. Make sure you have an email address for me to contact – I’ll close this on the 29th September at 12noon.
I was not paid for this entry, but I was provided with a lunchbox to review and keep.
This post was written by Vonnie on September 22, 2011
Chilly walks in the park feeding squirrels and taking pictures of leaves.
Nice to have you back, you’ve been gone too long.But glad to hear you are enjoying your work break.
I shall leave a comment(even though a random number generator will never pick number 2) in the hope that a new lunch box will encourage my boy to eat his lunch !
Our favourite autumn activity is kicking through big piles of fallen leaves…am so glad I had a child so that I can legitimately do this without getting strange looks…enjoy it so much that I’m almost tempted to do it on my own…
The kids favourite activity at this time of year is collecting conkers. We have hundreds!
Feasting on figs, damsons, shiny red apples, roasted butternut squash and other autumnal delights!
Great post Vonnie. Mine is cuddling up on the sofa with Ru and reading her stories
Fave autumn (and winter) activity: Listening to music from warmer countries to maintain an illusion of connection to hotter climes.
I love getting on the puddle suits & wellies to go splashing in the puddles with the boys
The best thing about Autumn is, once the dinner dishes are out the way I can pour a wee glass of wine and settling down with my knitting. Something which is far easier with the darker evenings than in high summer. Knitting woollies doesn’t really go down well at barbeques! X
The best thing about Autumn is cuddling up with my lovely daughter and reading a book or two, on the sofa with a snuggly blanket in front of a roaring log fire – probably after a bracing walk to the local park and back.
Lighting the vanilla and cinamon scented candles and baking cookies are also favourites.
Jam making with the last of the foraged fruit from our wildlife park.
I love seeing the leaves change colour, feeling a wee nip in the air, and the creeping in of early nights…oh yeah, and I’m an autumn birthday, too!
I have to enter this – I LOVE Autumn
And it’s lovely to see you back blogging!
I adore everything about Autumn! When it was just me, my favourite parts were all the preparations for Christmas. Baking, the smell of the christmas cake mixture, home making elderberry wine, pickling onions, plum jam – I’m getting excited now
But now I have the little man, the best things are watching him enjoy learning about autumn and devouring information – blackberry picking, baking a crumble afterwards, breaking open the spiky horse chestnut fruit to find a shiny conker-treasure, playing pooh sticks in the river, kicking fallen leaves everywhere and bringing some home to make collages and prints. We’ve done all those things so far this year and he has loved every second!
Making the most of the outdoors before it gets too cold. Squeeeezing on cosy boots, Creating camp fires, sitting and staring at the flames, toasting marshmallows, kicking leaves the colour of fire in the air, roasting chestnuts and gazing at the stars when it gets dark. Oh…and mulled cider.
Gosh! I’ve just realised how much I love autumn!
Autumn…hmmm…snuggling into a warm afghan to knit to my heart’s content~