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One of the many very nice things about going to my sister's wedding was that it was in Herefordshire, which is such a beautiful county. At this time of year, and luckily for us with the weather, the colours are gorgeous, the apples are ripe, and the fields are stubbled ('the stubble plains with rosy hue'). My mum and I went for a walk along the field edges with my niece and with some friends and their scrumbly new baby (he's just unfolding to the world, with little feet poking out from under the blanket -- delicious). It was a perfect morning, before the festivities, not least because I don't get to go for a walk with my mum very often and she's a very good companion.

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Bit blurry and woozy photos from the pre-wedding dinner for my sister. This was Friday evening in a pretty amazing country house where we all stayed in Herefordshire. Most of my pictures were of flowers and the beautiful surroundings, but here are some that record us being sociable - since that's pretty unusual. It was lovely to see good friends.

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I hear it's been lovely and warm down South, but no such luck here. It's getting really chilly -- we've had the fire on one evening already. This weekend we hung up an insulated curtain across the front door to block drafts and provide warmth, and I went to the wonderful Mandors to get fabric for another to insulate the kitchen door. I recently finished this pair of socks for wearing of an evening in front of the telly (a short version of this excellent pattern) and have started a woolly jumper for the doglet's co-owner (his first from me!). I'm using yarn from New Lanark, which we visited in July. Not that it's ever really felt like Summer here this year, but now it seems to have given up altogether and I don't know how we'll bear it in real Winter. On the plus side, there's been some good telly. As well as the Great British Bake Off, of course (Mary Berry is so nice) we've really been enjoying Parade's End. We also recently finished the box-set of Hit and Miss, which was brilliant, if horrible, dark and gory.

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I really love living in a country with seasons, especially now. Having said that, I have a mixed relationship with Autumn -- on the double plus side it's time for new pencils, ink, warmer clothes and Brambly Hedge-type foraging. On the less good side is the grip of anxiety in the night as you realise it's term-time again. Yet, summer fruit and veg have been quite confused this year making it all of a scramble in my (tiny) mind as to what the hell season we are in. We were sad that there just weren't any broad beans in any of the shops at all, right up until about 2 weeks ago. This summer's been such a washout and I feel sorry for the plants, bees, animals -- all the guys that are muddled. The blackberries haven't had enough sun to warm them properly either, poor lambs. But now they and the broad beans are here together... I made the buns by adapting a recipe so that it now included plums, and blackberries from a nearby hedgerow (a couple of empty cans and bottles of Tennants and Bucky obliging stashed in said hedge saved this from being a nauseatingly rural scene). Very nice -- good as a pudding, but equally for breakfast.

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My very lovely sister is getting married in two weeks' time! Very much looking forward to going to Wales, and being in Herefordshire apple-land. We had a hen weekend a few weeks' ago to celebrate her -- expertly arranged and hosted by my ace co-bridesmaids. I had the task of making a gift for our bridal hen. My sister and I have had the privilege of being brought up by a father with an expert eye for pattern spotting. And this he focuses into watching birds -- not just watching them, but collecting beautiful books about them, making lists of species, charts of geographies. Many, many weekends in childhood were all about binoculars, hides, telescopes and standing still, waiting for Dad, on sea walls and industrial waste lands. So it made sense to make an 'Observer's Field Guide' to my sister, based on those so beloved by our earnest father. Everyone sent me their notes on what they had observed of her during lots of lovely friendships: plumage, diet, call, habitat, and so on. I put them together with lots of photos of her, annotated with observations, and sketches of birds to give the general feel. I made it through Photobox's book option, which ended up looking great, but drove me insane. But it was a perfect weekend of celebration, and she was absorbed by poring over the book, Dad-style, all the next day -- which is just what we wanted.