Autumn and Halloween crafts and plans

I love Autumn, it's my favourite time of the year. Apple Crumble.The colour of the leaves on the trees and the sound of the leaves underfoot. The golden hue of the sky in the evenings and the mornings and the glimpses of blue skies. The crisp misty mornings and the randomness of the weather on walks.

It's my favourite time for clothing also, jumper, jeans and boots and fingerless gloves. No need to drag out the heavy winter coats just yet, stick an umbrella in my bag for the odd bit of rain, the blankets come out for the evenings, the curtains get drawn and life just gets cosy.

I don't enjoy what follows though, the clocks going back, the darkness and the wet and the cold, but I do look forward to Christmas.

I love seasons, planning the gardening, rotating the contents of my wardrobe. It's something I missed when we lived abroad, just endless summers in Dubai, which whilst they sound appealing, it gets boring and half the year just too hot to enjoy. South Africa'w weather was perfect, with only two seasons, Summer and Winter and the opposite of the UK, and the days being almost of equal day to night. 

I've always enjoyed Halloween and decorating the house and taking the kids trick or treating, it wasn't something that was done in South Africa, but in Dubai, like every other festival, it was celebrated in style. 

Since we've been back in the UK we've been to Northern Ireland for Halloween with our grandson and taken Bob to the pumpkin patch with our granddaughter.

I've still got my decorations I made from a sponsored post during covid and quite a few that are over 20 years old. I've made a few new ones this year and now the grandchildren are older we've booked a trip to Streamvale Open Farm in Northern Ireland and a visit to West Midlands Safari Park.

This years halloween decorations:

Pool noodle, cut into four lengths, wire added with cable ties to form the legs, wrapped in black plastic and tied together in the middle.

Old cushion covered in black plastic and attached to legs.

Add googly eyes and tan dah!

I've added the hedgehog and squirrel and the mushrooms to the wreath this year. I need to find a better way to attach it to the front door. It's currently attached with a ribbon threaded over the top and through the letter box.

I've decorated the dining room ready for our granddaughters visit on the weekend and I've a few more decorations to out on Friday morning and in the hallway for when I open the door for trick or treat.

I saw these decorations at a National Trust property and decided to have a go at making them myself. they were easy to make but time consuming, around an hour for each one.

I've also got some fabric and china pumpkins in the lounge that will stay out, along with the door wreath until the Christmas decorations go up, then will come back out until the beginning of March when they will be replaced with the decorations for Spring time.

We're currently in Northern Ireland for half term visiting son 4, his wife and our two grandsons. We're camping on Lough Neagh. We're off to the Pumpkin Patch at Streamvale Farm. We've got dressing up costumes to wear. We're baking halloween cakes. It's also our grandsons 4th birthday next week, so we're celebrating that while we're here also.

I often feel winter kicks in and starts once the clocks go back and bonfire night is over even though it doesn't begin until the 21st December, it's made harder by the fact Christmas has been in the shops since September just as we got into Autumn.

Week 43 - One Daily Positive and Project 365

I've got a lot done this week and it's surprised me how efficient I am when I leave things till the last minute. Usually it stresses me out, but I've come to realise that these deadlines are self imposed and does it really matter if a card or gift is late as long as it gets sent. I've stopped sending gifts and cards to people who never even let me know things had arrived, let alone said thank you or sent anything to me and mine, a long time ago. Those who do appreciate the effort and cost I make don't mind if things are late as they know there will be a reason. I've also stopped doing a lot of things for others, little ever came back. Talking the pressure off myself is making my life a lot more enjoyable.

Sunday Day 291 On the road by 8.30am to the Forest of Dean to go to church with DIL, the outlaws and grandson as granddaughter wanted me to meet her friends. She took me to Sunday school where she had me taking part in a variety of activities. Peter went to the house with our son. We then all went out for a Sunday lunch in the local pub. Home by 5.30pm. I was exhausted and went to bed for an hour after a bath whilst Peter watched football. Rest of the evening spent cutting out some patterns for a sewing project and writing letters. Plus filling out custom forms which involves weighing and recording individual items. Christmas off to son in Australia and cousins in USA.

