October crept up so suddenly.
I crave cozy life at the moment,
as the outside gets gradually colder
and I find myself
staying at home more than ever this autumn.
I make warm porridge for breakfast,
light a candle and snuggle up
in the same corner all day,
working, reading books and daydreaming.
Though honestly,
I do need to get outside more
as I've become too much of a homebody this year.
I believe I'm not the only one feeling like
this year swept past too fast
and seasons didn't feel much like themselves this time.
Trees in my tiny garden are still mostly green,
only one cherry tree slowly shedding its red foliage.
After long rainy spells,
it feels like nature is happy
staying green for longer this season.
And I don't think we'll get this
typically beautiful golden autumn until mid-November.
But even still,
whenever I go outside,
I smell autumn so vividly in the air.
I find rare golden trees and marvel at their color.
I always tend to hurry time,
but nature reminds me
that everything in life comes when it's meant to.
So I let go.
I am not spending money on autumn decor
this year as there are other priorities.
I'm currently trying to focus on.
I'm using dry leaves I collected over the past Octobers
and dried between pages of books,
dry flowers from previously store bought
or wild picked bouquets,
gold painted picture frames and old books
create a lovely autumnal atmosphere.
But I still can't resist buying candles
and occasionally baking something cozy
to fill my house with lovely autumnal scents.
Cinnamon buns come to mind
whenever I think about colder days.
I failed many times before
in my previous attempts to bake cinnamon buns,
but I am happy to say that this time
they turned out wonderfully.
I will write the recipe down in the description.
Weekends are the days when I
explore the most and spend some time
filming around beautiful English villages and National Trusts.
Last weekend I visited Bibury -
an iconic tiny village in the Cotswolds.
Its most famous street,
Arlington Row, was originally built in the 14th century
as a wool store
and converted into weavers cottages
in the 17th century, where people still live to this day.
I saw a few residents this day with their dogs
and they all seemed very sweet and lovely
and didn't mind so many people
and tourists in general
taking pictures outside their houses.
But I do have to remind that
these are someone's houses
and we have to be very respectful
when stepping on these streets.
I am endlessly fascinated by history
and imagine myself
traveling back through time each time I step outside
England is so full of historic places like this.
This greatly inspires the way I dress lately,
and they often try to match my outfits to the environment
I'm getting out to.
It's funny because as a young teenager
I swore that I will never, ever wear
a skirt or a dress in my entire life.
But look at how things have changed.
I wear dresses most of the time in any place
or any weather, layering them on top of warmer clothes.
That is not to say that any type of clothing is superior.
I am a strong believer in wearing
whatever inspires you or makes you feel comfortable.
Anyway, back to my cinnamon buns.
It wouldn't be me
if I didn't do something extra to spice these buns up.
I call these
“sticky caramel apple cinnamon buns” and they turned out so good.
Inspired by caramel apples,
which I always want to eat but I actually don't like.
And my love for apple pies with tons of cinnamon.
I still have a lot of apples left from that time
I went apple picking in the orchard
and I had to put them to good use.
I seem to be baking quite often lately
and a lot of people are shocked by the amounts of sugar
I consume.
So I thought I'd share some of my secrets today.
There are a few ways how I manage to bake,
(which I do probably once a month, not every day or week)
and not consume it all.
Sharing with neighbours is one of them.
I have a couple of friendly neighbours
I can share my cakes with,
and it's a bit of a new and awkward thing for me to do
as previously,
I never even spoke to neighbours
in my big city apartment block.
Things are slightly different nowadays.
I also freeze some baked goods
and eat them whenever I'm in the mood at a later time.
Or sometimes I simply eat a cake for breakfast
while eating a lot of veggies
and healthy foods for lunch and dinner.
I am a sweet breakfast type of person,
usually gravitating towards
a warming oat porridge
with fruit, so cake is a happy alternative.
Also, if you ever tried to follow one of my recipes,
I often mention in the description
that I add way less sugar than regular recipes call for.
Sometimes I cut sugar by half.
I have a sweet tooth and a great love
for chocolate, cinnamon and fruit pies.
But to be honest, most commercial cakes
or typical sweet
recipes are still unbearably sweet for my taste.
Autumn associates with all of my favorite foods
sweet and savory, from pies to cozy soups and stews.
I wonder if you'd be interested in seeing any savory
meal ideas.
I don't really post my videos as instructional, but rather
an inspiration for seasonal living.
If you are interested in seeing more of the
realistic autumnal inspiration and cooking,
please do let me know.
Thank you so much
for spending this quiet October day with me.
I will see you next time.