Me on Monday

Don't you just love it when you realise that your new jacket complements a painting in your bedroom?

Of course that wasn't the only reason I bought it 😉

When we went away to Bologna earlier this year, my friend had a fab lightweight padded jacket that folded away into a bag which was such a useful item to take when the weather was a bit variable.  Everywhere we went I seemed to see people wearing these jackets, and we all know how seriously Italians take their fashion don't we?  So I waited until summer was over and started my research.  I found this jacket on the Uniqlo website and it called to me to buy it.  I love the colour (what's not to love about 'wine'?) and it seems to be one of the tones that is apparently going to be 'in' this year.  It's so lightweight yet you can tell it is going to be warm - I anticipate many outings wearing it!

So, after a few days away we are home to tackle some jobs around the house and garden.  The front garden has really deteriorated over the dry, hot summer and it's now time to enter phase two of the work out there.  We had the paving replaced earlier on, now it's time to replace the scorched lawn and ruthlessly cut back some of the planting which has been allowed to get a tiny bit ridiculously overgrown.  On Saturday I was handed the secateurs and we pruned out a lot of branches so that we can step back and decide exactly what goes and what stays.  Gardener arrives on Wednesday to dig up the lawn and re turf it so we are on a short timescale!  I like a deadline.

Tried out some new recipes since our trip away.  The lady who owned the studio has a blog and has some great recipes on there.  She had left a delicious sticky gingerbread cake for us on our arrival so I knew that I can trust her cooking.  Other people had commented on a different cake she had left for them and I had a go at that.  Oh. My. Goodness.  I have a new favourite cake.

Lemon and poppyseed loaf.  Wow.  Oh Wow.  No there isn't much left now.

Another job on my to do list today is to go through my wardrobe.  Temperatures have dropped now, sunset is about 7.30pm, Strictly is back on the TV - Autumn has arrived.  Time to move all the sleeveless summer clothes out of my hanging wardrobe and fold them into the cupboard above my bed.  A strange phenomenon though.  I pulled out a pair of navy crop trousers to wear today that I haven't worn since Spring, and they have shrunk.  Just by hanging in the wardrobe, how could that happen?  I mean that must be the case as the only other alternative is that I have overindulged over the last few months ...