It's officially Autumn!!!! One of my favourite times of the year where the leaves change to a fiery orange and start falling from the trees and pumpkin spiced lattes are on the cards - it is just such a wonderful time of the year.
I always love reading other people's bucket lists and being inspired by their ideas and things they are doing. I know a lot of people are sharing their Autumn bucket lists over on Instagram, but I thought it would be nice for me to share mine here and then post about the things we get up to on the list if / when we do them.
Autumn Bucket List
1. Visit a Pumpkin Patch:
If you have been around for a while you will know that I love pumpkin patches and I am very clumsy. In 2020 we visited Redhouse Farm's pumpkin patch in Dunham Massey. I almost crashed Steve's Mercedes in the field (I am absolutely blaming a very wet field and not my rubbish driving skills here) and almost stacked it about 10 times whilst selecting the pumpkins. I don't think Steve was too keen to repeat the drama, as in 2021 he refused to go pumpkin picking as I was heavily pregnant and he could just see this was an accident waiting to happen. I am hoping that this year we will be able to go pumpkin picking with Alex (we will be going to Dunham Massey Farm's pumpkin patch as we sadly missed their wild flower trail and sunflower garden this year).
2. Carve Pumpkins:
This follows on from 1 really, but pumpkin carving with our little family will just be so special this year. Of course, Alex will not have a clue what is going on but we are doing it all for the memories. The first year Steve and I were together we carved the pumpkins that we picked during date night. I made a Nightmare Before Christmas Jack and Sally inspired pumpkin and Steve carved a very accurate standard pumpkin face. I am already looking up ideas for this year's carving, but I am hoping I won't cut myself with the stanley knife like I did in 2020.
3. Make a pie (with an Autumn theme to it):
Now whether this is going to be a fruity dessert type pie or a meaty dinner pie I am not sure! I am loving being at home at the moment and embracing my current 'stay at home mum' title as I have only a few more months of maternity leave left. I am determined to make a pie, of some description, completely from scratch before the end of this year. I have no doubt it will taste awful, but the effort will have been there haha.
4. Make soup:
With the cost of living crisis everyone is going mad for slow cooker recipes and I am loving reading through Facebook groups and getting loads of ideas. Two things keep coming up time and time again and they are casseroles and soups. Steve is not a huge fan of casserole (I to am disappointed), but I think I can get him onboard for soup with pasta in it! I am thinking of using either a campfire stew type recipe or a slow cooker chicken noodle soup. Perfect for these colder Autumn evenings when you don't fancy cooking!
5. Have a cosy hot chocolate afternoon:
I am already a big fan of the colder nights and love a cosy afternoon with the candles on. Obviously, since having Alex to entertain it is slightly harder for us to do this, but I am determined to set aside one Sunday afternoon where we spend time cosying up with our hot chocolates and Pjs on.
6. Buy Autumn themed candles:
I suppose this follows on from number 5 for those cosy vibes for a cosy afternoon. I recently visited TK Maxx and was really disappointed by the candles they had on display. I appreciate they were more Halloween themed, but they seemed very expensive and smelt awful. I am hoping some new scents will come in towards the end of the month and if not I will need to hunt down some other Autumn themed candles. If you have any suggestions, please do leave them below for me to peruse.
7. Have a Bonfire:
We love a good bonfire at Casa Randell and last year my Dad made us a lovely log burner. I am looking forward to more nights around the bonfire with warm mulled wine, huddled under blankets with a little chill in the air. We are looking at getting a log burner for our living room, but until we can make this a reality we will need to make do with our outdoor burner.
8. Go on a morning walk in the woods and find a pile of leaves to jump in:
This is such a throwback to my childhood, but I am really looking forward to going on a lovely morning walk when it is a crisp morning, getting a coffee and then talking a walk through Wythenshawe park where I am hoping there will be some big piles of leaves for us to jump in. A cute Autumnal family themed activity, which is relatively cost friendly and easy to do one weekend.
9. Have a cheese and wine evening:
If you have been around for a while, you will know of my love for a good cheese board with wine. Below is not one of my best pieces of work (having 5 minutes before your child starts crying leaves little time for making them look good), but it was blooming delicious. Normally, we have melted Camembert and Brie cheese too, but we did not have time. I am hoping to spend a little bit of time one weekend this Autumn season, where I prepare a really good cheese board complete with meats and the perfect wine pairings.
10. Have a family games night:
The last games night we hosted was with my best friend and it was such a laugh. I'd love for us to host a family games night and include all of our family, but unfortunately both sets of parents live a little too far away for family games night and virtual games nights just are not going to work (hello covid times).
We might have to turn this into a games night for just me and Steve, featuring some games Alex can play with the assistance of a parent. Another cosy family themed idea that I think will remain a family tradition of ours for years to come.
11. Visit a Ghost Village:
A lot of bloggers have been posting about Ghost Villages and doing ghost tours / walks in and around their local towns. I have been intrigued about this type of activity and was recently hooked by The Southwestrambler's blog about Imber Ghost Village (you can have a read here), so much so that I am now adding visiting a Ghost Village or doing a local Ghost walking Tour as a part of our Autumn Bucket List!
So there we have it our 'Autumn 2022 Bucket List'. By the time this goes live we will already be four weeks into Autumn so I really hope we manage to get a move on and complete the whole list before we start our Winter 2022 Bucket List! I hope you have enjoyed reading what we are planning to get up to and hopefully it has given you some ideas or inspired you to start doing family bucket lists for each season.
Until Next Time
T
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