Summer-Autumn Update (2025) + Happy Samhain/Hallowe'en!

I normally post on Sundays or Mondays but didn't manage to get this post finished yesterday, so it's on a Tuesday instead. :) 

 

We're now in October, so it's time for my summer-autumn update! :) You can see my previous updates for 2025 below: 

Winter-Spring Update (2025):  https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2025/04/winter-spring-update-2025-easter-baking.html

Spring-Summer Update (2025): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2025/07/spring-summer-update-2025.html

Plus, Samhain/Hallowe'en is coming up), so I've included a section with inspiration for celebrating (scroll down to the bottom of the post).

In mid-July, I went to Yallabina, a belly dance event that I also went to last year. It was at a different venue this time (still in Brighton). Afterwards I got a mocha frappe from Hellenic Bakery, which I really liked. 

In late July, I met up with my belly dance friends to celebrate a birthday. We went to a pub in Woodingdean (Brighton). It was nice to see them all after a while. 

Then at the beginning of August, I celebrated Lammas. You can see my post about it here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2025/08/lammas-2025.html

I also met up with family members that month, who were visiting the UK. It was the first time I'd ever met them, so it was good. We had lunch in Harry Ramsden's (fish and chips restaurant in Brighton), then went on the pier. I've had takeaway from Harry Ramsden's but hadn't eaten in the restaurant before and I also hadn't been on the pier in years, so it made a change!

I shared a couple of pictures from that day in my Late Summer Photos + Happy Madron/Autumn! post, which you can see here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2025/09/late-summer-photos-happy-madronautumn.html

Here's a pic of my meal at Harry Ramsden's:

 

Late Summer Photos + Happy Madron/Autumn!

Back in 2019, I wrote a post called Summer Photos + Preparing for Autumn, where I shared some pictures from the summer and also wrote about getting ready for the new season. You can see it here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2019/09/summer-photos-preparing-for-autumn.html

This year, I thought I'd something similar, but since Madron aka Mabon/the Autumn Equinox is tomorrow (Monday 22nd September), I'm doing a combined post with some photos from my summer and some inspiration for celebrating Madron and the autumn season. :)

 

Late Summer Photos 

First up, here are some pics from the end of summer. 

Here are some photos I took when I met up with some family members in Brighton in August:

View from Brighton Palace Pier.

Lammas 2025

The Friday before last it was Lammas (1st August). Although some people may celebrate on 31st July or 2nd August. My usual celebration for this sabbat is baking. This year I made gingerbread and also bread (using a mix).

The gingerbread recipe is the BBC Good Food one that I've used for the past several years: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/gingerbread_men_99096

This Lammas I made standard "men" shapes and a couple of other ones. Last year I used ready made icing but this year I made up my own again (icing sugar mixed with water). I iced some of them completely. lol. Here's a pic: 

 

Summer Salads + Happy Lammas!

Back in April, I wrote a post sharing some salads to make during mid-late spring. I also did two posts last year featuring salads to make for the seasonal festivals of Beltane and Litha (and summer in general). 

The Spring Salads post was also a double post for this year's Beltane, sharing some ideas for celebrating. You can see it here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2025/04/spring-salads-happy-beltane.html

 

Since we're now in summer, I'm sharing some more salads to make during the rest of the season. Plus, Lammas is coming up this week (Friday 1st August or around the 1st, depending on when you celebrate). So, while I'm no longer writing more in-depth posts with ideas for celebrating the sabbats, I thought I'd include a few links with some info and inspiration (like the Spring Salads + Happy Beltane! post).

 

Summer Salads

Spring-Summer Update (2025)

We've just over halfway through the year, so it's time for my 2nd quarterly update (spring-summer) of 2025! You can see my winter-spring update here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2025/04/winter-spring-update-2025-easter-baking.html

 

Easter was later this year (Easter Sunday was 20th April). I made a Birdies Perch Malteser slice with Cadbury's mini eggs on top and also got a couple of chocolate eggs, lol. I didn't have a big meal this year due to personal circumstances.  

At the beginning of May I celebrated Beltane. You can see my post about it here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2025/05/beltane-2025.html  

In mid-May I went to the park. As I mentioned in my May Gratitude List on on my self-help/spiritual blog Falling Petals (I post monthly gratitude lists there), I was feeling down and wanted to do something to feel better. After I read an email from Diana of The Chic Life about making a Joy List and doing what brings you joy, I decided I'd like to go to the park around sunset. I also went to Burger King and got a double bacon cheeseburger, latte and a Coke.