Monday Day 292 The day started with a 2 mile run/walk. I’m now running for as long as I’m walking. I went into town to post my parcels and spent the afternoon reading. In the evening we watched The Hack and some football and I started work on some hedgehogs and a pumpkin from some old books.

Tuesday Day 293 A lazy start to the day then picked my friend up and went into Worcester to see Roofman and found a gluten free cafe for lunch. Home late afternoon to finish my books, stew apples, tidy the Tupperware, make some Christmas chocolates and got started on some bunting on my sewing machine.

Wednesday Day 294 Out for an early morning run. Home and loaded up the van for a skip run which Peter did while I headed off to the nail bar. Late afternoon and early evening spent making Halloween decorations and putting them up outside and decorating the dining room.

Thursday Day 295  Woke with a headache. Got Peter to drop me in town before he went to see his mum. I had coffee, went to the post office then home. Got everything out the loft for camping trip. Wrapped some birthday and Christmas gifts, tidied desk, baked cakes for freezer for Halloween then off to Bromyard for return to work discussions. Dropped birthday gift off with friend then home to chill out, bath, wash and dry hair and pack clothes. In bed by 9pm. Still got headache.

Friday Day 296 Out for a run, got a nail fixed then home to pack the van while Peter booked his flight to Turkey. I ran the hoover round and sorted the cat out. Drive to Birkenhead took forever with traffic. A stop at Cheshire Oaks for a wander. Peter had dinner but I waited till we got on the ferry at 10pm.

Saturday Day 297 2nd car off the ferry at 6.30am in Belfast. Sat outside son’s house till 8am waiting for them to wake up. Collected grandson to help us set up camp, played in the park and had lunch in the cafe. Back to his for cuddles with his baby brother and I had a shower, then off to the outlaws for dinner. Back to camp at 8pm. We set the van up and Peter had a shower while I flaffed around sorting out bedding. Heating on and books read.

Things to make you smile:

Playing (Bluey) Grannies with grandson

Things that made me happy:

Video calls between the grandchildren showing one another their halloween gifts from us. Cuddles with our grandsons. Being able to move onto week 5 of couch to 5k and making my 3rd 5 minute run without having to stop or getting out of breath.

On the blog this week:

Post Comment Love - Link up with any post written this week.

Word of the week - Making

The good bits of September

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Post Comment Love - 24th - 26th October 2025

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Bosworth.Life and I.

Post Comment Love #PoCoLo is a friendly weekly linky where you can link up any blog post you've written this week. If you're new or a regular visitor we're sure you'll find something of interest.

We'd also appreciate your help spreading the #PoCoLo word on Twitter, tag us and we'll RT. You can find us on twitter here: Stephanie - @BosworthLife and Suzanne - @ChickenRuby 

I'll be catching up with reading your posts, sharing and commenting over the next few days. 

I'm back to work after the half term. It's done us the world of good to have this extended time together to get our thoughts in order about our future without Stephanie as we marked the first year of her death. We returned to the UK and to this part of the world to be near her. Not only did Stephanie die, but so did a huge part of our lives. Due to her disabilities, we always had the worry of who was going to care and fight for her, after we were gone, in the natural order of things. We no longer have that worry and in equal measures, as much as it's a relief, it also causes great sadness that that battle came to an abrupt end also and that has taken just as much adjusting to as her death has. We just didn't realise it.

I've made the most of the time off, with visiting family and friends, chilling out and getting jobs done around the house. I've started running and have just completed week 4 of couch to 5k and have several craft projects underway to work on throughout the winter months.

This week I've been getting my halloween on.

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Word of the week - Making

This week has been about making a lot of things.

Changes: To my mind, attitude and body. All of which is reflected below.

Decisions: To let things go. I can't undo the past, I can't control or even influence how others react or respond towards me, but what I can control is how I react and respond to others. It doesn't mean I no longer hurt, but it does mean I'm no longer allowing things or people out of my control to take up so much physical and mental space in my life. I have a lot of positive things and people in my life that deserve my time, that I deserve to have in my life and from now on, they are my focus and my only only focus and I'm letting go of the negativity that drags me down, holds me back and causes me so much upset.

