{ my september }

{ a is for apple }

I think I must have blinked and missed September. Once again the month has flown by so quickly, but looking back it has been a lovely month. I was happy to embrace autumn as soon as the 1st of the month arrived. The summer berries have been replaced with English grown apples, happily scrumped from next doors apple tree of which a few branches over hang my garden. I would love to say I've been incredibly creative with them, but in truth have enjoyed them simply stewed with a little brown sugar and lots of warming cinnamon. A few transformed this sticky toffee cake into a rather delicious sticky toffee apple cake, and I have my eye on this maple apple butter, that sounds like a slightly more indulgent, spicier version of my stewed apple.

{ drinking }

At the beginning of the month I reached my 1000th Happy Day. It seems such a long time since I first signed up for the #100happydays challenge, and I still remember my very first 100th day, sitting outside the Sydney Opera House, enjoying a Sydney Sling. The challenge is one I've enjoyed doing, and whilst I have a feeling that pure stubbornness played a part in reaching the 1000th day, it has changed my perspective on what happiness is to me. Sometimes it is the big things, like spending your first day in Sydney, though more often than not it's something much smaller, having half an hour to read a book, or that first cup of coffee in a morning.

Having said that, neither of those things were what I had in mind for that 1000th day, so I popped along to The Edgbaston, somewhere that's been on my to visit list for quite a while. The Edgbaston is a beautiful boutique hotel on the outskirts of Birmingham, with one of the most creative cocktail lists I've had the pleasure of tasting. Inspired by Birmingham itself, there are cocktails inspired by Cadbury's, The Electric Cinema, The Botanical Gardens, and more. Served in it's Art Deco inspired cocktail lounge it's a real treat and sensory delight, as cocktails arrive with more than a little theatre, looking, smelling and tasting so good.

For those living in travelling distance of Birmingham, this is definitely one to pop on your to visit list.

{ welcoming autumn }

Ah, hello my favourite season. I love all the seasons for their differences, but I think my heart belongs to autumn. Even rainy days hold a certain charm in autumn, being the perfect excuse to hibernate indoors with a good book and lots of coffee. And of course, knitting and autumn go hand in hand. Chillier mornings and darker evenings make you think of getting cosy in hats and scarfs, snuggling under blankets on the sofa. And of course, this serves as a timely reminder that I still have yet to list any of my knitting on Etsy. So, a promise to you, but mostly to me, watch this space, and the first few bits will be on line super super soon!

{ visting }

A wander around Birmingham led me into the newly opened Honest Skincare. Tucked away in the beautiful Great Western Arcade it's a little smaller than it's King's Heath store, though no less lovely for it. As lovely as all their skincare is, on this occasion it was their shelf of plants that caught my eye and made it onto my Insta feed, though I promise their handmade skincare is more than worth making the trip for.

Somewhere that I rediscovered this month, was our Botanical Gardens. Just around the corner from The Edgbaston, it played host to the Edgbaston Tricentenary and I couldn't resist the chance to have a look around for free. If you missed my recent post, you can read much more about my visit here.

I also got the chance to revisit one of my favourite European cities, Antwerp. Somewhere I have been lucky enough to visit many times with work, I was thrilled to have the chance to spend a couple of days there, wandering around it's pretty cobbled streets, re-discovering just how good their kids wear shops are, not to mention buying a little of that delicious Belgian chocolate to bring home. An early morning stroll around the railway station reminded me what a stunning piece of architecture it is, and the discovery of a new { budget yet boutique } hotel, which had an abundance of Insta worthy plants and art, makes a return visit a must.

And so September is so very nearly over. There is a visit to the Autumn Market at the Bond to look forward to on Saturday, before starting October learning how to crochet with Clare gets Crafty, which I'm more than a little excited about. 

Oh, and there's a small matter of getting that Etsy shop up and running isn't there #octobergoals.

{ have a happy day }

{ let's go somewhere . Birmingham Botanical Gardens }

This weekend the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham threw their doors open to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Calthorpe Estates. With the chance to have a  wander around the gardens and greenhouses, and lots of crafty goings on, not to mention the promise of coffee and cake, and more, I kept my finger's crossed for a sunny afternoon and popped along.