I shared a picture in my Gratitude List post but here are a couple more photos: 

View from by Hove Park.

Litha 2025

The Saturday before last it was Litha aka Midsummer/the Summer Solstice (21st June). (Or Sunday 20th depending on your timezone). My usual celebration for this sabbat is making salad and lemonade.

This year I made tomato and onion salad again and "Hello Kitty lemonade" (the recipe is from a Hello Kitty book). I most often use a salad recipe from The Kitchen Witch book by Soraya, but I've lost the book at the moment! I basically remember the recipe anyway, but I also based it on this Italian tomato and onion salad one from This Italian Kitchen: https://thisitaliankitchen.com/italian-tomato-onion-salad/

I came across the recipe a couple of years ago and linked to it in past posts (including last year's Salads for Litha/Summer + Extra Ideas! post. It was the first time I'd made it though.

The salad was quite nice. It's pretty similar to The Kitchen Witch one, except for a couple of things. It uses red onion but I've sometimes made my Litha salad with red onion anyway, which makes it a bit like kachumbari which I like to make for Beltane. Also it requires balsamic vinegar but I didn't have that, so I used lemon juice instead (I think my normal recipe has lemon juice in). And if I don't have olive oil (which I didn't this time) I use vegetable oil instead.

I had it for lunch with a Fitzgeralds bake at home sourdough baguette, sea salt and vinegar crisps, gucamole, chicken fillets and roasted garlic and aioli potato salad. Also the lemonade. Here are a couple of pics:

 

Food

Beltane 2025

Last Thursday (1st May) it was Beltane. (Some people celebrate from sundown on 30th April to sundown on 1st May.) As I mentioned in my Spring Salads + Happy Beltane! post, I normally make salads for this sabbat. 

One of my favourites in recent years is kachumbari (Kenyan/East African tomato and onion salad) and I made that again this Beltane. The recipe is from Precious Core: https://www.preciouscore.com/kachumbari/ 

I had it for my lunch, with some chicken fillets, tortilla chips and guacamole. (Some years I make my own guacamole but lately I've been buying it, lol.) I also had some leftover smashed potato salad that I'd made for my tea (dinner) the night before.

Here's a pic:

Spring Salads + Happy Beltane!

Last spring and summer I wrote two posts featuring salads to make for the seasonal festivals of Beltane and Litha/the Summer Solstice (plus summer in general). You can see them here: 

Salads for Beltane + Extra Ideas!: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2024/04/salads-for-beltane-extra-ideas.html 

Salads for Litha + Extra Ideas!: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2024/06/salads-for-litha-extra-ideas.html

 

While I'm no longer writing more in-depth posts with ideas for celebrating the sabbats, I am occasionally doing new posts with ideas if I feel inspired to. I enjoyed writing the Beltane and Litha posts last year (which also included some ideas for celebrating), so I thought this year I would share some more salads to make during mid-late spring.

Also, Beltane is coming up this week, it's on Thursday 1st May, or Wednesday 30th April, depending on when you celebrate (it traditionally goes from sundown to sundown). So I've included a few links with some more info and inspiration. :)

 

Spring Salads 

 

First up, here are some salads for spring:  

Smokey deli style chicken salad: https://www.ahealthysliceoflife.com/smoky-deli-style-chicken-salad/ 

Grilled chicken chopped kale salad with honey dill vinaigrette: https://simplytaralynn.com/2022/07/12/grilled-chicken-chopped-kale-salad-honey-dill-vinaigrette/

Chicken salad: https://simplytaralynn.com/2025/03/04/the-easiest-chicken-salad-recipe-i-eat-every-day/ 

Mediterranean tuna salad: https://natalie-mason.com/mediterranean-tuna-salad/

Italian chopped salad: https://www.preciouscore.com/italian-chopped-salad/ 

Easy edamame salad: https://plantbasedonabudget.com/easy-edamame-salad/ 

Black bean and brown rice salad: https://www.pbfingers.com/black-bean-and-brown-rice-salad/

If you're vegetarian but still want something similar to chicken salad, Brittany from A Healthy Slice of Life (who has a recipe for smokey deli style chicken salad; linked above) also a classic chickpea "chicken" salad recipe, as an alternative: https://www.ahealthysliceoflife.com/classic-chickpea-chicken-salad/

Summer-Autumn Update (2024) + Happy Samhain/Hallowe'en!