Things: Halloween crafts and decorations and finally getting round to making name bunting for the latest two grandchildren and bunting triangles for my great nephew and great niece who are now both 2. I made bunting for my 3 great nephews and 1 great niece when they were born

Commitments: I am now in a routine of regular exercise and on week for of couch to 5k, with other exercise on the days in-between. I have my first park run lined up for November 8th and a few other runs penciled in that I'm aiming to complete. having a deadline makes me commit.

Revisions: Do I want to return to work? I'm due to start back after the half term. I have a meeting tomorrow to look at my new timetable, new role. I've decided I'm going to be making a go of it, giving it time and a chance. I'm not a quitter. I don't walk away from things, but if it's not right for me, I'll be making more changes in the near future.

The good bits of September 2025

September was a busy month. We started it in Australia with plenty of walking and a trip to Tasmania before we travelled to Dubai and back to the UK. I started a new job. I raised £850 for Bowel Research UK on a charity walk. There was plenty to do in the garden and some lovely fruit and veg to come back to.

Cat 

Two trips to watch Birmingham City play, Peter came to one.

I bought myself a cheer up jumper.

Misty autumnal mornings.

Not sure how many books I've read this month.

Lots of local walks in Malvern.

A visit to the Three Counties Autumn Show.

Week 42 2025. One Daily Positive and Project 365

Starting this week with answering a couple of questions and a thank you.

I slept peacefully through storm Amy. I sleep really well outside and through any continuous noises, plus I had my headphones in with white noise all night. Peter however was disturbed with pine cones dropping on the van throughout the night. 

The grandchildren often ask direct questions when we see them. Our grandson will occasionally say 'Bob is dead, you can share Bailey and Molly' (his dogs) or just ask if we're sad because Bob died. Our granddaughter was the only one who met Aunty Stephanie and she was hesitant around her, not completely comfortable or understanding why she was like she was. We tried to explain, but it was hard. I know with time their relationship would've changed. No little girl wants their hair pulled or to be grabbed out the blue. But often she will ask me 'Granny are you sad Aunty Stephanie died?'

The support I've had from the blogging and online community over the past year has been amazing. Personal messages, blog comments, responses, likes or just familiarity of day to day life and general chit chat.

Sunday

Day 284 I've had the best day. 8 hours sleep, caught up with blogging comments and did my couch to 5k, much easier the 2nd time. Quick change and picked my friend up and we went for coffee(s) home via a food shop and the rest of the day spent sorting the side of the shed and getting things together for the tip. I overloaded the wheelbarrow and it fell over hitting the back of my right ankle, how I never screamed out I don't know, an ice pack and a bandage and back out into the garden to finish off. I decided to cook roast lamb, it wasn't ready till 8.30pm, by that time we'd had a bath and were ready for bed. We watched Monster on Netflix. I'd spent the early evening binge watching Wednesday. Peter spent the day alternating between painting the downstairs loo and doing the ironing.

Monday

Day 285 Up the Malvern Hills and walked 6 miles with an incline of over 1000ft in the first 45 mins. We stopped in town for a coffee and home for lunch, watch some TV and in the afternoon Peter finished the painting in the downstairs loo while I wrote some letters, put the ironing away and had a general tidy room. Evening to be spent reading and blogging and ticking off a few things on my to list. Not the best day for the view.

Tuesday

Day 286 Up and off running on the couch to 5k. We went to Worcester to do a food shop and had the obligatory coffee out and took our books with us to read. I reassembled the downstairs loo, we swopped a bookshelf from the hall to put shoes on and Peter assembled a new radiator shelf for the hall. Coats can't go back in yet as Peter decided another coat of paint was needed. I went back out to collect a prescription and had another coffee. Evening spent making Christmas cards in the loft.

Wednesday

Day 287 Into town to the post office then off for a swim, I'm finding it's my shoulders that are hurting the most when I run, the swim did me good. My friend cut my hair in the salon where she works and we fixed a date for a day out next week. In the late afternoon I followed another friend up to Cradely Heath to bring her home after she dropped her new car off for repairs. They didn't have a courtesy car, despite only buying hers two weeks ago. We'll be back on Friday to collect. I managed to knock the radiator valve and flood the kitchen, thankfully Peter was able to fix it without too much trouble other than moping up. In the evening the neighbour messaged asking if she could borrow a spanner/wrench. I took one of each round, she was changing a tap. Within 10 mins she messaged again with 'Please send Peter round' It took us an hour.

