Sweater Weather

Another one of my sketches that I photoshopped, eek! 

It's October, that means it is Autumn and I LOVE Autumn! It is my absolute favourite season for sure. You still get beautiful sunny days with the Summer sweat-factor but you can also lie in bed listening to the rain pattering on the window on a Sunday morning. I wrote a blog about my favourite Autumn things last year but I've made some adjustments!

Crunchy leaves have got to be the number one reason why Autumn is awesome. They are loads of fun and they make everywhere look so pretty and colourful. I'm always one for outdoorsy fun but I can also whinge if it's too hot or cold so Autumn is absolutely perfect - the sun on my face but with a refreshing chill in the air. I'm looking forward to Autumn strolls on the beach and watching the seasons change at Eden while I' m working!

I'm a sucker for a good cup of tea all year round but the Autumn chill marks the beginning of all the delicious seasonal drinks. Salted caramel hot chocolate and Pumpkin spice lattes at the ready before we quickly move onto the Gingerbread varieties. After being outside there is nothing better than hot drink to warm me up, especially if there is cake involved....

... or warm puddings! Or any Autumnal foods to be quite honest. It's that time for year when Ryan goes foraging and there are a crazy amount of apples that need baking into something delicious. One of my favourite desserts is apple pie so I'm not complaining! There is an apple pie recipe here if you fancy giving it a whirl. Last year Ryan made a pumpkin pie and a LOT of jam. It's been a very foody week that has involved picking parsnips, admiring pumpkins and eating Squash soup. Yesterday we went in search of sloes and even more apples along Pocklington canal.

 

As well as warming food and drinks it's also time to swap the flip-flops and shorts for cosy boots and woolly jumpers... maybe. It's been a very warm September and October so far, it was 20 degrees yesterday afternoon! However, I am still full of anticipation to snuggle up in my favourite jumpers and fetch the fluffy socks out of their hiding place. Yesterday I bought myself a beautiful new Autumn scarf from The Vintage Corner in Pocklington. It has a great pumpkin print and it's light enough for the warmer days so I will definitely be wearing it ALL the time. I've also got my eye on this Penguin Jumper from Topshop - who doesn't enjoy animal inspired knitwear!?

Bonfire night and Halloween are two of my favourite celebrations and they both happen to be in Autumn. I love getting dressed up in spooky outfits and playing with fake blood and scary make-up. Eden have an awesome Halloween Line-up so I'm probably going to be a massive geek as usual and spend lots of time a work. If I'm not too tired afterwards then I'll definitely be looking for somewhere to go on Bonfire night, fireworks and mulled drinks are a must!

Image from Pinterest

After packing all the blankets away on the top of the wardrobe for the Summer months it's nearly time to bring them out again! I love blankets and I have quite a few, including a hand-made patchwork quilt that I got from Sam for my 21st birthday. Little did I know that Ryan also loves blankets and has a collection of his own. We now have a selection to choose from on those chilly evenings to snuggle up in. Ryan's favourite is his green National Trust throw (you can still buy it here.)

Image from Pinterest

Festival of Thrift

Guys this is probably my last ever weekend in York! It's all steam ahead for the move to Cornwall and we are just awaiting a move-in date. More details about our unconventional choice of abode in a later blog as I'm still in York at the moment.

Today I went to Darlington with Ryan to visit their Festival of Thrift and take part in some workshops. I heard about the festival last year in Simple Things Magazine and went with Sam for her birthday weekend (I wrote about it all here). Ryan was busy and couldn't make it last year so he was excited to get stuck in today. We signed up for workshops in tapestry and cheese making just to have a go at something new, plus they were reasonably priced!

After a frustrating start (for Ryan) we managed to make a mini-tapestry in the hour that we had and learned a few bits of terminology and skills. We're not sure what to do with them now as they aren't exactly a work of art or an effective wall covering! Cheese making was less hands-on and I drifted off into a daydream a couple of times, however I was surprised how easy it is to make your own ricotta cheese.

 

 The festival was full of quirky individuals selling all sorts of stuff! There were some familiar faces from last year but still loads of new things to see and do. Ryan enjoyed stalking the goats in the petting farm... he has a goat obsession lately. I liked all the hand-made homey things like cute bunting and cross-stitched animal cushions. As usual the food looked and smelled delicious - we tucked into a hand-made, freshly cooked pizza for our lunch. If you live in the North I definitely recommend that you go next year!

In with the new

After what seems like months of sorting my life out and getting my butt into gear, I feel like things are finally happening! We're off to Cornwall again tomorrow to finalise all sorts of things, ready for our big move, which is really exciting. The winds of change are a-blowing. 

Image from Pinterest

New house
As we don't actually have anywhere to live yet, other than a tent, this is definitely a big focus. There are plenty of places to choose from in the area we are looking at and the rent is reasonable. On Tuesday we have a gazillion property viewings so fingers crossed there is one that we both like.

