Slow Living in the Autumn Countryside: Comfort Food, Cosy Home & Writing Updates

Slow life, happy wife… or whatever they say :) I think this sentence sums up the past couple of weeks pretty well. Life is finally settling down after a busy Spring and Summer. We are officially pausing any home improvements or renovations until at least next year. The children are back at school, the candle studio is now fully operational, and the last of the furniture deliveries - my dream bookcase - has arrived. 

It’s time to take my own advice, slow down and breathe… Above is my setup for writing today’s blog: Blueberry Muffin candle burning, notebook open, cosy cardigan waiting on the chair… What you can’t see is the hot water bottle pressed to my belly as I write to you today... and relax...

Late September brings this wonderful, calm energy. Sunny yet chilly days are what I consider perfect weather and Andrei and I have been embracing life in the Somerset countryside, going out for walks during lunchtime or before picking up Rosa from school.

Just outside our village, past some farm buildings, I’ve spotted feral hops. They’re not exactly wild, as they most likely used to be cultivated on the farm at some point in the past, but now they’ve spread, climbing the hedgerows along the lane leading into the the Somerset Levels. 

Spotting hops growing freely so close to home made hanging a fresh garland even more special. I love nothing more than bringing nature indoors. I loved our hop garland in the old house and knew straight away that I wanted one in the new house too.

Fresh hops are available between late August and September here in the UK, but don’t worry if you’ve missed this narrow window - you can easily buy dried hop garlands (like I did in the first year), and there won’t be much difference, as the fresh one will dry within a few weeks anyway (that’s the point!).

Oh no, wait - there actually is a difference! A fresh garland produces lots of tiny (really microscopic) bugs that, although harmless, might be a little annoying for a few days. I’m fine with them above the kitchen window as it’s easy to clean, but if I were hanging my garland in places with soft furnishings (like above the sofa), I think a dried one might be the safer option. Otherwise, I’d be sitting there wondering if I got any in my hair - or worse, if I was squishing bugs with my butt :D

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If you saw last Sunday’s vlog on my YouTube channel, you know we’ve finally set up our living room - it took us a while, lol! Of course, these are just the first steps. The question I get asked most often is about the fireplace, and yes, we are planning to have a real one installed in a year or two (or five :).

Alongside the fact that it’s expensive, it also means we’d need to redo the flooring and the walls. That means A LOT of hassle, and honestly… we’ve had enough for the time being. I’m sure our enthusiasm for house improvements will come back, but right now we’re putting all our focus into the business and candles as we move towards Christmas.

Oh, and the “sheep” on the ceiling. I’d love to get rid of it, but if it means taking down the entire ceiling (like we had to do in the kitchen), then I’m not sure we’re ever going to change it. Maybe if I wait a few more years, it’ll come back in fashion :D

My obsession with Miss Marple continues. I’ve now learned that there are full episodes of the BBC radio drama - with actors speaking in the most wonderful, rich British accents - available on YouTube. The perfect companion for Friday pizza-making! Here is the link to the playlist: Miss Marple Radio Drama

Shop "Cosy Reads" pomegranate & wood candle here

Lately has felt like the cosiest chapter of my life: our first Autumn in the new home, Andrei cooking, family huddled around the table. It might not mean much to everyone, but to me these are the most precious moments - the ones I will remember on my deathbed.

Andrei makes an amazing curry, but unfortunately I don’t have his recipe - he’s very much a “a little bit of this, a pinch of that” person. I contributed to the meal with spinach saag (recipe here), which is delicious and such an easy way to get a hefty dose of vitamins.

This recipe is very forgiving. I used two medium tomatoes instead of an onion (Our garden still produces loads of tomatoes and we eat them with everything, lol) and whole coriander seeds because I didn’t have the powder. I also like to add a bit more garam masala. I never blend the saag - it just means more washing up. Either way it always turns out delicious!

It’s lovely to see nature still so full and alive as we progress into Autumn. I’m particularly fond of roses blooming late in the season - last year I even spotted some in November! It’s such an English countryside thing: the last roses still in bloom on a chilly Autumn day, swaying in the wind. It somehow goes so well with the surroundings of old-world England. It's dramatic and romantic at the same time. The rose is a symbol of strength and beauty, and I think it perfectly evokes the atmosphere of medieval manor houses and tiny cottages from a time before electricity and asphalt roads.

Above and below: the beautiful gardens of Lytes Cary Manor.

And since we’re on the subject of beautiful country houses, I want to share a few more photos from Tyntesfield House. I think it’s the mix of green, wood and books that stops me in my tracks every time we visit!

Here’s my husband laughing because he’s missing a "wealth-signalling" watch to pass as an Instagrammable husband, haha! The only jewellery Andrei wears is his wedding ring - he never takes it off.

And lastly, in today’s post I want to tell you about a date night with my husband! Andrei booked a table at our favourite Indian restaurant in Taunton - we’ve been customers since 2019. The food at Guddi & Gikki is just incredible. If you’re local or visiting, I highly recommend this place.

Guddi & Gikki is where I tried rose ice cream for the first time - I’ve been hooked ever since! If you’ve never had it, next time the opportunity arises please have some for me!

This time we also had carrot pudding - watch me try to make it at home in 3, 2, 1... It’s like carrot cake but better. I’ve found lots of recipes for various Indian carrot puddings online, I’ll share any successful ones with you, of course!

As the end of September is nearing, it soon will be time to pick my pumpkins, clear the beds and settle inside my cosy home. So far September has been very mild and pleasant here in the Somerset countryside, but I have no doubt that the cold Autumn winds will arrive sooner or later, blowing the leaves off the trees and any warmth left in the soil.

I'm very much focused right now on closing any Summer affairs (as I wrote in The Spiritual Meaning of Autumn). I have finally updated our email newsletter and created a proper sign-up form - something I’ve meant to do since Spring! If you’d like to get my blog posts straight to your inbox alongside shop and candle news, please consider subscribing.

I’ve also started writing my book - although it doesn’t feel like starting a new project so much as working at the roots. I’m writing down things I want to share, trying to systematise them and put them in order. I expect to be writing well into Spring 2026, which makes the coming months feel cosy and peaceful, focused on internal work. Of course I will be sharing any updates and milestones with you!

Lastly, thank you so much for September so far. Being a small business in a sea of warehouses filled with mass-produced tat is challenging, but your orders and support make it worth it every day.

Sending you the warmest hugs, my friend,
Adriana x