The gardens themselves date back to 1829, sited on 18 acres of land leased from the Calthorpe Estate. Designed by J.C.Loudon they were three years in the planning and making, and opened to members of the Horticultural Society in June 1832. Apart from the greenhouses the layout remains much the same today. Throughout their history the Gardens have been important as a centre for social functions in the city. From flower shows to political meetings, playing host to festivals of drama and music, and Sunday concerts in the bandstand.

Sunday's festival was wonderfully family orientated, with plenty of things for young and old alike. Face painting, vintage fairground rides, and the Punch & Judy man were proving popular with the little ones, whilst the grown ups seemed more than content with the Prosecco and Gin caravans. As befits our recent conversion to something of a foodie city, there was street food aplenty, with the Mac and Cheese van in particular, drawing long queues of hungry Brummies.

The gardens themselves are lovely to wander around, but I think it was the glasshouses that stole my heart. Ornate and iconic in their shape and construction there is something about them that brings out the Victorian romantic in me. Not to mention something of the crazy plant lady in me, making me want to rush out and fill my home with succulents and cacti, and start propagating geranium cuttings and dahlia's, enough to fill my greenhouse ten times over. 

Oh, and after a cloudy start, the skies were blue and the sun even shone. Not too shabby a way to spend a September Sunday.

{ have a happy day }

{ my august }

And so the year continues to fly along at a frightening pace. It may be a little too soon to mention the C word, but go on, admit it, you've had a few thoughts already haven't you? 

August has been a slightly strange month. I've been wrapped up in cardigans and contemplating all sorts of lovely autumnal things, and yet, isn't this supposed to be the height of summer. And then, all of a sudden, we get the most gorgeous Bank Holiday weekend weather, all blue skies and sunshine, and we feel silly in our cardigans, until just as suddenly as it appeared it disappears again, and I don't feel so bad returning to all those autumnal musings again.

{ knitting }

Thankfully this un-summery weather is perfect for sitting knitting cosy big blankets, and snug as a bug bobble hats, so for that I am most grateful. No sign yet of anything for sale, but this month has been far more productive than others, and we are getting closer to popping a few things up on Etsy.

I had some lovely reactions to my knitted wallhangings when they were posted on Instagram, and they've been a lovely way to use up left over yarn, and are a lot quicker to knit than those cosy big blankets.  I have one more waiting to be blocked and hung, and once I have a few more ends of balls left I'll be knitting a few more.

I can't wait to show you those snug as a bug hats I've been working on. Super snuggly and cute, and perfect for those autumn days that are already knocking on the door.

{ eating }

The extremes of this month was perhaps most evident in what I ate.  I finally ventured into the garden and tackled the greenhouse, which had started to resemble Sleeping Beauty's castle.  On the upside to this was a lovely haul of blackberries growing amongst the brambles.  I have a new found respect for anyone who goes foraging each year for blackberries.  The deliciousness of the blackberries made up for the numerous scratches and prickles, though I may stick to buying my fruit from the farm shop.

August is a birthday month in our family, with my Dad's on the 9th, and my Mum's falling on Bank Holiday weekend.  Traditionally a homemade birthday cake is made for all family birthday's, and as my Dad is rather partial to dark chocolate this year's cake was a Chocolate Mud Cake.  Filled with raspberry jam, rather than the ganache, and topped with flowers it was handed over with much love, and eaten with much enjoyment.

And whilst there has been plenty of summer berries, there has also been plenty of soup and stew making.  It seems wrong to be wanting comforting bowls of soup and stew, but I'll take being warm over eating salads just because it's summer.  My go-to favourite soup is a spicy butternut squash and carrot, topped with chilli roasted seeds, though I think perhaps I need to extend my soup repertoire this autumn and winter, so any suggestions and favourites are welcomed.

{ visiting }

It really has been a month of home sweet home for me, the only exception being an outing to Hay on Wye.  It had been year's since I had been, though it's an annual trip for my book loving parents. I'd forgotten quite how many bookshops there are, but also how many vintage and antique shops too.

Khoollect's wanderlust post on Hay provided some useful tips on where to brunch and lunch, in particular the great cafe at the back of Richard Booth's Bookstore and Cinema.  I breakfasted there with the yummiest selection of breads which turned a simple breakfast of toast and blackcurrant jam into something just that little bit more.  The Old Electric Shop was an eclectic mix of loveliness for you and for your home, supporting local artists and makers, also with a rather lovely cafe at the front of the shop. 

If you haven't been, and have even a passing interest in books then pop it on the list of places to visit next year.

