October Life

I really do feel like October has come and gone so fast! It only feels like a few days ago that I was writing down my hopes and plans for this month and now I am already thinking about November.

Unfortunately I haven't felt too well for what feels like most of this month so some of my plans had to get cancelled which I always hate especially when you have been looking forward to things for so long. So for me this month has meant a lot of R&R and enjoying some of the simple things in life. 

There's been a lot of lovely walks in the countryside with our dogs which has been so nice as I feel like i've really been able to appreciate the beauty of Autumn and the change of the seasons. It's also not been too cold with the sun shining for the most part so walking has remained enjoyable! I think no matter how bad you're feeling a walk always does help to perk you up and clear your mind. 

Autumn really is the dream season if you love your photography like I do so i've really enjoyed snapping away this month and capturing the beautiful colours of October. I've made an effort to make sure that I remember to take my phone with me on my dog walks and I just love the photos i've taken this month. I don't think my Instagram has ever looked so autumnal! 

The middle of the month saw me host my first ever Vegan Essex Social event which you can read all about here. I was gutted to not be feeling my best for this event and after it had been planned for so many months the timing of it really was just typical! However, that being said it went amazingly well and everyone who came along had a great time. It was so lovely to spend some time socialising with other likeminded people in my area and it has really spurred me on to host more events in the future. 

I also tried my hand at some more vegan baking with these Halloween themed chocolate brownies!. They didn't exactly come out how i'd hoped for and were slightly on the crumbly side but despite their appearance they tasted pretty good and went down well with the family. 

Every year my husband and I make an effort to do some pumpkin carvings and for me it just isn't Halloween without a few pumpkins around the house! I think it's fair to say that we do get a little competitive with our creations but we always have a laugh and I really do love any opportunity to be creative. We popped to our local farm shop to pick up our pumpkins and enjoyed a lovely tea shop lunch whilst we were there. Then it was back home to get on with our carving!

I was really pleased with how my ghost pumpkin turned out (on the far right!) but it was pretty tricky attempting such a design with just a kitchen knife. I definitely need to invest in some proper carving tools next year! 

Despite feeling unwell my creative energy has really been flowing this month. I've enjoyed getting stuck into writing and focusing more on the direction of my blog. The positive feedback i've been receiving really spurs me on and seeing my following growing by the week is so motivating. I've also spent some time on my new crochet project - a huge granny square throw for my living room. I've got 100 granny squares to make which, for a beginner like me, may end up taking a while! But i'm getting there, slowly but surely. With the colder days and darker evenings drawing in now we've also been attempting some new hearty vegan dishes at home like this vegetable pie and mash which was delicious! Did you know that 'Jus Rol' is vegan friendly and makes pie making super easy!?

How's your October been?