Here come the cosies...

All quiet at the Cove these days. The free-range days of summer are coming to an end just in the nick of time - I'm ready for a bit more structure to the days.  Plus a good salad can only tickle the taste buds for so long and the season of soups and comforting casseroles is upon us.

I love Autumn - question is, does it start officially with the tidy dates of the meteorological autumn of 1 September or with the slightly more satisfying astronomical date which this year is 22 September?  I'm happier with the slightly more organic second date, though there's no denying the seasonal changes are arriving daily.  Not all of them good I guess; the weather news from around the world this week is grim.  I'm thankful to live in a fairly mild Northern Ireland - not too blowy and generally manageable quantities of rain.

So, a 'ta-dah!' moment - the autumn rug is finished and already been put to work in the cooler evenings.  The pattern is from Lucy's Hydrangea Blanket  pattern here but with colours which work in our room - all autumnal.

Outside, the apples are fewer on the Bramley tree - the result of haphazard pruning over the last year, so while disappointing, it's not unexpected.   The pollinator (maybe Felspar and James Grieve?) is in  a pot and doesn't usually produce much, but we got these... even though the insects have been at work on one of them.

The rhubarb is chomped to bits and I'm still on the hunt for a very fat caterpillar or slug somewhere.  but the broad beans and peas have been enjoyed by the humans.

There are still some vestiges of summer weather about though - the lobster catch at the harbour a few miles down the road was brought in on a glorious Sunday morning - all seagulls, church bell and clanging masts.  I love the colours of the lobsters.

The shellfish are on their way to Spain for the markets - and now I can tell the difference between a male and female crab!  (Female on the left with the broader 'V' and the male with a narrower, sharper 'V' on the right.  I'm sure there's a biological name but hey ho.)

Cake.  A very delicious, light, warm, lime syrup drenched polenta cake with creme fraiche to be precise.  A huge portion that fed mum and I at a local cafe.  This I need the recipe for!