It's October once again and time for my summer-autumn update! You can see my previous updates for 2024 at the links below:

Winter-Spring Update (2024) https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2024/04/winter-spring-update-2024.html

Spring-Summer Update (2024) + Happy Lammas! https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2024/07/spring-summer-update-2024-happy-lammas.html

I've also included a section with Samhain/Hallowe'en inspiration, so scroll down to the bottom for that. :)

In mid-July I went to a belly dance event called Yallabina!, which was co-hosted by Nadia Undine whose classes  I've been to. I watched performances and danced a bit at the end. It was the first time I'd danced this year, so it was nice to get back to it. 

At the beginning of August I celebrated Lammas. You can see my post about it here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2024/08/lammas-2024.html

 

Then in mid-August I went to Five Guys at Brighton Marina. I got a burger and chips (fries), Coke and a chocolate milkshake.

Here are a couple of photos I took at the marina:

Lammas 2024

The other week it was Lammas (Thursday 1st August). Although some people may celebrate on 31st July or 2nd August. My main celebration was baking, I made gingerbread and also some bread (using a mix).

The gingerbread recipe is the BBC Good Food one that I've used for the past few years: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/gingerbread_men_99096

This Lammas I made bear and cat shapes as well as the "men"! I used cookie bear and cat cutters that my friend gave me for my birthday. :) I used ready made icing this year. Here's a pic:

Spring-Summer Update (2024) + Happy Lammas!

I planned to write this post last weekend but had internet problems. So I'm doing it this weekend instead. :) 

We're now more than halfway through the year, so it's time for my 2nd quarterly update of 2024! I write them in April, July, October and January (covering the previous 3 months), so technically they're not all in the same year, but never mind! lol. Anyway, here is my spring-summer update. :) 

You can see my winter-spring (2024) update here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2024/04/winter-spring-update-2024.html

 

I wasn't really up to a lot during April, apart from a Happy Café (Action for Happiness) meetup and walking in the park.

At the end of the month I went to Lancing Beach as part of my Beltane celebrations and then had my main celebration on 1st May. You can read my post about it here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2024/05/beltane-2024.html

 

Here are a couple of pictures I took during April and May:  

Churchill Square, Brighton- April.

Litha 2024

On the Thursday before last (20th June) it was Litha aka Midsummer/the Summer Solstice. As I said in my Salads for Litha + Extra Ideas! post, I normally make salad and lemonade for this sabbat. 

This year I made my favourite tomato and onion salad (the recipe is from Soraya's book The Kitchen Witch). While in past years I've varied it by using red onion or a mix of brown/yellow and red onion, this time I just used brown. The lemonade is "Hello Kitty lemonade" (the recipe is from a Hello Kitty book).

I had the salad for lunch with some Dorito dippers and smashed avocado, chicken, seeded rolls, cheese and pickle, and stuffed peppers (with cheese). It was quite nice. Here's a picture: 

Salads for Litha/Summer + Extra Ideas!

It's nearly time for Litha/the Summer Solstice! This year it's on Thursday 20th June. The actual moment/time of the solstice will be 9.51 BST/3.51pm CDT. You can find your local time here: https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/summer-solstice.html

In the past I've written several posts with ideas for celebrating the sabbats. I decided to stop writing more in-depth posts last year (because I'd already covered them) but continue to share about my celebrations and write more sabbat themed posts if I felt inspired to.

This Beltane I wrote a post called Salads for Beltane and Extra + Ideas!. I enjoyed writing that, so I thought I'd do a similar one for Litha, since summer is starting and we're in "salad season"! I've called the post Salads for Litha/Summer because they would be good for any time during the summer. I'm also sharing some extra ideas for celebrating. :)

 

Here are my most recent Litha posts:

Happy Litha!: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2022/06/happy-litha.html

Shifting into Summer (includes some links about Litha): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2023/06/shifting-into-summer.html 

Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere,  it's almost time for Yule/the Winter Solstice! You might like this post:

Happy Yule!: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2022/12/happy-yule.html

 

My main celebration for the sabbats is making/having food and drink. As with Beltane, I usually have salad for Litha. It fits the theme because it's the beginning of summer and the days are (hopefully!) getting warmer and brighter. I like to drink lemonade as well. (If you're not keen on salad, you can find some alternative celebration suggestions in my previous Litha posts and under the Extra Ideas section below.)

