Ten Autumn days and one glamorous velvet evening

Autumn has arrived once more here in Australia, and it’s a different kind of beauty than the one I grew up with in England. There, the season always carried a certain dampness. Stunning misty mornings that curled around the hedgerows, but also the ever-present drizzle that turned leaves to mush before you could enjoy them. I do miss those soft mists, the way they made everything feel hushed and hidden, but I must say, there’s something wonderful about the crispness of an Australian autumn. The air is dry and golden, and the leaves? They crunch underfoot just like they did when I was little.

It’s a certain a kind of joy that doesn’t age. A little reminder that no matter how many responsibilities the day holds, there’s always time to pause for something simple and good.

Today I’ve felt like we finally stepped into a quieter season, our major late summer plans that took me away from my writing desk are now over, and I couldn’t resist updating you, to share the loveliness of the past month or two, and for my own records too.

A memorable Easter with old friends and new memories

We had some of our best friends come to stay over the Easter break. Ten whole days of company and conversation, of shared meals and lingering mornings over coffee. Our resident Huntsman (spider) “Bob”, even came out to welcome them on their first night with us! Thankfully he lives outside, and you’ll usually find him hanging out on the outbuilding in the garden which we turned into a cinema room.

Pertti, Nicky, and Josephine were welcomed with some gift baskets after their epic flights to get here. It’s a far cry from simply crossing the village park to walk to each other’s homes as we happily did for 9 years. Bless them, they were so tired when they arrived.

I am so thankful for your ideas of what to fill the gift baskets I put together. I made up a “His and Hers”, as well as one for their daughter too. With a new insulated water bottle each, some toiletries, lip balm, throat sweets, chocolates, hair drying turbans for the girls, and some books on subjects they like.

It was also nice to get things spic-n-span, and dress the house for Easter, even though the roses drooped within days due to the heat!

In my excitement to host and make it the best experience possible, I bought a drip coffee machine that I’ve christened Lorelai. Nicky and I used to go on many coffee dates together, and her husband Pert loves a strong coffee. Lorelai did us proud during the visit - our mornings certainly were “coffee coffee coffee” before we headed out on adventures. It’s the best thing to wake up to!

It was dirt cheap compared to whats out there in the market, and is not at all fancy and fandangled - very 1990s if you will - before coffee got all trendy, expensive and complicated!  (Linked here if you’re interested, we have it in white). There’s something about the sound and smell of coffee brewing that takes me straight back to my childhood. It reminds me of early mornings in our family homes in Copenhagen, waking up to the comforting scent of fresh coffee drifting through the air. It’s a simple memory, but one that’s stayed with me. Familiar, grounding, and quietly nostalgic. A memory of slow holiday mornings and the simple joy of being with people you love - a perfect way to begin the day during our time with friends.

Capturing the magic of childhood at the Harry Potter Exhibition in Melbourne

One of the highlights of our time together was going to the the Harry Potter Exhibition, which is currently based in Melbourne. Our friend’s are die-hard Potterheads.

We wandered through room after room of magical artefacts and life-sized set recreations. It was a bit busy, and an incredibly hot day, with no air conditioning, but still a fun day out. We moved through each room earning points for our houses (go Gryffindor!), with our chosen wands - my choice was Queenie Goldstein’s, not least because Queenie is my husband’s nickname for me, but it is made of rosewood (fav flower) and has a grip made of mother of pearl. A whole chapter in Ladies Like Us makes sense of my love for pearls…

I made a point of trying to find the tributes to Luna Lovegood, my all-time favourite Harry Potter character, she just pips Hermoine, and I’m quite fond of Mrs Sprout too, I’m actually quite keen on Herbology in real life!

There’s something about Luna that has always captured my heart. She’s soft-spoken but strong, dreamy yet grounded in her own delightful way.

I love how she’s never afraid to be herself, even when others don’t understand her. There’s a quiet wisdom to her, a kindness that’s both quirky and profound. Wise beyond her years.

I wish I’d had the confidence to be more “Luna” in my teenage years instead of following the crowd. She wore her quirks like a charm, while I spent too long trying to blend in.

A few days later, we visited a wildlife sanctuary - you can’t come to Australia and not see koalas and kangaroos, right? As we wandered through the open grounds, a giant kangaroo got up from its slumber, nudged its way under the rope and hopped right past me as it headed to another paddock. It was SO close I could feel the roughness of its fur against my hand. I absolutely froze and held my breath, my heart pounding. I think everyone around us held their breaths too… a little bit wide eyed, stood stock still and unsure of what to do. I wasn’t expecting such an up close and personal wildlife experience that day! There’s something humbling about standing that near to a wild creature, not knowing exactly what it might do, but trusting the moment anyway.

