5 Things Friday - The October Reset
5 Things Friday - The October Reset
I'm embracing everything that autumn has to offer with cosy nights in, all the comfort food and taking some time to breathe.
I’m having a reset. I made the decision last week while I was away on holiday in Kefalonia. Before we left I made my husband promise that we would have a restful week, and that we would take a break from our phones. I more or less came off social media for a whole week - probably no big deal to the average person, but for someone who’s been posting something nearly every day on there since 2017, it feels practically illegal to have a few days of non-communication. Once I got over the detox, it felt like bliss, and it turned out I was far better at being offline than my husband! I put my phone on the other side of the bedroom so I could ignore it at night and I didn’t reach for it every morning. It felt very freeing to lie in bed with my thoughts and not be scrolling or posting anything. Most days I would go to the beach before breakfast and have a morning swim (my idea of the perfect start to the day) then sit looking out to sea. On one of those mornings, I decided that I needed to turn around the rest of this year before I designated 2024 as my annus horribilis. This year has been pretty awful. It has been one thing after another; like one long grey cloud that’s hung over us throughout. We’ve virtually lost all our oldies, apart from my mother-in-law who’s hanging on by a thread (sadly, in many ways her dementia makes it feel like we’ve already lost her). It has not been unexpected. My mother went first in March at 89 years and then Richard’s father passed in June at 96. Without a doubt, a good innings, but maybe it was losing them so closely or what happened afterwards that’s made it hit me more than I thought it would. I hate it when people infer stuff, but at the moment I don’t think I can give you more details on the ‘what happened next’ saga. It’s been a shock, has lead to legal proceedings and deep regrets that we have been so trusting. My poor husband in particular has felt the brunt of it and the weight on both of us has been very difficult. Add to that all the usual stuff that happens at this time of life: health scares (my husband’s ongoing skin cancer checks), work issues, family stuff and even the bloody weather and you get the picture. Even poor Teddy (our beloved Vizlador) didn’t escape! On leaving the house for a few hours one Saturday, we returned to what can only be described as a blood bath, as my very upset daughter explained that his tail had got caught in the front door while going for a walk. Thankfully, it healed, but that took 6 weeks and for at least 4 of them I was crawling into his cage at 6am to rebandage it so it was protected for the day from his rather over eager wagging! I’ve always thought of myself as a coper. I’m pretty resilient and in general, someone who looks on the bright side of life, but I was waking feeling a knot in my stomach and lying awake at night worrying about every little thing. Before this becomes too much of a pity fest, I’m sure if you’re around my age, then you’re probably experiencing one if not more of these things, it seems to go with the territory nowadays, but I’ve decided that I need to rescue the last 3 months of the year before sealing 2024 in a box marked ‘one to forget’. The last 3 months of the year are my favourite, in particular October. So, what am I doing to make the most of what's left and embrace all that’s gorgeous about autumn. Feel free to join me…
1. Give me all the comfort food
This time of year it’s all about soups, curries and one pot dinners for me. I’m a big fan of all the root vegetables. There is something wholesome about the rainbow of colours that we get from the autumn harvest, plus there is nothing more comforting on a rainy day than a big bowl of chunky soup and homemade bread. Mr A has the bread down to a fine art now, (promise I’ll get that recipe out with a video soon) while I’m on soup duty. I don’t follow a recipe nowadays - I’ve made that many variations over the years - but here’s my method for a really tasty Italian soup which you can alter depending on your preference.
I start by sweating either onions or leeks in a big pot with a couple of cloves of garlic. Then add the vegetables. I like carrots, courgettes, French beans, celery and butternut squash, but it’s often what needs using up from the fridge, so go with what you like. I add these to the pot and let them sweat a little before I add around 2 pints of water and 2 vegetable stock cubes.
Add a couple of tins of tomatoes, some tomato puree and some seasoning. At this point I add either orzo or macaroni depending on what I fancy, and a tin of any beans (cannelloni, haricot, pinto). Simmer until the veg is cooked, serve with a blob of pesto and top with grated parmesan. Yum.
My daughter invited me over for tea one evening and made a very delicious aubergine & lentil stew (recipe here).
She served it with some homemade hummus and warm pitta bread - my idea of the perfect meal.
Last one is a salmon and butterbean one-pot dish I got from Instagram.
Emthenutritionist is a good recommendation for one-pot, healthy and delicious meals.
This is my version of the recipe!
Hopefully, that’s at least some of your autumn mid-week meals sorted.
2. Getting out in nature
You can’t underestimate the importance of a daily walk in the fresh air. Just 30 mins a day gives you a host of health benefits from increasing energy levels, to helping prevent heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and even improving your brain health. If that’s not enough to convince you, then the effect on our mental health of spending time outside and away from our screens is also well known. My walks with my beloved Vizlador (Vizla x Fox Red Lab) Teddy are a daily essential but one I’m so grateful for. We live in beautiful North Yorkshire and there is nothing I love more than watching the change of season at this time of year. I’m also an avid nature spotter and love to point out every kingfisher, heron or bird of prey to my husband. A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to spot this on one of our usual riverside walks!
I’ve been looking out for a wild otter since my childhood when my mum and I would watch Terry Nutkins on Animal Magic (that’s a throwback!), so was over the moon to have finally spotted one and right on our doorstep.