Red, crimson, scarlet, gold, ginger, amber, rust… My fascination with autumn eludes me for 11 months of the year. October comes around and I can’t believe that nature’s colour palette can achieve the things it does. I question if my eyes are deceiving me. All the resistance I had at the change of the seasons, summer melting away has all been forgotten.
Autumn is a time to indulge. To eat unctuous (my current favourite word), hearty meals. To romanticise your life with little extra touches. To stop waiting for the right time and just fucking burn the nice candle.
This week Drafters, the newsletter looks different than normal. I delved into finding some autumn things to help get you in the mood - the fall playbook. A scrapbook if you’re still struggling to let go and lean in.
I would really love to hear from you what I’ve missed here and what you’d add also add to the autumn scrapbook! 🧡
Songs on the playlist
What can make those autumn walks better than the perfectly curated playlist? Music can heighten experiences and make moments feel perfect. Some songs were easy to pick, some I’ve only listened to for the first time for the scrapbook. Some very different vibes.
Film & TV
As the nights draw in, snuggling up on the sofa sounds ever more inviting. Spending evenings getting cosy in front of the TV safe in the warmth under the cover of a blanket. There are so many TV shows and films that feel synonymous with autumn and an absolute classic would be Gilmore Girls. I know it’s set in a fictional town but it always makes me think of Boston which in my opinion is the quintessential autumn town. When Harry Met Sally would be next on the list. There is an autumn energy about Meg Ryan. It’s probably because she’s a Scorpio. Of course, October is of course also the lead-up to Halloween. Witches, vampires and werewolves enter our orbit. Twilight, as if I need another excuse to watch it, would be my pick of the vampires. I simply cannot pick a favourite witch but Hocus Pocus and Bewitched (the TV show or the film) cultivate fuzzy feelings of nostalgia for me.
Feed the cravings
As I said at the start, autumn is a time to indulge and for UNCTUOUS meals. I am hungry as I write this so I’m trying not to get too carried away. My current obsession at the moment is with lentil dahl. I think foods that you can eat in a bowl are so much more comforting and I am unsure why. Perhaps because if you want to, you can hold the bowl and wrap your hands around it to feel its warmth. I loosely follow this recipe to batch cook my dahl and will be doing so weekly until further notice. I have been craving French onion soup for the last few days as well. Sainsbury’s used to do such a good one in the lunch section which I miss because I can’t be bothered to make it. But soup with a big chunk of bread covered in Gruyere cheese would go down a treat right now. Lasagne is another dish that feels perfect for autumn and it can be so versatile. My mum makes a delicious lentil lasagne and I’d love to one day attempt the Mob 40 garlic clove lasagne. Will help to ward off the vampires that’s for sure. I keep seeing videos of intricately designed cheese boards that I would love to devour. I recently found out that lots of cheeses are naturally low or no lactose which my sensitive little belly will willingly put to the test. Dessert is best served in autumn too. I’ve had a few thoughts about blackberry crumble with lashings of custard. Or perhaps my favourite, sticky toffee pudding, is more your style of pudding. And how could I not mention roast dinners? If you’re looking to splurge, the roast I had at The Devonshire last weekend was divine. I think I need to create a roast dinner matrix for London I can never remember where I’ve been and where’s good.
Set the mood
Burn the fucking candle. I have so many candles in my room that haven’t been touched and why? I have a mini Diptyque candle that I likely will never burn, fine. But the rest deserve to live out their lives as intended. For the best and cheapest candles, stock up at Søstrene Grene. For bulk buying, Ikea has the lot. I bought one of their lanterns last year and it looks so gorgeous with a pillar candle. In terms of the best scent, I have struggled to find one I like more than Botanique’s fig and rosemary candle.
Get out the house
As much as staying in and snuggling up is one of the best of autumn’s indulgences you have got to leave the house. Every time I walk outside I am in awe of the leaves. I want to go to every park I possibly can just to see the way the colours change. Why not snuggle up somewhere other than the sofa? Going to the theatre or cinema trips feel so much better when you’re not missing out on the sun or compromising the good weather days of summer. There are also so many great films coming out between now and the end of the year! The Outrun still top of my list. Wine is quite seasonal for me and I’m not ready to move back across to drinking red. There are so many wines out there and I merely scratch the surface. I’d love to learn more about wine and perhaps taste some more of them too. I think book shopping is another perfect autumn activity. Wondering around Daunt Books to pick what I want to read when I’m all tucked up in bed.
Through another’s eyes
It was easy to pull together autumn paintings. They’re all so beautiful. You can always count on the (post) impressionists to kick you off…
Happy autumning!