What surprised me most, though, was how captivated I was by the sanctuary’s animal hospital, where visitors can watch the vets at work through big viewing windows. It was utterly fascinating and I could have observed them at work for hours. It was by far my favourite part of the day, without question. We watched an orphaned baby Possum who’d fallen out of its nest having an X-ray, and a koala having its teeth cleaned, and honestly, it was the most unexpectedly emotional thing. A very different kind of entertainment than I’m used to, but I was completely absorbed. There’s something so beautiful about watching people care for God’s creatures with such gentleness and skill.

I’m so thankful that even though the trip flew by, we managed to share a real taste of Australia’s diverse beauty with them. From driving them up high and winding roads that cut through dense rainforest to reveal pretty mountain towns (one nicknamed “Fake Forks” by Nicky because it reminded her of the Twilight movies), to shell-hunting by the bay, taking them to “Ramsay Street”, wild kangaroo sightings, vineyard farmers markets, and family dinners out at our favourite restaurants - it felt like we crammed a whole scrapbook of memories into those precious days.

Besties since they were three

Side-by-side in motherhood and home

There’s also something truly special about having another wife in the home, someone who understands the quiet, unseen work of homemaking and gladly joins in with it. We cooked together, tidied as we chatted, and it’s wonderful having that kind of friendship where you don’t need to explain anything because you both just know what needs to be done. It felt like a gentle symphony of service and care, and I treasured every bit of it. Nicky has been my “ride or die” friend since our children were very small. If I was ever ill, she would pack up her daughter and camp out at mine to look after Arlo so that I could rest. No favour was ever too big to ask her, acts of service are her love language, and she was one of the hardest people to say goodbye to. Our friendship was woven together in the quiet, tender moments of shared motherhood and homemaking. We have the kind of sisterly love that doesn’t announce itself, but lingers gently in folded laundry, washed dishes, simple morning coffee dates and chats at each other’s home, and the warmth of doing life with a friend side by side. She still updates me on the village gossip back home too. Just like a real friend should ;)

A stolen girly date - just us

Celebrating our traditional “Friendsgiving” dinner

Since it was Autumn and the air carried that golden, harvest-like feel, we decided to forgo the usual Easter lunch and instead held our traditional “Friendsgiving” dinner on Easter Sunday. We’ve been celebrating Thanksgiving together as families since the children were four years old, and we felt sad missing out on the last two.

It has always been a lovely thing to celebrate together. We’re two little families of three, each one of us perfectly matched - a long friendship between Carl and Pertti who were co-workers once upon a time, the kind of soul-sister bond Nicky and I treasure, and a childhood closeness between Arlo and Josephine.

Our menu stayed true to tradition - well, our tradition! We swapped turkey for chicken this year as I could only find minced turkey (I did try to find some at the Aussie butcher: “Turkey? That’s for Christmas, darl!”). I also made “Auntie Lena’s meatloaf”, as named so by Josephine, but really all credit belongs to Paula Deen, alongside creamy sweet potato mash and garlicky green beans. It may not tick every box on the traditional Thanksgiving list, but it’s the meal we’ve come to love. Simple, delicious, and perfectly suited to two families sharing the table without spending all day in the kitchen.

Nicky made her famous key lime pie with its perfectly tart filling and biscuity crust - even though it took us a while to get it right! The cream here is so different to the UK, so we had a giggle over having to start all over again and making an emergency dash to the store. Of course, we still honoured Easter morning with hot cross buns toasted with butter, chocolate spread, a side of fresh raspberries and a few mini eggs (that Nicky flew in for us), just for fun. She even bought me a good little stash of Emma Bridgewater napkins and an Easter tea towel which I adore. Unfortunately the shipping to Australia is too expensive to justify, but I have found Finch & Lane here in Oz to get my EB fix but she sadly doesn’t import the seasonal stuff, just core ranges.

My favourite memory of Easter was the Sunday morning. Me, full of Easter spirit: “He has Risen!” Nicky, eyeing the guest room door and her husband walking out of it: “Yes, he has.”

The ensuing laughter later that day when she caught on that I was talking about Jesus, and not her husband? Blinkin’ hilarious!

In the evenings, after the dishes were done and the house began to wind down, we treated ourselves to a few girl’s nights, just the two of us tucked up on the couch with warm drinks or a glass of red wine, pretending it was Halloween - watching Hocus Pocus is a mutual favourite. This year we watched Twilight, Practical Magic and Sleepy Hollow, those beautifully eerie autumnal films that wrap you up in candlelight, spooksville, magic, and falling leaves. I don’t really “celebrate” or decorate for Halloween, but I do like the lighthearted end of the spectrum, and atmospheric stuff. Especially the “good trumps evil” genre, I guess you could call it “PG Halloween”.