This will be home number seven for me! Since I left home I just can't seem to stay put. Ryan's address list is longer still, I'm sure he is in double figures. Finding a place to live can be so fun because I'm a massive geek and love choosing somewhere cute and then arranging furniture and organising for hours and hours. At the same time it is so inconvenient because of packing.

Urgh. Packing. Boxes. Packing. Blah. I dropped a wardrobe door on my foot today. Ouch. Packing

As I'm on the topic of houses, I had a quick look through my old blog posts and found a couple where I wrote about moving home; just incase you wanted to read about my house in Third year of Uni or my Harrogate Home. Feeling rather nostalgic, I also made a little room timeline for you all. I know, I know, I'm a home-stuff geek.

 Wolverhampton - First Year of Uni

Second Year of Uni - Third Year of Uni

Harrogate - York

 

New job
While we are in Cornwall I am also going for my first day at the Eden Project, which is WHERE I WORK!! Still so so so excited about it by the way. I've been invited to watch a school workshop before signing off all of the important paperwork and stuff. It will be great to see what I will actually have to be doing in a few weeks time! Teaching is something I do love to do so I'm eager to get stuck in and teach some fun workshops about the environment. I'm also dreaming about the fact there will be no marking at the end of the day - gone are the days of my ninety book 4 o'clock appointments... for now!

image source

New skills
There's no point hiding that fact I've had a lot of free time lately as September has been jobless. It kind of feels like those early Uni days where it hasn't quite hit you how many assignments you should be studying for and it's perfectly fine to still be asleep at midday. When I was teaching I had to fight for free time so it's nice to be able to things I want to.

I do like to try and learn new things and I want to dedicate more time to doing things I like. At school I really loved art lessons but when it came to GCSE choosing time I had to drop it in favour of other things. Now and again I like to engage my creative side and sometimes I can impress myself! My blog has been looking a little tired lately and I wanted to give it a new look, especially with the whole 'new' vibe I've got going on. I did a little research into blog headers, html and photoshop and managed to design myself a new blog header! I'd love to hear your thoughts about it and any tips for future designs.

Next weekend I'm back in York again for what should be the LAST time before moving South. I'm visiting the Thrift Fest in Darlington with Ryan where we've signed up for some of the workshops. Ryan decided on a cheese and yoghurt making session for us to do and I opted for the more girly tapestry making one. Maybe we will learn something useful or maybe we will just have fun trying! I went to Thrift Fest last year with Sam and had an awesome time. I blogged about it here if you'd like to find out more.

Choosing happy

Back in July I made the difficult decision not to apply for teaching jobs for this September. After three years studying for my Primary Education degree and completing my NQT year I wasn't sure I'd chosen the right path for me. Strangely it didn't feel like a waste of time as I learned a LOT in the past four years but I had no idea what I wanted to do next. All I knew is that I wanted to do what makes me happy :) I decided to stop applying for jobs I wasn't interested in and instead search for something I'd love...

Images found on Pinterest.

Me and Ryan had intended to move to France together so I'd spent the Summer looking at potential properties and studying for a TEFL qualification so I could teach over there. However, September rolls around, I don't want to move to France, I am still living in a friend's spare room and I am jobless. Honestly I did feel like a bit of a failure, especially when friends were going back to their schools and getting excited about their new classes, but I was determined not to give up!

Despite having no job and no concrete plans, we spent the first week of September in Cornwall because we were still on the hunt for somewhere new to live. Our trip also had a secret agenda which was really hard to keep quiet! I'd been invited to an interview at the Eden Project for an Education Assistant job which was SO COOL AND EXCITING! It felt like fate that I'd found an education job in Cornwall, let alone somewhere as awesome as Eden. People who know me well will know how perfect this opportunity was for me.

After months of feeling like my teaching skills aren't good enough, worrying that I'd chosen the wrong path and crying on Ryan's shoulder far too many times, my week in Cornwall really renewed my confidence. I got the news that I passed my TEFL course with an amazing score whilst wandering around Newquay and the team at Eden were incredibly complimentary of my experiences and skills during my interview. My voluntary work at Oxfam and York Castle Museum didn't go amiss!

 

Images found on Pinterest.

Fast forward to me sat in my room in York, eagerly watching my phone for hours on end; I finally get the call to say I didn't get the Education Assistant job. Instead they want to offer me a flexible Education Officer role because they really liked me and want my teaching skills on their team. You can find out more about the awesome role here - Education Officer Career Profile. I'm so excited to teach about stuff I am actually passionate about in the beautiful biomes amongst the plants. I'm also hoping that David Attenborough or Bear Grylls pop along again sometime soon ;)

The Core (Where I will work!) Image Source

So now I have an amazing job, my confidence is sky high and I'm moving to Cornwall with Ryan.

Choosing happy = A success!! 

