Braced for colder winds

I went for a walk this morning and it was cold, the sort of cold that made me wish i had worn my gloves. It's all so strange then to see the flowers outside my sunroom blooming. Apparently (I read this in the papers), plants were confused by our cold, wet summer and now think that the slightly warmer (maybe last week, but definitely not today) and drier autumn means that it's time to be flowering. I find that to be quite funny.

On Wednesday, i decided to try out Heidi Swanson's anzac biscuit recipe. It's not a traditional recipe as these biscuits are usually made without orange rind but the inclusion of the rind and some orange juice made these biscuits smell heavenly when they were baking.

And they were just the thing for afternoon tea, paired with some Harvey Nichols english breakfast tea (a wedding present from Rachael which i have only just tried but have since declared it to be the best english breakfast tea in the world) in my new tea cup that Jon bought me. Such simple pleasures.

I saw the sun's rays shine through a layer of clouds this morning and light up the ocean. I could barely speak. Sights like this move me in a way nothing else can.

Yesterday, i had chai with Jena at Gertrude & Alice. Easy, comfortable conversation with a good friend over some tea and coffee can soothe the soul.

Nichole Norderman's "Every season" always, always makes me look forward to sunsets and the sweet smell of dusk.