Bits Of October Magic and A Giveaway!

Bits Of October Magic
And A Giveaway!

If you have been a reader of this blog for any length of time, you will know that I generally revel in the start of each new month.  Mother Nature seems to bestow unique personalities upon each one of the twelve.

 May will always be a blonde wearing flowers in her hair, while November has forever seemed a bit professorial to me, an older chap in a Harris Tweed jacket with suede patches on his elbows and open book upon his antique desk.

April is a shy young girl with limpid eyes, and August can be a bit of a bully, an arrogant sort in dark sunglasses who often overstays his welcome. 

 But, October. 

 The most magical of months. 

 Could October ever be anything but a auburn haired enchantress, mysterious and mercurial, who can conjure up bonfires and cause pumpkins to smile?

To help celebrate October, I have put together a list of 13 bits of magic. 

Just the right number for this most bewitching of months.

 Enjoy!

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1.  The Last Dress

The wizard who conjured up the divine ensemble Emma Watson is wearing in the photo at the top of this post was the late, and the divine, Alexander McQueen.  You can glimpse his face in Emma’s crystal ball.  What a tragedy it was to lose such a talent so early in his life.  The clothes he designed were frequently provocative, but always imaginative, and so often simply stunning in their beauty.  The white dress above is believed to be the very last one he designed.  Made for a friend to wear to one of Sir Elton John’s famous parties, it looks, appropriately enough, fit for an angel.

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2.  Autumnal Crown

Oh, I do love this.  

Worn by the models for Anna Sui during the recently completed spring fashion shows in New York, these are just gorgeous to me. 

Do you think I could get away with wearing one on an afternoon walk with Edward?

See more of the show HERE.

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3.  Andirons

One of the reasons The Songwriter and I purchased our much loved cottage so many years ago was its wonderful stone fireplace.  Flanked by bookcases, I could just imagine how delightful it would be with a roaring fire and the two of us snuggled nearby with books and dogs and mugs of spiced tea.  It was easy to see all the Christmas trees to come, twinkling away in the corner - easy to hear ghost stories being read aloud on windy October nights. 

 These amazing bronze andirons would be the perfect addition to any October fireplace, don’t you think? 

 Just bewitching.

Find them HERE.

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4.  House

And while we’re on the subject of my own house..... this is how I see it in my mind.  

Oh, it doesn’t look like that to others, at least not on the outside.  

But to me, this is how it feels. 

 A bit quirky and oh, so magical. 

 From the massive stone frog in the flower bed, to the life-sized rocking horse in the bedroom.

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5.  Little Halloween Goblins

With the big dress-up holiday of Halloween fast approaching, we all are starting to think about costumes, right?  

Well, these are just the cutest ideas ever imagined for your littlest goblins!  

Adorable, and you can find them HERE.

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6.  Knitting

I have featured knitting patterns before, I know. 

  But I am in the middle of so much Christmas knitting at the moment, 

it is in the front of my mind. 

So, I thought I’d share this wonderful new pattern. 

 I think I’m going to make this for myself.  

I’m partial to hoods.

Find it HERE.

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7.  Pendant

Imagine a dinner party. 

 Masses of orange sunflowers on the table. 

 Warm pumpkin soup served from a dark brown tureen. 

Homemade bread and Gruyere cheese.

 Tom Waits playing in the background.  

And this fabulous light hanging over the carved wooden table.

Find it HERE.

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8.  In The Garden

There are little spots of eccentricity throughout my garden. 

 A stone monkey sits on a tree stump under the oak trees, his paws dangling in the azalea bed.  

There is a glass dining table inside the massive magnolia tree, surrounded by windchimes, with a candlelit chandelier suspended overhead. 

 And a big white dog can often be seen, wandering about in the moonlight.

Every garden needs a bit of magic.  

Katiedid featured this amazing topiary on her blog recently.  

I was agog!

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9.  Bear

There is a heavy, old bronze monkey that sits upon my kitchen counter. 

 He holds bananas in his lap and generally keeps an eye on things. 

 I was reminded of him when I saw this amazing bear sculpture. 

 Isn’t this wonderful??  

You can find it HERE.

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10.  Masks

I have always wanted to attend a real costume party. 

You know, the kind they have in Venice.  

Over the top, dazzling, with people dressed as Grecian gods and woodland sprites, instead of Teletubbies and Spiderman.  

Well, if I ever get an invitation to such an event, I am heading straight to this shop for my wondrous mask! 

 Such imagination.  Such gorgeous creations!  

  These are my favourites, but it was so difficult to choose just two.  

Find more HERE.

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11.  House For Sale

Sometimes, on rainy Sunday mornings, I like to peruse Scottish real estate sites, playing “what if”.  

One such perusal led me to this house in Perthshire.

  Sigh. 

 If it looks storybook, well, it is.  

Beatrix Potter actually wrote Tales of Peter Rabbit here.  

And it’s for sale!!

What if.......

See more HERE.

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12.  Book

I haven’t yet seen the movie, but I just finished the book, Never Let Me Go.  I won’t give away too much, because I wouldn’t want to spoil anything if you’ve not yet read it.  But, it was such a chilling read.  Written by Kazuo Ishiguro, it is similar to his classic work, Remains Of The Day, in that it features a narrator who doesn’t ask the questions the reader is asking, who doesn’t see exactly what the reader sees.  Masterfully done, and I guarantee you will be thinking about it for days afterwards. 

 It’s the perfect book for October.

See more HERE.

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13.  Sir Paul’s Poetry

I was so tickled by all the responses I received when I recently mentioned inviting Paul McCartney to dinner. 

 Seems he is still a bonafide charmer to quite a few of us.  And rightfully so.

  So when I came across this copy of his poetry, Blackbird Singing, in a used bookshop recently, I knew I had to get it for an autumnal giveaway. 

 (The Songwriter has an autographed copy!  Lucky boy.) 

 This copy is a bit bruised, as used books often are, but if you would like to give it a home in your library, just leave a comment on this post. 

 I’ll draw the winner on Tuesday at midnight, wrap it in lovely paper, and send it right out.

  Good Luck and Happy October!


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Congratulations to Cait O'Connor!
She's the Winner of the Giveaway!