Hello October! Look forward to Autumnal Festivities

With temperatures dropping, it’s time for comfy jumpers, cosy meals, baking and autumnal festivities. 

In a blink of an eye, September came and went! Goodbye summer, and hello autumn. The days may be getting shorter, but I am looking forward to all the autumnal festivities. 

New School Year, New Routine

It was a very eventful September to say the least. Lady Yeya started Reception at her new school, which is a 15 minute walk from home. We are delighted to hear from her teacher that she is settling in well with her new routine. From what I can see on the Tapestry Journal, Lady Yeya is enjoying learning and forming new friendships with her classmates.

That said, one aspect I did not anticipate is the amount of school admin-related tasks with school-aged children. This includes watching Youtube updates from the Head Teacher, reading the school updates, and keeping on top of the school events. So far the communications have been seamless with all information centralised in the School Portal. I’m making it a routine to read through all the school updates on Saturday mornings. 

We’ve amended our daily routine slightly now that we have a school-aged kid. These days Kenz and I are up around 5am for a workout, or enjoy some quiet time. Lady Yeya is up at 7am. After breakfast, we’re out the door on our scooters no later than 8:05am to get to the school gates at 8:20am. The rule of thumb is whoever is working from home does the school runs. For the evening routine, it is important for us to have family dinner together no matter how busy we are with work deadlines. Then it’s the bath-book-bed routine. And lights out at 8pm sharp. By the end of the week, Lady Yeya is absolutely knackered with P.E., swimming, and after school multi-sports all on Fridays. 

One month in with this new school routine, I think we’re doing okay! We also attended a Cheese & Wine Night at her school to meet fellow Reception parents. It was nice to socialise outside the school gates. 

First Visitor in Three Years and Get Togethers

We hosted our good friend from California for a week at the end of September. He was our first visitor in three years due to Covid. Lady Yeya loved spending time with Uncle G who picked her up from school and read her bedtime stories. That is when he wasn’t out and about enjoying London as a single guy. Kenz and Uncle G did the whole tourist circuit, visiting different neighborhoods such as Shoreditch, Hampstead, and South Kensington as well as the British Museum, Science Museum, and the V&A. It was just good to have visitors and catch up on life over the past three years. Look forward to seeing more visitors in London soon! 

In addition to hosting Uncle G, we also organised a few BBQs for new families from Lady Yeya’s school and old London-based friends who we haven’t seen in a few years. It was a lot of grilling on the Big Green Egg, but always a pleasure to host friends, new and old. Look forward to hosting more cosy get togethers with our new Solo Stove, arrived just in time for all the autumnal festivities.

A Trip to Hewitt’s Farm to Welcome the Autumn Season

To kick off the autumn festivities, my friend organised an outing to the pumpkin patch at Hewitt’s Farm in Orpington. Although our girls attend different schools, I make an effort to schedule playdates and outings with friends from nursery regularly. 

We picked the 78-acre Hewitt Farm because it was the closest and most accessible pumpkin patch by train (closest station: Knockholt). You can also pick both cooking and eating apples, plums, and pears across the farm. But the highlight is the pumpkin patch. It’s not as big as the pumpkin patch at Stanhill Farm which we visited in 2020. But we did not mind. We were happy to enjoy the countryside and gorgeous autumnal weather. 

Tips for a fun visit to Hewitt Farm

• Bring wellies. I repeat:  bring wellies. It will be very muddy on the farm
• There is no picnic areas or cafe, so best to come before or after lunch
• There are wheelbarrow you can use in case you’re after an extra large pumpkin
• Bring extra bags for apple picking

At the end we got some XXL pumpkins to display in front of the fireplace. Bring on all the autumnal festivities!