Meanwhile, the men were quite content watching action movies in the cinema room with the beer fridge within reach, and the kids hung out playing in the garden until late on the swing or ran about the rest of the house playing hide-and-seek like the old days. Except this time it was way funnier watching growing gangly pre-teens trying to find places to squeeze themselves into.

Of course, we also hosted a proper Aussie BBQ! Introducing our oldest friends to our new ones. The gas bottle ran out, a neighbour came to our rescue, lots of food and wine was consumed, and the adults collapsed into fits of laughter playing Cards Against Humanity which I’d never experienced before. That one is a shocker, haha!

Saying goodbye at the end of their stay was hard. I don’t like goodbyes, so waved farewell on the front porch as Carl drove them to the airport. I heard there were more tears (which is what I wanted to avoid), and instead set about reminding myself that we’ll see them again very soon, which we will! I also turned my focus to the mountains of laundry, and setting the house straight again after a rather relaxed schedule, and much-needed break from routine for us all.

I’ve also been trying to squeeze in time here and there to work on my new book, but I must admit, it’s been a challenge. Between hosting friends, embracing every last drop of an Indian summer, saying “yes” to spontaneous invitations, tending to our home, and embracing the full, but beautiful life of a housewife, uninterrupted writing time has been scarce. Still, I hold hope that the slower pace of the coming winter season will bring with it a bit more quiet and a gentler routine, giving me the margin I need to sit down, write, and see this project through.

An evening of glamour before Winter’s hush descends

This past weekend, I had the joy of attending a family friend’s “Bold and Beautiful” themed 60th birthday celebration! I wore a deep navy velvet gown adorned with a satin one-shouldered bow, topped with my vintage 1950s mink coat and gold 1930s-inspired evening shoes from Danish designer “Memery”. They’re so comfortable (I think the secret is the Spanish heel, they’re like Ballroom shoes), and the design is really versatile despite the fact that they are a vintage style, I’ve worn them with more modern outfits too!

I tried to channel the elegance of old Hollywood starlets as the invitation said to come in what makes you feel bold and beautiful - to wear what you’ve always wanted to. It’s been a while since I wore something this dressy, and I’m glad to say that I felt beautiful, confident, and feminine. However, styling my hair was, and always will be an absolute pain — It’s just so time consuming, and I always seem to lose interest half way through!

If I ever won the lottery I’d be quite tempted to pay a lady to come and do my hair every day! Why did we ever stop going to the salon once a week to get our hair done? That was a “thing” back in the day, how nice for our Grandmas!

I forgot to get a nice full length picture as I was too busy on the dance floor, so the dressing room “fit check” will have to do.

Pro Tip: send pics to your friends and/or husband for a second opinion when shopping alone, and go have a coffee while you wait for a reply. Better yet, take pics, put the dress on hold, sleep on your decision and go back the next day for the dress if you love it (and can afford the time). It helps stop impulse purchases. Thanks to Steph and Pippa for helping me! To my Carly as well for the spoiling budget.

I popped a little musing about dressing-up and being a bit “extra glam” on The Darling Academy Facebook page the other day, and lots of us agreed that we need more occasions to dress up. It’s such a shame how casual everything has become, even restaurant dinners and parties feel far too dressed-down these days. There’s something really fun and uplifting about making more of an effort.

Wouldn’t it be lovely to bring a little more beauty and ceremony back into our everyday lives?

I know not every day can be glamorous, especially when much of our time is spent in service to others and tending to daily chores, but there are still ways to weave small moments of beauty and elegance into the everyday. As I step into my 40th year, I’ve been reflecting deeply on how many things we quietly set aside, thinking we’ll return to them “someday.” But life moves quickly, and we aren’t promised tomorrow.

What is it you still long to do? What makes you feel wonderful? For me, it’s dancing. My grandparents were graceful ballroom dancers, and I can still see them, gliding across the floor doing the Quickstep! I took lessons as a girl and again as a teen, but adulthood swept in, and the music faded. Now, I want it back, not just the steps, but the glamour, the joy, the beauty, the rhythm of living fully. What’s calling you back to life?

So my dear friends, I know this has been a rather long letter, and it’s time for me to step away from the screen and back into the routine of home life. The house is still again, and I’m easing back into the gentle routine I treasure so much, glowing candles, warm cups of tea, soup bubbling on the stove, and laundry swaying softly on the line. Hopefully a little more writing. Autumn has a lovely way of drawing us inward, not just into our homes, but into reflection, warmth, and gratitude. I’m thankful for friends, for cosy corners, for little moments of glamour, but mostly for life’s simplest joys.

I hope this season is being gentle with you too, wherever you are. Do write soon, I’d truly love to hear how your autumn (or spring!) is unfolding.

With love from my cosy corner of the world,