October – my favourite month – darker nights, cosy blankets, thick socks, long boots, black cats, any cat, pumpkins, soup, apples, autumn colours, falling leaves, cooler weather, jackets, hats, scarves, gloves, hot chocolate, acorns, conkers, candles, frost, squirrels, bats, toadstools, mushrooms, magic, Halloween, and more…
What do you love about October?
‘I’m from long flowing skirts and Dr Martens,
swishing and clumping down the street…
…I’m from kicking through leaves, golden, red, russet, and brown,
and splashing through puddles, letting the joy of life infuse me.’
You can find more about who I am on my blog’s About Me, but these things are intrinsic to my soul and boots have always been part of my life – from my very first pair of Dolcis grey suede pixie boots way back in the eighties, to Feud, and Fly, and Hotter, and Docs… I don’t generally do heels, and I live in boots pretty much all twelve months of the year, bar a few hot summer weeks!
Docs are the perfect boots for artists and creative types – there are so many customised docs out there, from Dr Martens and from artists – perhaps that’s why they resonate with me so much. I love switching laces and ribbons, and they look great with anything, jeans, tulle, long skirts, short skirts, lace, anything. They are the basis of my wardrobe!
Arcadia 1460 Cherry Red © Lisa Shambrook
Last Christmas I got Arcadia 1460 in Cherry Red, and red ribbons and burgundy tulle just worked! When winter closes in I’ll be back in my 1420 black boots, 20 eye long boots (currently unavailable at Dr Martens), which see me through the rain and snow! And next on my list will be 1490’s, or 1914, or 1B99 Virginia… how will I choose?
Recently, I bought JMW Turner ‘Fishermen At Sea’ 1460 Cristal Suede Dr Martens, inspired by Turner and his paintings found at the Tate gallery (also currently not available in store). I adore being able to wear art on my feet!
JMW Turner 1460 Dr Martens ‘Fishermen at sea’ © Lisa Shambrook
As a rule, docs need wearing in, and I suggest investing in preventative blister plasters as you do so, but in a few weeks you will be wearing the most comfortable boots ever! And my Turner Cristal Suede boots were so soft they needed no wearing in at all.
I was surprised when I read the reviews that several people had returned their Turner boots due to the crackle leather wearing. First off, Cristal Suede is designed to become distressed and peel a little on first use to reveal the base contrasting colour. Secondly, they only shed a tiny amount of paint and you can easily protect the boots.
I bought, as advised, when I contacted Dr Martens for care instructions, Crep Protect, a hydrophobic protection spray. Two coats and any liquid rolls right off the leather.
Dr Martens uses crackle leather (Cristal Suede) on several boot designs – I really want ‘Power, Corruption & Lies’ Joy Division 1460’s – and knowing how to keep them well looked after is imperative to enjoying your boots.
1420 Dr Martens © Lisa Shambrook
Though expensive, these boots are tough, long lasting, and can be repaired when necessary. My daughter is a cobbler, and when my DM soles came away she was quick to point out it wasn’t Dr Martens fault, my car heater was to blame – a common problem with aiming the heat at your feet throughout winter – it can melt away the glue that holds the sole to the boot or shoe. I was glad my beloved docs could be resoled; however, I’ll be keeping direct heat off my feet during cold winters!
1420 Boots – Arcadia 1460 – JMWTurner 1460 © Lisa Shambrook
I often give my characters Dr Martens – Jasmine in Beneath the Distant Star (release date 11th December 2018) wears Cherry Red docs, and Loren also wears Dr Martens in The Seren Stone Chronicles, currently being written… They’re going to be my boot of choice for a very long time!
Look after your docs and they’ll look after you…
So, Dm’s are my mainstay and I love them.
What are your favourite boots?
Autumn is the season that inspires me – a season of falling autumn leaves, woollies, hats and gloves, boots, hot chocolate and autumn tone jewellery, cosy cats, apples, acorns, conkers, Halloween and pumpkins, candles, toadstools, and autumn colours of bronze, brown, red, amber, yellow, silver, and gold.
What do you love about Autumn?
Yellow Leaves – Oak and Acorn and Acer © Lisa Shambrook
The leaves fall patiently, Nothing remembers or grieves,
the river takes to the sea, the yellow drift of leaves.
