Autumn on the Mendip Hills and the October Magazine

Published: Sun, 09/01/24

Updated: Sun, 09/01/24

Hi ,

I'm typing this in the middle of an enormous (for England that is) thunderstorm. The lightning is flashing, thunder rolling and the rain is coming down in bucketfuls. This is of course the day that the Engineer has decided to remove our bedroom window to rub down the old flaking paint ready for a new coat of paint for the winter. He has now gone out for the afternoon and the bedroom window is sitting on the patio ready for his attention when he returns. Meanwhile the bedroom floor is getting a good soaking from the quite torrential rain!

All this rain means that we probably won't be sitting outside this evening which is a great pity as now is the time the owls begin to call...

We have a healthy population of tawny owls up here on the Mendip Hills and now is the time of year we become most aware of them. They love to sit on the top of the railway signal posts, the signal box chimney and some old tree stumps and call for their mates.... "too-wit, too-wit". And I don't know if there's something about the tone of their calls, but Ted loves to respond with his own "woo-woo-woo!" The owl-dog duets can go on for quite some time and form a most entertaining soundtrack to our stargazing evenings!

There are owls in the new edition of the Bustle & Sew Magazine too - not tawny, but a pair of rather cute little barn owls snuggling up to one another on the branch of an old apple tree. There is rather an autumnal feel to this month's edition as we say farewell to summer and look forward to the new season. Although September is one of my favourite months of the year, nonetheless it always holds for me a feeling of slight melancholy. The summer, long and eagerly anticipated, seems to have passed in the blink of an eye, and now the leaves are beginning to turn and the days are shortening rapidly as we hurtle towards autumn, the cooler months - and of course Christmas! And at that thought I very quickly cheer up again!!

I love the richness of the colours around me in September’s countryside, ochres and russets, crimsons, golds and purples begin to appear, whilst the swallows are flocking overhead and I begin to hear the wild geese calling from the lake on the other side of our village. This sense of richness and bounty is, I hope, reflected in the pages of the September issue, where you’ll discover flowers and pheasants, candles, crochet and plenty more besides.

There is still chance to make certain of your pear pin cushion kit as I've relisted it for pre-orders. The kit contains good quality cotton fabric pre-printed with the design, green linen fabric for the leaf and all the DMC floss you will need. In addition to the contents of the kit you will require some stuffing, a twig for the stalk, a sewing machine and basic embroidery equipment.

Pre-orders will be sent out by early October or maybe even before with a little assistance from my teenage step-granddaughter. (I am off to enjoy a little holiday sunshine for a couple of weeks in September, hence the longer than usual lead time) Kits will still arrive in plenty of time for Christmas gifting or making.

Until next time, very best wishes from us all here at Bustle & Sew HQ,

Helen x

Have you thought about trying the Bustle & Sew Magazine? There's no advertising whatsover, just lots of lovely pages of content celebrating life here in the English countryside - with sewing very much at its heart of course. If you’re looking for quirky, unusual and fun sewing projects and enjoy filling your home with beautiful ideas, then you’re sure to love the Bustle & Sew Magazine.

I also include lots of other articles and features – seasonal recipes, nature notes, craft ideas, poetry corner and much more besides that combine to make this a totally unique publication!

And here's our guarantee.... if after you've tried our magazine you decide it isn't for you, then all you need to do is drop me a quick email to unsubscribe, there's no tie-in and no penalty at all. If you'd like to continue then you don't need to do anything, your subscription will continue until YOU decide to stop - it's completely up to you.

Just CLICK HERE to visit our subscriptions page to learn more and to try our magazine.

Alternatively, if you prefer to shop on Etsy, you can purchase a 12 months subscription from my Etsy shop..

asdf

Station House
West Cranmore
Shepton Mallet Somerset BA4 4QP
UNITED KINGDOM

Unsubscribe | Change Subscriber Options