 

Salads

All the salads mentioned in the Beltane post would also be good for Litha: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2024/04/salads-for-beltane-extra-ideas.html

 

Tomato and Onion Salad

One of my favourite salads to make for Litha is a tomato and onion one from The Kitchen Witch book by Soraya. You can see a pic here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2016/07/litha-2016.html

It's quite simple to make, the recipe is made up of tomato and onion, garlic, salt and black pepper, lemon juice and olive oil. I most often use brown/yellow onion but it's also good with red onion, which I've used for Litha some years. I was inspired to use red onion after making kachumbari for Beltane (see below). Last Litha I made it with both brown and red onion.

Beltane 2024

The other week it was Beltane (Wednesday 1st May). I normally make salads for this sabbat and this year, as mentioned in my Salads for Beltane post, I made one of my favourites, kachumbari (Kenyan tomato and onion salad). The recipe I like to use is from Precious Core: https://www.preciouscore.com/kachumbari/

I had it for my lunch with some shop bought food, chicken drumsticks, tortilla chips, guacamole and bread rolls. Here's a pic: 

 

Salads for Beltane + Extra Ideas!

It's almost Beltane! This year it's Wednesday 1st May, or Tuesday 30th April (tomorrow), depending on when you celebrate. (Many people consider it to be from sundown on 30th April to sundown on 1st May.) In the past I've written posts with ideas for celebrating the sabbats. While I stopped doing that last year (since I felt I'd covered them all and didn't want to repeat myself), I thought it would be nice to write something when I felt inspired to, so today I'm sharing some salads for Beltane (plus some extra ideas). :)  

 

Here are my most recent Beltane posts:

Winter-Spring Update + Beltane Round-up (2021, scroll down for the round-up): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2021/04/winter-spring-update-beltane-round-up.html

Happy Beltane! (2022): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2022/04/happy-beltane.html

I also included a Beltane section at the end of last year's winter-spring update (at the bottom after P.S.):

Winter-Spring Update (2023) + Happy Beltane!: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2023/04/winter-spring-update-2023-happy-beltane.html

 

Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere, Samhain is coming! Check out my last few Samhain Celebration posts here:

Samhain/Hallowe'en Round-up (my round-up post from 2021): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2021/10/samhainhalloween-round-up.html

Happy Samhain/Hallowe'en! (2022)): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2022/10/happy-samhainhalloween.html

Summer-Autumn Update (2023) + Happy Samhain/Hallowe'en! (section at the bottom): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2023/10/summer-autumn-update-2023-happy-samhain.html  

My main celebration for the sabbats is having/making food and drink. For Beltane I usually have some kind of salad, since it's a spring festival, moving towards summer. Salads are a lighter food that lots of us feel more like eating in the warmer months. (If you're not into salad though, you can find alternative ideas for food and celebrating in general in my past posts, and also in the Extra Ideas section at the bottom of the post!). 

I normally have my salad with some other foods like chicken, crisps (chips), dips etc., I also like to have some kind of sparkling drink, like elderflower or lemonade.

 

Salads

Chicken Salad

In 2014 I made a chicken salad sandwich. You can see a pic here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2014/05/beltane.html

Here is an Asian chicken salad from Julia of Lemon Stripes. I haven't made it but it looks nice: https://lemonstripes.com/recipes/asian-chicken-salad/

 

And here are a few more chicken salads that look good:

BLT chicken salad: https://natalie-mason.com/blt-chicken-salad/

Healthy chicken salad (can be eaten as a salad, wrap, or sandwich: https://www.eatyourselfskinny.com/healthy-chicken-salad

Honey mustard chicken salad with bacon and avocado: https://cafedelites.com/honey-mustard-chicken-salad/

Summer-Autumn Update (2023) + Happy Samhain/Hallowe'en!

It's now October, so time for my summer-autumn update! You can see my previous quarterly updates for this year at the links below: 

Winter-Spring (2023): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2023/04/winter-spring-update-2023-happy-beltane.html

Spring-Summer (2023):  https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2023/07/spring-summer-update-2023.html

 

I went shopping in Hove at the beginning of July and to Caffe Nero as well. I also went to Wendy's during July. We first got one in the Brighton area last year and I like the food but had only been a couple of times since it opened, most recently last autumn.