Summer Reading Reviews

Away with the Fairies is back blog readers! Thank you to everyone who followed my summer adventures by reading my joint blog Suitcase Dates. We had a lot of fun writing it, even if it was difficult to blog on our phones with limited internet service! There were 850 views in the short amount of time the blog has been around which is amazing so thank you all again :)

During the summer I like to get a lot of reading done. I'm one of those girls who would take less bikinis in order to cram another chunky novel into my suitcase. Luckily the days of squashing my paperbacks between my goggles and sandals are over since I got a kindle a couple of years ago. It has definitely been one of my best purchases so far as it makes reading so accessible - even when risking it in the pool on holiday. I thought I'd do a bit of a run down of my holiday reads for any other book geeks out there...

The Fault in our Stars
£1.99 kindle price
£7.99 RRP

Who on the planet hasn't read this book? John Green is currently the 'it' guy for teen fiction. You just have to step foot in Waterstones to see huge displays dedicated to his books. If I am to be totally honest, it was okay. After all the hype surrounding the book after the film release, I was expecting my socks to be blown off. I know that this is an incredibly popular book and others have described it as life-changing and thought provoking but I just found it a bit dull. I wasn't excited by it or emotionally connected with the characters and I found it very put-down-able. The romance between Hazel and Augustus was cute but I wasn't particularly enthralled by their struggles and triumphs throughout. I didn't dislike the book, John Green writes very well,  however it just wasn't for me. I've not read many books about cancer, the only other one being 'My Sister's Keeper' - which did actually bring me to tears.

The Signature of All Things
£3.32 kindle price
£18.99 RRP

Had I known that this was written by the same person who bought us 'Eat, Pray, Love', I probably wouldn't have even considered it. I watched 'Eat, Pray, Love' a couple of years ago and found it really boring. I don't know if the book is better than the film because for once I haven't read it!

When I was scouring Amazon for my summer reads this book caught my eye, even though it's not the kind of book I'd usually read. The story follows Henry Whittaker who comes from humble beginnings in London, stealing plants from Kew Gardens. He soon finds himself travelling accross the globe, from Tahiti to Peru, as a deckhand for Captain James Cook. Henry becomes a botanist, making his own fortune by selling medicinal plants.

Henry's daughter Alma becomes the protagonist in the second part of the book as she follows her father's footsteps as a keen botanist. She earns her own reputation as a lady of science amongst well known names such as Charles Darwin. Inbetween her scientific successes, Alma is also a victim of unrequited love. Throughout the book it is evident that Alma is the brains rather than the beauty however she craves both love and knowledge in her life. She does fall in love with Ambrose Pike, a gifted botanical illustrator, who brings a divine, spiritual element into Alma's life, although the romance is short-lived.

The Signature of All Things is a very ambitious book about love, adventure and discovery. I did really enjoy reading the story and it certainly wasn't what I expected! Gilbert covers many themes in her novel, such as natural selection, education, love, marriage, sexual identity, feminism, the abolition of slavery and early exploration.

Image Source

Elephant Moon
99p kindle price
£8.99 RRP

This book is based on the true story of the elephant-men during World War 2 who rescued refugees. The topic of this book is interesting as it is set in Burma during WW2 where tensions were high between the Burmese and the British colonials. With the threat of the Japanese Imperial Army edging closer each day, the situation in Burma becomes more and more unstable. The protagonist is British schoolteacher, Grace Collins. With help from an Indian Jemadar and the elephant-men, she attempts to get her students, 62 Anglo-Burmese orphans, to safety in India.

With such a promising setting and exciting story-line, I did expect a bit more from this book. The characters were underdeveloped and at times I really didn't care about some of them. Out of all the drama and misfortune that befalls the group, the only moment that really pulled on my heartstrings was when Mother elephant loses her baby. I think that says a lot really.

Eragon: Book One

£3.99 kindle price
£7.99 RRP

By far my FAVOURITE of all the books I have read this summer. There are dragons, elves, dwarves, urgals, shades, sorcerers and even werecats! I think this is supposed to be a children's book but the vocabulary is definitely more sophisticated and I like it! HOURS have been happily spent reading this book, I even ignored Ryan in the car a few times to sneak in just one more chapter. The story is about fifteen year old Eragon who lives and works on a farm with his uncle and cousin. They don't have money and life is pretty grim until Eragon finds an unusual blue stone in the Spine (a scary forest by the mountains). When the stone turns out to be a dragon hatchling that has chosen Eragon to be their rider, his life changes forever. The story is an ongoing adventure through the dangerous lands of the Empire with many twists, turns and battles wherever he goes. I'm now on the second book of the series and I'm still as hooked as ever!

It turns out that people on Good Reads don't like this book at all, claiming Paolini stole ideas from Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and every other story on the planet....but when did I ever like what everyone else does ;)  Eragon does have some points unoriginality but I feel that gives it more familiarity for the reader and I have definitely been absorbed into Paolini's world.