– Sara Teasdale
Woollies and Sweaters and Boots © Lisa Shambrook
Fallen leaves are autumn’s equivalent to snow – they bring out the child in you.
– Anon
Hot Chocolate and Autumn Jewels © Lisa Shambrook
The morns are meeker than they were, the nuts are getting brown;
the berry’s cheek is plumper, the rose is out of town.
The maple wears a gayer scarf, the field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned, I’ll put a trinket on.
– Emily Dickinson (Nature 27 – Autumn)
Cosy Cats © Lisa Shambrook
Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it,
and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.
– George Eliot
Apples – Acorns – Conkers © Lisa Shambrook
A few days ago I walked along the edge of the lake and was treated to the crunch and rustle of leaves with each step I made. The acoustics of this season are different and all sounds, no matter how hushed, are as crisp as autumn air.
– Eric Sloan
Halloween – Candles – Autumn Colours © Lisa Shambrook
Colors burst in wild explosions, fiery, flaming shades of fall.
All in accord with my pounding heart, behold the autumn-weaver,
in bronze and yellow dying. Colors unfold into dreams,
in hordes of a thousand and one.
The bleeding, unwearing their masks to the last notes of summer.
Their flutes and horns in nightly swarming. Colors burst within.
Spare me those unending fires, bestowed upon the flaming shades of fall…
– Dark Tranquility (With the Flaming Shades of Fall)
Toadstools © Lisa Shambrook
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
– Albert Camus
What are you loving this autumn?
Winter is the season of warmth and chill –
the warmth of sharing and loving and the chill of blizzards.
Night Sky and Scented Candles…
I love it when the clocks go back… Night draws in and the stars twinkle with winter diamonds, and this winter Venus has sparkled like a gem in the sky. Inside, I burn scented candles: Cherry Vanilla, Chocolate, Berry Trifle, Honey Clementine, and the sweet aroma of Macaroon, Apple Strudel, and Snowflake Cookie waft down the stairs from my daughters’ rooms…
© Lisa Shambrook
Frosted Leaves and Winter Trees…
I adore the bling that Jack Frost brings, sifting icing sugar across nature.
Leaves fall from trees, leaving them bare, and swathe the ground in glittered jewels.
Moss, the emerald survivor of the season, carpets the forest floor
and adorns the naked trees, clothing them in winter beauty.
© Lisa Shambrook
Warm Boots, Hats, Gloves, Scarves, and Cosy Blankets…
Don your best boots, wrap a cosy scarf about your neck, pull on a hat, and slip your hands into fleecy gloves – and you’re all set to wander out in the winter wonderland. If that doesn’t entice you, then snuggle down beneath a warm blanket and enjoy the central heating!
© Lisa Shambrook
Woodland Walks and Winter Landscapes…
The skies are a mixture of clear and frosty, rainy and dull, and rolling mist and fog,
enjoy those late sunrises and early sunsets and warm up with a walk.
© Lisa Shambrook
Hot Chocolate and Winter Baking…
Baking takes centre stage with Christmas on the cards
from cookies, cakes, and pastries to hearty soups and winter cuisine.
Enjoy homemade fayre and settle with a steaming mug of creamy hot chocolate…
© Lisa Shambrook
Winter Flowers…
Delicate fairy-bell snowdrops peep through the snow or push through the soil to bring
new growth to the dormant season, accompanied by the beauty of hellebores.
Let winter flowers bring colour and hope.
© Lisa Shambrook
Ruby Red Berries…
Like flowers, red berries, often associated with Christmas, shine bright like rubies, especially against the frost and snow, and they’re great sustenance for birds coping with the cold.
© Lisa Shambrook
Christmas Joys…
My favourite holiday season is Christmas; it’s filled with so much joy and so much meaning. There are a multitude of celebrations during winter, all wrapped in lights, warmth, and love.
I love the Christmas cake, decorations, gifts, giving, food, and family time –
a time for peace and goodwill to all…
© Lisa Shambrook
All That Glitters…
Glitter everywhere – frost, snow, jewellery, stars, Christmas decorations, lights.
December glistens with Christmas sparkle,
and the rest of winter embraces the shimmer of nature
and the crackle of fire in the hearth.
© Lisa Shambrook
A Crystalline Carpet of Snow…
When it snows I hurry to my window to watch the fluffy white stuff then rush outside to let it fall around me! That moment when you wake up and look outside and see a blanket of snow sparkling in the early morning sun is pure magic.
© Lisa Shambrook
How is your Winter and what do you love about it most?
© Lisa Shambrook
Check out The Best Bits of Autumn…
Autumn shows us the beauty of letting go and cosying up together…
Warm Blankets and Snug Sweaters…
Don’t you just love cosying up?
© Lisa Shambrook
Revitalising Hot Chocolate…
Nothing better than a delicious hot chocolate to warm up an autumn day!
© Lisa Shambrook
Back to Boots…
I love my boots, Dr Martens and anything I can kick leaves in!
© Lisa Shambrook
Pumpkins, Halloween, Fire and Fireworks…
Dressing up is definitely our thing, light up the dark nights!
© Lisa Shambrook
Homecooked Soup and Comfort Food…
Coming home on a frosty day to a beautiful hot meal!
© Lisa Shambrook
Falling Leaves…
I’m a child at heart, kicking through crunchy leaves and loving the colours!
© Lisa Shambrook
Woodland Walks and Strolls…
Early sunsets, turning leaves and that freshness keep me on my toes!
© Lisa Shambrook
Scarves, Hats and Gloves…
Stay warm, snuggle up in your favourite coat and accessories!
© Lisa Shambrook
Acorns and Conkers…
Yep, I am a squirrel…
© Lisa Shambrook
Jack Frost’s Chill…
The thrill of the chill and the delight of breathing dragon smoke is mine!
© Lisa Shambrook
How is your Autumn and what’s your favourite bit so far?
© Lisa Shambrook
“Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves,
We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!”
Humbert Wolfe
Autumn is my most favourite season, closely followed by Winter…
find out why and tell me why you love Autumn too!
Dawn’s blush © Lisa Shambrook
Watching dawn’s sliver of pink spread across the indigo sky…
Autumn’s fruit – conkers and acorns © Lisa Shambrook
Acorns, conkers, horse chestnuts, hazelnuts…
not the actual nuts, but I love acorn cups, shiny conkers and nut shells!
Ward off the chill © Lisa Shambrook
Hunting out your favourite hats and gloves,
twining soft scarves around your neck and wrapping up in the chill.
Boots… © Lisa Shambrook
Boots…need I say more?
Discover discoveries… © Lisa Shambrook
Apples are finally in season and our trees offer a
harvest of Discoveries and Worcester,
and then I enjoy my most favourite Russets.
Soft woolly jumpers! © Lisa Shambrook
Jumpers. I’m Scrooge when it comes to turning on the heating,
so I grab a jumper instead. Find your favourite cable knit and stay warm.
Time to dress up – way back in the year 2000! © Lisa Shambrook
Halloween, the best chance of the year to dress up and have fun!
Don’t ever miss a hug… © Lisa Shambrook
Cuddles to keep warm, nothing better than cosying up with the ones you love.
Hugs, especially when they last over a minute, make you feel good!
Cuddle on the sofa and enjoy the new season of TV after summer’s screen drought.
Slipping on the leather jacket… gloves, hats and scarves… © Lisa Shambrook
Jackets, leather ones to be precise…
I live in my leather jacket and love slipping back into it!
Twilight magic… © Lisa Shambrook
Twilight and dusk…I adore being able to stand in the chill of evening and stare up at the stars. Darker evenings give me a sense of adventure and awe.
Hot Chocolate…Mmmm… © Lisa Shambrook
Hot Chocolate… hot chocolate with marshmallows (if that’s your thing) and cream,
wrap your hands around a mug and stay warm!
Glitter in the sky! © Lisa Shambrook
Fireworks! Watch the sky light up with sparkles of fire on the 5th of November!
Autumn crimson © Lisa Shambrook
Leaves…the turning of the leaves as the trees shed their summer apparel.
The colours of autumn delight, inspire and invigorate me…
Soup and bread… © Lisa Shambrook
Soups and casseroles, and fresh bread. My favourite is butternut squash
seasoned with black pepper and thyme…
Dragon smoke… © Lisa Shambrook
The enticing hint of frost that makes our breath swirl like dragon smoke!
…and the fact that after Halloween – Christmas is on its way… Yay!
“It was a beautiful bright autumn day, with air like cider
and a sky so blue you could drown in it.”
Diana Gabaldon, Outlander
Why do you love Autumn?
The Last Krystallos 