At the beginning of August I celebrated Lammas. You can see my post about it here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2023/08/lammas-2023.html

Later that month I went on a walk with my local mental health resource centre. We walked along the River Adur and went to Shoreham Beach. It was almost a year since I last went on a walk with them because the last one was a bit too long for me! But this was a mindful walk and I enjoyed it more. :) 

Here's a photo I took on the walk:

The River Adur and Shoreham view.

TSL's 10th (Belated) Birthday + Fave Posts

At the end of July, The Seasonal Life celebrated its 10th birthday! I thought it was in August but then realised it was July, so that's why this post is late, lol. 

I wrote my first and second posts on 25th July 2013, an intro post and another one sharing my favourite things about summer. You can read them here:

 

https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2013/07/welcome-to-seasonal-life.html 

 

 https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2013/07/favourite-things-about-summer.html

 

TSL was the 3rd blog I started, the others being Star Sparkle Blog in April 2011 and Falling Petals in February 2013.  The other two are entertainment and spiritual/self-help blogs and I thought it would be good to have one about seasonal events and living.  

I started out writing about summer related things and posting recipes. In October and November 2013, I did my first post about a seasonal event (Hallowe'en drinks and then about my Hallowe'en). Then that December I did my first post about a sabbat (Yule).

As well as sharing recipes (seasonal and just ones I like), I started posting more about my sabbat celebrations. And later on, I did a series of posts sharing ideas for celebrating the sabbats. I really enjoyed that but decided to stop doing them earlier this year because I felt I had covered them all. They each have multiple posts and I didn't want to repeat myself.

I still post about my celebrations though and may do more inspiration posts in future if I feel inspired. :) I did share a few links with ideas for celebrating Beltane at the end of my winter-spring update post.

 

Lammas 2023

Last Tuesday (1st August) it was Lammas, my favourite sabbat apart from Samhain! Some people may celebrate on 31st July or 2nd August though. My main celebration for this festival is baking (usually gingerbread) and this year I made Cornish style pasties as well. (You're not supposed to call it a Cornish pasty unless you're from Cornwall!)

Although I made a pasty the first time I celebrated Lammas, I don't make them that often. The last time was in 2020. The recipe is from Kate West's book The Real Witches' Kitchen. I can't post it online but I did link to a couple of similar recipes in my first Lammas post on the blog: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2014/08/lammas.html

I used Jus Roll pastry which makes it a bit easier, lol. The pasties (I made one for myself and one for my mum) ended up being a bit hard and the carrots could have been cooked more, but apart from that they were ok, lol. Here's a picture of one of them: 

Spring-Summer Update (2023)

We're already more than halfway through the year, so it's time for my spring-summer update! You can see my first update of the year (winter-spring) here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2023/04/winter-spring-update-2023-happy-beltane.html

Easter Sunday was 8th April this year. I baked the frosted white Easter chocolate cake (James Martin recipe) that I've made quite a few times. I also had a meal at home and got a couple of chocolate eggs, lol. 

At the beginning of May I celebrated Beltane. You can see my post about it here: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2023/05/beltane-2023.html

In mid-June I went to Nando's for a (very) belated birthday meal! (I wasn't able to go around my birthday in March due to various circumstances.) I had my usual chicken butterfly (plain-ish) and chips (fries). I had peri-salted chips for a change. Also some garlic bread. I normally have coleslaw but they didn't have any. And I had strawberry frozen yoghurt for pudding (dessert).

The food was nice. Here's a picture: 

Litha 2023

The Wednesday before last was Litha aka Midsummer/the Summer Solstice. I celebrated by making a tomato and onion salad and lemonade (my main celebrations for sabbats are making food and drink). 

The salad recipe is from Soraya's book The Kitchen Witch, although I used both red and white onion for a change. I was going to have some avocado as well to make it similar to the kachumbari (Kenyan tomato and onion salad) that I sometimes make for Beltane), but there wasn't any at the supermarket.

I had the salad for my lunch with ciabatta bread, chicken, cheese and pickle, gherkins, Doritos and dip. The lemonade is "Hello Kitty lemonade (the recipe is from a Hello Kitty book).

The food was quite nice. Here's a picture: