It’s October people! Whaaatttt?! Yup. We are on that downward slope to the end of the year, short days, dark days, and colder weather. If you missed this list last week (and the one before), I’m sorry! I’ve been on book deadline and have also started traveling again for work so I have not had a moment to read anything unessential. But I am glad to be back here again. The book has gone in (cue dancing girls and twirling fireworks) so now I’m waiting for editorial feedback. Also, it is A-‘s birthday today! I spent the weekend making salted caramel for cake, and preparing gifts.

Chefs helping out in Puerto Rico.

Fish have a dawn chorus too! This is just wonderful.

The disconnect between our real lives and our online lives, as illustrated by a fake food festival.

I read my first Agatha Christie last week! I know crazy right? I chose Murder on the Orient Express. I found it superbly comforting (which is weird because it is a detective story) but in the same manner as Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (which we have been watching with delight), the stories are reassuring rather than scary. Everything always works out in the end. And I love the time period of the novels – the clothes, the formality of dinner – it makes train travel sound delightful. I’m going to borrow some more from the library now, to read while I’m traveling. And if you need a reason to read or reread Murder on the Orient Express, the movie is coming out next month and looks epic.

On academic engagement with the public.

This cartoon .

Books challenged in 2016 for being various stages of ‘inappropriate’.

I read this post on a gloomy Saturday morning and was transported to the wild forests of Sweden. The images alone are magical but the prose takes you into a forest-foodie heaven.

I subscribe to a lot of newsletters. It helps with finding things to read for these posts but also connects me into communities of thought that I might otherwise miss. This last week my inbox has been full of bloggers and writers celebrating the arrival of autumn. I love getting these kinds of posts. They are simple reminders of the importance of gratitude and the wonder of everyday life. Some of my favourites are here, here, here, and here.

I very much want to make this pasta with chickpeas for dinner soon. And I love the sound of this pistachio frosting. I do love all things pistachio.

A list of podcasts you could listen to. I randomly, and totally by accident, listened to an episode of Stuff You Should Know this week. It was great. Entertaining, funny, full of random facts (I do so love a random fact) and peppered with superbly interesting people.  Other podcasts I’ve made my way through recently: The Guilty Feminist (the last two episodes were totally brilliant and make me laugh out loud while walking in the street); Eating Alone – new from BBC Radio 4 Food Programme, and Violet Sessions, dealing with grief.

On weeds. On farming.

Sculpture making with wine corks.

Recognising that we cannot live in a ‘constant state of agitation’ is hugely important. Recently I have become increasingly interested in the connections between learning through the body and learning through the mind. I have a paper idea in my head so I guess it is at the back of my own mind, these embodied connections. I read this with fascination – all about the connections between our bodies and our minds.

OMG. Pasta grannies teaching you to make pasta via videos on YouTube. This is BRILLIANT. (Found via SK list).

I also finished Love of Country: A Hebridean Journey. I was expecting a book on the wilds of the islands, the natural world that exists within them, and a personal journey of discovery. This book is that but it is also a commentary on making a nation, the politics of islands, and the intricate histories that the Hebrides have. A truly great read.

Interesting ideas on creativity and minimalism.

A very elegant and interesting piece about knitting for organisations who then donate some money from sales of their products to charity.