October at the Cottage – Autumn in the North York Moors

2 hours ago

5 min read

Pumpkins, a possessed mother, a nearly divorced husband and a rather lovely new window!

Well, October has certainly been a busy one at The Green! Between getting the cottage ready for our autumn guests, a few family adventures and some rather last-minute dramas, there's been plenty going on. And, as usual, I've probably made more work for myself than strictly necessary!

A Little Autumn Sprucing Up

We've had some lovely improvements at the cottage this month, starting with our new kitchen window.

The old one was apparently over 100 years old, so we thought it was probably time for a replacement! Chris Carr Joinery has done an absolutely beautiful job. The new window looks as though it's always been there, which is quite a compliment really, considering all that hard work. And it actually opens and closes without a fight. What a novelty!

Our dining chairs have also had a much-needed makeover, courtesy of Peter Silk of Helmsley. There was nothing particularly wrong with them before, but the mismatched fabrics and my rather questionable DIY upholstery had been bugging me for ages. Now they're all beautifully matching and looking so smart.

I'm delighted with them, although I may have to introduce a strict no-smearing-your-dinner-on-the-chairs policy. At least for the first week!

Of course, no cottage improvements would be complete without a little drama.

My husband decided to replace the mechanism in our temperamental Roman blind just before the next guests arrived. Apparently, it was a 30-minute job. Several hours, a fair bit of swearing and some borrowed sewing bits later, he admitted defeat.

Thankfully, Peter Silk and his wonderful team came to the rescue, fixing it at 7.30am the following morning! We really can't thank them enough for being so kind and helping us out at such short notice.

Blind saved, guests happy and divorce proceedings cancelled… for now!

200 Miles for Pumpkins. Perfectly Normal Behaviour!

I absolutely love autumn, and our annual pumpkin-picking trip to The Flower Belt in Helmsley is one of my favourite traditions.

The only slight complication this year was that I was in Norfolk, and the pumpkins were in Yorkshire.

So, naturally, I drove 200 miles to collect them!

I know that sounds a little excessive, but we had guests arriving, The Flower Belt was only open at weekends and I do love their pumpkins. What else could I do?

We came away with some gorgeous ones for the cottage, although one particular pumpkin became such a favourite that it looked as though it might be heading back to Norfolk with us.

I'm not sure whether that counts as a successful shopping trip or a cry for help!

A Ghostly Day Out in York

We also managed a lovely family day out in York, which took a rather unexpected turn when I found myself being exorcised on a bus full of strangers!

I'd booked us onto the York Ghost Bus Tour for a bit of Halloween fun. What a brilliant evening! Spooky stories, hilarious entertainment and a wander around the Shambles.

Unfortunately, I was apparently possessed by a spirit called Margret and had to be exorcised in front of everyone. The children thought it was hilarious, and my husband was absolutely no help whatsoever.

He did, however, declare it one of the best things he's ever done in York, so that's quite something!

We also had great fun hunting for the ghostly figures hidden around the city as part of Ghosts in the Gardens. Both are well worth looking out for if you're visiting York during the Halloween season.

And don't worry, I'm fairly sure Margret stayed behind!

Tea, Leaflets and Other Little Obsessions

Back at The Green, my obsession with keeping the guest information up to date continues.

I genuinely get excited about finding a good leaflet. Everywhere I go, I'm collecting ideas for days out, places to eat, lovely shops and local walks. The information table is forever being rearranged, and I've even been back to the Visit York Information Centre to see what's new.

Yes, you can Google everything, but I still think there's something lovely about sitting down with a cup of tea and having a good browse through a pile of leaflets.

Speaking of tea, the guest basket has had an autumn refresh, with some lovely warming flavours from Beadlam Grange Farmshop, including apple and cinnamon, blackberry and raspberry, and lemon and ginger.

I've also discovered the updated North York Moors Outdoors app, which has gone straight into our guest guide. The boys have already spotted a challenging 50km gravel cycling route across Blakey and Fryup and seem remarkably enthusiastic. I'm rather more interested in the walking routes, preferably with a café at the end!

We've also added a lovely locally written and illustrated children's book by Jean and Jamie Illingworth to the cottage bookshelf, and some Norfolk Natural Living paw cleanser to our welcome goodies for dogs staying seven nights or more.

Even the cats at home were fascinated by that delivery!

Slowing Down and Looking Up

One of my favourite little discoveries this month was something called dusking, an old Dutch tradition of simply sitting and watching the daylight fade without immediately switching on the lights.

An excuse to sit and do absolutely nothing, and it's actually a tradition? I'm all for that!

It sounds particularly lovely at The Green, especially at this time of year when the village is quiet, the evenings are drawing in and the Moors are looking beautiful in their autumn colours.

We're also very proud to be a Dark Skies Friendly accommodation provider. With the clocks going back and the North York Moors Dark Skies Fringe Festival taking place, it's a wonderful time to enjoy the night skies here in Lastingham.

Weather permitting, of course. This is Yorkshire!

A Little Bit of Christmas Already…

I know, I know. We haven't even got Halloween out of the way, but I've already started collecting Christmas treats for our December guests.

There are some gorgeous festive chocolates from Yorkshire's Choc Affair, including sticky toffee, Christmas pudding and tangerine and vanilla flavours.

And yes, there'll be more festive Yorkshire goodies making their way into the cottage over the coming weeks from Hunters of Helmsley.

I really did try to resist Christmas a little longer, but apparently I have no willpower whatsoever when it comes to lovely things for our guests!

And Finally, a Lovely Little Surprise

October also brought some wonderful news. The Green has officially become an Airbnb Superhost!

With a perfect five-star rating, a 100% response rate and no cancellations, I was absolutely thrilled.

I'm not entirely sure whether being a Superhost comes with a cape or a crown, but I decided a nice glass of wine was probably more appropriate!

One of my favourite jobs each month is sitting down with our guest book and reading the lovely comments people have left. We had some particularly gorgeous ones from September, and they really do mean so much.

Running a small holiday accommodation business has made me realise just how much a few kind words or a lovely review can mean to someone.

So, a huge thank you to everyone who has stayed, left a review, recommended us or simply followed along with our slightly chaotic adventures.

It's been a busy, funny and occasionally rather stressful October, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a few more leaflets to sort, some Christmas treats to organise and, hopefully, no more Roman blinds to worry about!