Volume up.

Thursday

Day 288 Week 2 of couch to 5k, from now on I'll just call it 'gone for a run' I decided I wanted to do something, go somewhere, be out the house, so when my friend messaged to say a job had been cancelled and she was free all day, I hoped in the car and headed to the Forest of Dean to see my oldest friend and and her daughter. It was a year today we said our final goodbye to Stephanie with her funeral and I needed to be around people who knew Stephanie, who held our hand in the hospital the night Stephanie died and the day we said our final goodbyes. We had a happy day. It started with our usual gossip, catch ups with the kids and grandkids with a video call from our grandson confused by the fact his daddy was once a baby and these people used to babysit him. Some DIY, bed building, homework, dinner, invite for Christmas, holiday plans for 2027 to South Africa reconfirmed and I got home at 10pm. 

Friday 

Day 289 Exploring the Herefordshire countryside after a lie in and a lazy morning. A spot of lunch at Croft Castle before a walk round the house and grounds. Home to dinner, put the heating on, switch off and watch tv.

Saturday

Day 290 The day started with a run to the retail park where Peter met me for a coffee and a lift home via the supermarket. I had a shower and caught the train to Birmingham to do a bit of birthday shopping then caught the bus to St Andrews to watch the game. We lost 2-3 with an own goal and down to 10 men. Train to Worcester for dinner and drinks with friends and home gone midnight.

Something to make you smile:

I'm conscious of my behaviour as a spectator at the football and have to remain tightlipped even when I agree with the rest of the crowd about the referee and will often stay seated so the TV cameras don't pick me up. This was our first league defeat since April 2024.

Things that made me happy:

Visits from our hedgehog, visiting old friends, going out with friends, exploring old and new places.

On the blog this week:

Post Comment Love - Link up with any post written this week

Word of the week - Words

My Garden in September 

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Post Comment Love 17th-19th October 2025

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Bosworth.Life and I.

Post Comment Love #PoCoLo is a friendly weekly linky where you can link up any blog post you've written this week. If you're new or a regular visitor we're sure you'll find something of interest.

We'd also appreciate your help spreading the #PoCoLo word on Twitter, tag us and we'll RT. You can find us on twitter here: Stephanie - @BosworthLife and Suzanne - @ChickenRuby 

I think we picked the wrong day to walk up the Malvern Hills, don't you? We were 1000ft above sea level at this point.

I've had a good week, spent doing things with friends, getting a lot done around the house and in the garden and tomorrow I'm off to Birmingham to the football and the dinner with friends back in Worcester on my way home.

I'll be catching up with reading your posts, sharing and commenting over the next few days. 

Want to find out more about Post Comment Love #PoCoLo? 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Word of the week - Words

It was a year ago today we held Stephanie's funeral. I've never felt such anguish in my entire life. In the days leading up to this I wasn't functioning. I wasn't eating, washing or sleeping and was struggling to even think. There was so much to do including sorting out her finances and dealing with extra pressures that I cannot yet blog about, but it's almost farcical and it'll sound like a badly written dark comedy.

Anyway back to my Word of the week - Words.

Are there words of comfort?

Are there the right words?

Are there the wrong words?

All I can say from experience of grief and loss over the past year are that the only wrong words are the unspoken ones. Not the moments of silence when I speak about Stephanie. Those moments of silence when someone is there with me, or on the end of the phone are appreciated. The moments when the other person doesn't feel the need to fill the gaps.

There have been many words spoken. There have been many blank looks and looks of sheer panic as people just don't know what to say and have randomly talked about losing a beloved pet. Most of all people will want to share with you their experience of losing a parent and the process they went through with their grieving. I don't have a problem with that. Both Peter and I lost our fathers, without notice, without warning, just the same as how Stephanie died. Peter's father was 59, like Stephanie at 36, too young to have died, my father was 77. We know how it feels to have lost a parent, losing a child is very different, it's not the natural order of things, but grief is personal and it's not a competition.