September is off to a super busy start with a weekend full of musing over The Trouble with Goats and Sheep at The Little Book Club, and meeting the makers at the Quartermasters Market in the Jewellery Quarter, and at Pop Up + Hustle over at Tur Langton.  After which I'll be staying home as I'll have probably spent all my money at those two lovely events!

{ have a happy day }

{ my july }

Can somebody stop this year, I want to get off.

I'm sure I say this at the end of every month, and if I don't I certainly think it. But, is it just me, or is this year going really really quickly? I don't think I can blame this strange time phenomena on being really busy. Nicely busy, yes, really busy, not so much. The super productive month I was hoping for in June's reflective post didn't materialise in quite the way it could have done. I'm thinking more that tentative baby steps might be a better description for it. However, as I realise that we're hurtling at breakneck speed towards Autumn, Christmas, and Winter, and peak knitwear season, I really had better start taking bigger steps towards getting MissSmith up and running.

{ exploring }

A month which began with a trip to the Derbyshire Summer Market, which as usual was a delight, and led to me discovering a few more designers and makers. A day trip to Uppingham in Leicestershire led to a few more discoveries. An incredible pretty town, with an antiques centre that you can quite happily lose yourself in for a few hours, and home to a number of lovely independents, including Priddy Essentials, and Goodwin and Belle.

A happy discovery was another great independent coffee shop, almost on the doorstep. The Steamroom opened earlier this year, and it's combination of really good coffee, and a quieter location than that afforded Booboo Coffee and Peel & Stone, I think it may become my new favourite.

The month ended with the PopUp + Hustle market, hosted by Studio NL at their workshop in Tur Langton. A wonderful mix of designers, illustrators, ceramicists, and others were brought together under one roof, for a weekend celebrating local independents. A really lovely new find to end the month on, and the dates for their next one are already in my diary.

{ baking }

Slowly starting to bake again after a short break. The last of this years blackcurrants were baked on top of a madeira cake. Using Donna Hay's Olive Oil Madeira Cake, replacing the orange with lemon, and scattering a good handful of blackcurrants on top. The blackcurrants bake into a jam like consistency, adding a wonderful tart note to the cake. On a slightly healthier note, Madeleine Shaw's Buckwheat Granola made a change to my usual porridge, though it is incredibly moreish, and much like the cake, really needs to be put out of sight between servings.

{ painting }

Continuing to enjoy a little watercolour painting, as I finished the last couple of prints for a client. Really looking forward to seeing how these turn out on the finished product, and I'm happy that it's given me a bit more confidence to step away from the laptop and return to drawing and painting more. Plus I have a feeling it's a little better for my increasingly ageing eyesight.

{ freeing up my insta }

I don't think it's any secret that I love Instagram, but just recently there's been a feeling of Insta fatigue. Frustration with the change in algorithm's, the more recent phenomenon shadowbans, and a sense that Instagram has lost the spontaneity that was it's original intention. My feed is full of undeniably beautiful images, but I also know that in reality most of them are not captures of a moment, but are carefully curated, edited, captioned and scheduled, something of which I'm as guilty of as most. 

I know that I'm not alone in feeling this, but it was Allison Sadler who stepped up to the plate, with her hashtag #freeupyourinsta, which in her words, gives you the ' freedom to share whatever the f*ck you like your way '. 10,000 posts and counting, and if you fancy being an Insta rebel then round 2 starts tomorrow.

And so July, over, but for a few hours. In August I've got friends and family birthday's to look forward to, and a To Do list which reads something like this; Knit, Sell, Sleep, Repeat.

{ have a happy day }

{ lets go somewhere . Edinburgh }

Last week I asked Instagram for ideas on places to explore here in the Uk.  I had some wonderful suggestions, places I'd already been wondering about, and places I'd not even thought of, and one city, suggested by a couple of people,  was somewhere I'd been lucky enough to visit already. A family wedding last year was a wonderful reason to visit Scotland, Perth for the wedding itself, with a few days either side spent exploring Edinburgh. I came away with very fond memories, but feeling that I'd not really scratched the surface of what the city had to offer.

Edinburgh, like many cities today, is an eclectic mix of old and new. With a wealth of history, beautiful architecture, and alleyways dotted here and there, it's a city you can wander around just looking, without needing to visit anything in particular. Though if you did it would be a shame, as there is an abundance of coffee shops and cafe's to eat your way around, museums, castle's and palaces to be a tourist in, and lots of lovely independent boutiques to shop from.

{ stay }

We stayed in Edinburgh for one night before travelling onto Perth, and stayed in the charming Albyn Townhouse. A little further out of the centre of the city than some, it proved a lucky find, as it was just off Bruntsfield Place, a street where you'll find even more cafés and shops to explore, and that we might not have discovered otherwise. It's perfect walking distance from the city, giving you time to appreciate the gorgeous architecture, the parks, and for those bookworms amongst you, seek out Admiral Terrace, the home of Muriel Sparks, author of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and whose house was featured in the opening shots of the film.

On our return, we ventured into our first Airbnb adventure, with a few days staying in the grandeur of one of the townhouses in Eglinton Crescent. I was already a little in love with this apartment from the photo's on line, and it did not disappoint. Beautifully high ceilings, original detailing, and as per it's description, both elegant and cosy, it was the perfect place from which to explore more of Edinburgh. Not far from the Haymarket, it was only a short walk away from yet more lovely coffee shops, and also not far from the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art, which I happily came across on my morning run.

{ eat & drink }

Where do I start? This is a city with an abundance of really, really good coffee. I tried my very best, but I didn't manage to get to try everywhere I would have liked to.

You'll find The Milkman on Cockburn Street, behind the unassuming facade of an old confectionary shop. One of those small, but perfectly formed places, that was a cosy hideaway from the summer rain.  Not too far away on Bank Street is Zebra Coffee Co. They have a reputation for great coffee, but it was the window display of Rocky Road that drew my attention. Sadly this was one place that had to be popped on the 'to visit next time' list, possibly losing out due to my inability to resist a return visit to Lovecrumbs. Yes, a place so good, I went there twice. You can read more about the very very lovely Lovecrumbs in my review for the Clandestine Cake Club. 

Söderberg has bakery's dotted around Edinburgh. Their Kardemummabulle and Kanelbulle (Cardamom and Cinnamon buns ) make the perfect breakfast to set you up for a day of sightseeing. Wellington Coffee, on the corner of George Street and Hanover Street, would be easy to miss, but is worth looking out for, as is Mimi's Bakehouse, where I bought one of the loveliest cupcakes I have ever eaten.

{ history }
I was lucky enough to visit Holyrood in time to catch Fashioning a Reign, one of the three exhibitions of the Queen's frocks that was held last year. The Palace of Holyroodhouse is a beautiful place, and even on a grey day, you can't help but be moved by the architecture and the history.

In complete contrast to the history of the palace, is the Scottish Parliament Building, a contemporary building opened in 2004, not without some controversy. Standing opposite the palace, it has a stark, impressive facade. The Canongate Wall is dotted with 24 stones, each engraved with quotations, my favourite being that of Charles Rennie Mackintosh;

There is hope in honest error;

None in the icy perfections of the mere stylist.

{ shop }

For lovers of all things vintage, head to Grassmarket and W.Armstrong & Son, then wander down West Port stopping off at Godiva and Herman Brown.

For quirky gifts, and some not so typical, but still very Scottish, souvenirs, try Old Town Context, where you'll find, amongst many other things, a wonderful print with instructions on How to Make a Deep-Fried Mars Bar. For some not so Scottish, but still very lovely gifts, you could do worse than stopping by Biscuit, which you'll find tucked away in Thistle Street. Described as 'Somewhere to come and buy a pretty top to wear for a Saturday night at a friends dinner party, and while you are there why not pick up the perfect present for the hostess!' a description I don't think I can better, only to say that they had the loveliest selection of stationery and cards too.

{ culture }

And for my last day in Edinburgh I spent it immersed in art, at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. Comprised of two galleries either side of the Belford Road, both buildings sit in the midst of a beautiful sculpture park. They are both wonderful places to visit, quiet and contemplative, and on a sunny day, a lovely place to spend wandering the grounds taking in all the art outside. The fact that both have equally lovely coffee shops is an added bonus, meaning there is no need to hurry your visit, being able to take your time to look, in between well timed coffee breaks.

There are so many places I've not been able to mention, and many more that I didn't discover on last year's trip. This is Edinburgh is a great place to read more, and for a more local point of view, take a read of 48hours in Edinburgh like a local.

{ have a happy day }