For me September was a month of travel: planning and packing; flying to New Brunswick for a wedding, then to Ontario to visit family; gradually unpacking; taking a quick overnight trip to Edmonton; more unpacking. I am still working on getting into a fall routine. But — despite trials of various kinds — it was a wonderful month in many ways. Here are some of my favourites…

Books

• Poem-Making: Ways to Begin Writing Poetry by Myra Cohn Livingston
• The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro [I shared a quotation on Monday]
• Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv

Food

• Crispy cookies and mint tea on the WestJet flights we took.
• Pancakes with berries and Greek yogurt, scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausages — all this for my birthday breakfast made by friends who know me well!
• Indian food made by my parents while we were staying with them: chicken curry, leg of goat, and onion bahji.
• Trying unfamiliar flavours of Lindors: coconut, pumpkin spice, and champagne.
• Buy one get one free coupon from Marble Slab for my birthday. Even though the options are almost paralyzing, I look forward to this tradition every time we have a family birthday. (I got apple + spice ice cream with caramel sauce, Skor bits, and chocolate-covered pretzels. The kids shared salted caramel ice cream with caramel sauce and mini marshmallows.)
• Homemade apple pie. I made one with McIntoshes which got very soft when baked. Next time I want to try a mix of varieties (and pile the apples higher in the crust).

Activities

• Finishing a baby-sized quilt top.
• Attending a friend’s wedding, along with the accompanying decorating, eating, partying, and debriefing. Wouldn’t have missed it for the world!
• Seeing the Giant Panda cubs at the Toronto Zoo. (They are coming to Calgary in 2018.)
• Attending the book club I helped start about seven years ago, my first visit since moving away four years ago. The conversation and snacks made for a most enjoyable evening.
• Walking in the woods where I grew up.
• Visiting the Middlesex Centre Archives and the Coldstream Public Library to research local history (look for a blog post later this fall).

Bible Verses

 “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you,most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.” Luke 1:1-4

What are your favourite things from September? I would love to hear.