Hello lovely person!

October observations include; belting bulbs, saining scent, fabulous fungi, complex chocolate, and the joys of bunking off for the day.

Gardening tips for October

Spring flowering bulbs (or how to plant hope on dark days)

The nights are definitely drawing in, aren’t they? And while nature’s curling itself into a cosy ball all ready to snuggle down for the next few months, there’s still time to Plant Your Own Joy in the form of spring flowering bulbs.

You don’t need a conventional garden to plant a handful of bulbs. A sunny doorstep, a windy balcony, or a shady backyard will do fine. Many bulbs are pollinator friendly, so you’ll be giving your local wildlife a helping hand too.

My favourite spring flowering bulbs are tulips. I know, I know, they’re not often bee friendly, but I offset my doe-eyed devotion to these swaggering beauties by also planting plenty of muscari (grape hyacinth), crocus and chionodoxa (glory of the snow), which are gloriously nectar rich.

What’s your favourite spring flower?

Fragrant musings from the library of scent: Sain No More by Nosu Parfum

Nosu Parfum is an exciting new indie fragrance brand based in London. They were kind enough to send me samples of their three perfumes, when I mentioned I was particularly keen to try the one based on the old Scottish tradition of ‘saining’—cleansing your house with burning juniper at Hogmanay.

Scent Story

Golden and glowing, low winter sun glints through the slender stems of birch trees. Your pals unload their supplies from worn canvas backpacks, as you gather kindling for a fire. Quiet voices and soft chuckles warm the cold air.

After you’ve shared flasks of hot, nourishing soup, everyone gathers around the glowing embers, gazing into the light. Leather notebooks are opened, pencils poised, bundles of soft herbs crushed in chilly fingers. A solitary juniper berry escapes and sizzles juicily on a flame heated rock.

Anchoring fleeting thoughts on smooth paper, you all write in companionable silence. The sun’s set now, so someone lights a chunky beeswax candle. Smiling around at your friends, you offer a bead of pale jade frankincense to the shimmering fire, and everyone breathes deeply.

Cleansed. Renewed. Comforted.

Wonderfully wishlist worthy, this beautiful perfume has kept me company all month. Bright and effervescent, yet soothing and steadying, it’s a marvellous antidote to global despair. Very highly recommended.

Nature notes for October

Sea buckthorn berries glowing like clusters of polished carnelian

plop onto crisp amber beech leaves, tasty snacks for tiny harvest mice

ghostly mushrooms glow in the gloaming

and a cidery tang betrays crab apples bobbing in a clotted ditch—

dook, anyone?

Featured bean-to-bar chocolate: Zotter Labooko 70% cocoa milk chocolate - Peru

⭐ Oh, the crisp and satisfying snap is wonderful

⭐ Creamy caramel and luscious fudge notes bounce over your tongue

⭐ The richly rounded finish is long and lingering—an absolute belter of a bar

I’m truly sorry, but it looks like you can’t buy this particular Zotter bar in the UK any longer. Having tasted (and devoured) more than ten different other Zotter bars though, I can confidently recommend their others you can buy from Cocoa Runners. In their milk chocolate bars (like this one), they often use extra creamy organic milk from Tyrolean herds. Mmm.

Wellbeing tips: 5 ½ hours on the Isle of Bute (or how to bunk off for the day when the sun’s shining)

Sometimes you really need to carpe diem when you live in SW Scotland. Often beset by raging wind and hammering rain, when the clouds part to let the golden sun through, it’s best to down tools if you possibly can, and get outside while the ferries are still running.

You can sail to the Isle of Bute from two ferry ports. The nearest one to me is Wemyss Bay, which has the most magnificent train station. In Victorian times, families used to pile out of Glasgow during the summer months and travel to Bute to breathe the pure, clear sea air.

The ferry takes around 35 minutes from Wemyss Bay to Rothesay, which is the biggest town on Bute. There’s plenty to see, eat, and drink in Rothesay, so you don’t really need to bring a car over, unless you want to explore the west coast of the island.

You don’t need to spend lots of money on wee jollies. I wonder where’s nearby you could have fun exploring? I’d love to know where you choose.

On the blog and LinkedIn:

You’re NOT a bad gardener. But you might be growing the wrong plants.

Spectacular Scottish scents

Have you bought yours yet?

⭐ As ever, all wibbly words are my own. The chocolate reviewed was bought by me, but the perfume was kindly gifted by the brand—thank you!⭐

Bye for now!