We hear a lot 'time heals' 'they say it takes a year and a day' 'it's early days yet' and I guess these are just gap fillers. Words said to just say something that sounds meaningful. 

But I guess that's better than those who look like a rabbit caught in the headlights, that you see scurry off in the opposite direction, or those who no longer visit or keep in touch. You question it and people say 'oh I guess they're finding it hard to know what to say' and you reply with 'they're finding it hard?'

Try picking up the phone and telling your children their sister died. 

But those missing words, from the missing people, who fail to ask how we are, who fail to keep in touch or check in. Those people who we told at the beginning that Stephanie had died, those people who were part of Stephanie's life who after that initial conversation a year ago haven't mentioned her name since or who have within minutes of us raising her name, gone silent or just changed the subject. Those missing words have hurt, have stung and can't be understood.

I sound angry, irrational, oh woe is me and maybe I am. But it's played a huge part in the grieving process over the past year. Those who have been there who have helped us through in whatever form and those who should've but haven't been there, who maybe didn't think it was their place, or maybe thought we had enough support, or maybe just didn't care enough about Stephanie or us. Who knows? I'm hurt, but I'm done with caring now.

Unfortunately, 'sticks and stones .... but lack of words has hurt me'

What I'm reading 2025

I started challenging myself to reading a book a week in 2023 and continued into 2024.

Our daughter died suddenly in October 2024 and my love for reading among so many other things just stopped.

And like so many other things, it's taken a long time to get going ago, to do the things I loved to do when I had 5 minutes to them.

I wasted so much time after Stephanie's death, so much time with 'We could be with Stephanie now, but we can't' and I spent hours in the first few months, doing nothing, staring into space, lying in bed, doing absolutely nothing.

I returned to work, part time initially, then slowly a routine, with elements of our old life starting filling our time again, days out, going places where we took Stephanie became visiting places that we couldn't take Stephanie due to her disability. We didn't find things to do to replace her, we found that we just started living again without her.

I was tutoring English in a secondary school from year 7 up to GCSE, I supported a student with English Literature at A Level from 2022-2023.

I read a few books from October 2024 till March 2025, but in April I started again with a book a week and here we are, the middle of July on book no 30 and raring to go for the rest of the year.

Updated again in October and I had just started reading book no 41 in week 41 of the year, so finally back on track. 

January

February

There has been lots of reading with the grandchildren.

And new books bought

I've taken to buying my books from National Trust properties and after I've circulated them around family and friends they'll be donated back there.

One of the things I enjoy doing is looking for unusual titles in the National Trust properties.

Books read for work - re reads:

Treasure Island - Tutor Read in School
Macbeth
The Tempest
Romeo and Juliet
Lord of the Flies
A Christmas Carol

New Reads:
Julius Caesar - William Shakespeare 

March

April

May

June 

I tweeted the author after finishing this book in the DI Claire Mackay series, I was pleased when she responded.

I started this book the beginning of June. I however left the book on a plane and had to order a replacement which I finished later in the month.

July 

Richard Osman - We Solve Murders.

My current read, turns out, I'd only read half of it last year.

August and September

We travelled to Australia for 3 weeks then spent 4 nights in Dubai. I had space in my case for 7 books and Peter took 3. I met a woman in a local cafe who I gave my books to when I'd finished reading them, she gave me one of hers, I did a book swop in a hotel in Tasmania and I read 1 of Peter's also. Unfortunately I didn't take a photo of all the books I read, so I can only claim these as holiday reads.

I loved these little libraries in Tasmania at the end of people's driveways.

My book swop

Left behind in Tasmania.

My favourite place in the world to drink coffee and read.

I started this on the plane on the way home.

October

If I've really enjoyed a book, which is most of them, I hand them over to my friend. Other books that I know she won't enjoy or I've found hard going I've been dropping into National Trust properties where I've been picking books up from when we've visited. I also pick books up from charity shops and swop books regularly with my mum and have a system in place to ensure we don't keep swopping the same books back and forth.

What are you currently reading?