Autumn cosiness
Trying to be good about the weather and the dark and not freak out about winter. I say 'autumn' cosiness but as far as I'm concerned it's basically winter now.
Things that are going to make me feel better: Keeping things tidy. Slow cooking. Writing dumb and soppy things. Practising my handwriting and other little hobbies. Turning on lamps. Hot water bottles. Pampering - I call it 'pampering' but it's literally just putting on hand cream. Listening to a song but like just listening to a song. Going out in the weather. Wearing more socks. Swanning around in my dressing gown like it's a housecoat.
Deliberately not talking about food because I'm trying not to eat my feelings but I did recently cook a lot of soup and dal and I need to take my vitamins.
I'm currently reading and very much enjoying The Making of Home by Judith Flanders, which is wonderfully domestic and has influenced all these other picks. More historical nonfiction would include Ruth Goodman's books.
Straddling history and nature is The Making of the English Landscape by WG Hoskins from 1954 which I read at university and have a nice old hardback of.
All the nature books! Wildwood: A Journey Through Trees by Roger Deakin, weirdly I've read his swimming book, but not the original trees. The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot by Robert Macfarlane is on hold at the library. I've been meaning to read Hidden Nature: A Voyage of Discovery by Alys Fowler for a while now. I've read a few of the wintering-type books but I wouldn't be against any others showing up.
On the fiction side I think I'm going to reread Cranford. I love Cranford. I did just get All Creatures Great and Small, which I haven't read since I was a kid, because I was writing a 1930s Scottish vet character who works in Yorkshire. Rereading seems a very cosy sort of a thing to do.
Stories I've not read I might see if I can find would be A Month in the Country by JL Carr, One Fine Day by Mollie Panter-Downes from 1947, and Village School by Miss Read set in the 1950s which apparently is very much James Herriot in a school.
Then there's a fic nicknamed 'Wellies' with Damp Vibes that I might have to reread in honour of the season. Helps that it's amazing.
For some reason autumn and winter make me come over all historical. Including on tv. Low stakes history, no battles, and my wife tells me to look away when they are boiling half a sheep or something. I've got some favourite chill youtube gardening channels but autumn is not a time for thinking about gardening.
We've been rewatching Victorian Farm and Edwardian Farm, a living history documentary. Featuring Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands, and Peter Ginn. It's gentle and fascinating and even though we've watched them both at least three times I am learning. My wife pointed out you can tell it's older because there aren't any drone shots. Now there would be constant drone shots.
There's a bunch of historic farm shows. Also Secrets of the Castle where Ruth and Peter go to a medieval castle build in France, and Full Steam Ahead where the crew do Victorian railways.
Monty Don's Mastercrafts which I think is online but PHP has broken the internet or something so the page is currently down. Then pretty much anything with Lucy Worsley.
On youtube Ruth Goodman has a playlist on History Extra, I like Advice for time travelling to medieval Europe from Premodernist. Then there's Modern History TV, Absolute History, History Hit, and the BBC Archive. Not history but very lovely and inspiring is Andrewism.
Perhaps I shall also take a turn about the Louvre, the Natural History Museum, the National Gallery, and loads of others.
The National Trust has virtual visits including fun behind the scenes films. I love a living history museum but a lot of their learning stuff is aimed at schools. Though Butser has its own youtube channel.
Also Explore for its various nature livestreams that are nice to have playing in the background.