Autumn-Winter Update (2022)

It's time for my last seasonal update of the year (2022), autumn to winter! For the past couple of years, I've written quarterly (season to season) updates on the blog, which I found easier to keep up with than the monthly updates I did in 2019 and the "two monthly"(two months at a time) ones in 2020.

You can see my previous updates for 2022 at the links below:

Winter-Spring Update (2022): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2022/04/winter-spring-update-2022.html

Spring-Summer Update (2022): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2022/07/spring-summer-update-2022.html

Summer-Autumn Update (2022): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2022/10/summer-autumn-update-2022.html

I mentioned in my summer-autumn update that in September I went to a belly dance class in Brighton taught by Nadia Undine. I'm not currently able to go regularly, but I did attend another class in November.

I also started going to Meetup events again in Sept, to Happy Cafe meetups, part of the group Action for Happiness. Before the pandemic I used to go to my local one. That never started up again but there are now face to face Happy Cafe meetups in Brighton again, so I've been going to those during the autumn and winter. It's been good to get back to that. The Happy Cafes have moved from the Brighton Beach Club to a pub for the winter.

In my Summer-Autumn Update post I wrote about Liz Truss becoming our new Prime Minister in September. She ended up only being PM for less than two months before resigning in October! She was replaced by Rishi Sunak. I wrote a bit more about it in the Letting Go of 2022 post on my self-help/spiritual blog Falling Petals.

In October I went to Wendy's again. A new restaurant opened in Brighton in the spring (2022) and I went for the first time in April. The food is nice and the Frosty drinks, plus it's cheaper than Five Guys, which I only go to about once a year (mainly due to the price)!

I also went to Lancing Beach in October for sunset. I went for a walk and took some pics. I just caught the tail end of the sunset that day: 

 

Lancing Beach.

 

Yule 2022

I had planned to write this post before the end of last year but have got behind with things due to having a bit of a difficult time, so instead it's the first post of the new year! :) 

It was Yule/the Winter Solstice just before Christmas (Wednesday 21st December). As I mentioned in my Happy Yule! post, I usually have a chocolate Yule log for this sabbat. This Yule's (or last's Yule's now) was from Sainsbury's, which is where I've most often bought one from. It was quite nice but I think other years' have been a bit better. I put two candles on top to represent the light returning. Here's a pic:

 

 

Happy Yule!

 

Yule/the Winter Solstice is nearly here! This year it's on Wednesday 21st December. In the past I've written several posts with ideas for celebrating and last year I did a round-up linking to them, (which also featured some baking ideas for both Yule and Christmas). During 2022 I've been writing posts sharing ideas and links for the sabbats rather than an in-depth post, so here is Yule's (the final one of the year).

Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere it's almost time for Litha aka Midsummer/the Summer Solstice. You might like my Happy Litha! post: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2022/06/happy-litha.html

 

Yule, also known as Midwinter and the Winter Solstice, is the final sabbat of the calendar year and is considered either the 1st or 2nd sabbat in the Wheel of the Year, depending on your viewpoint (as I've discussed in the 2018 and 2021 posts). I tend to think of the previous sabbat Samhain (31st October) as both the end of one cycle and the start of a new one.

Note: The Winter Solstice is the astrological event and Yule is the modern pagan name for the festival, but many people use both terms.

The Winter Solstice (which is always around 21st December) is the time of year with the shortest day and longest night in the Northern Hemisphere (the opposite of the Summer Solstice (also celebrated as Litha by pagans) in the Southern Hemisphere. The actual (scientific) time of the solstice this year is 9.48pm UK time (GMT). To find the time in your country visit this link: https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/winter-solstice.html

 

Update 14/12/25: Updated/replaced links.  

 

Hallowe'en/Samhain 2022

Last Monday it was Hallowe'en and Samhain (31st October). I celebrated with a pumpkin and by having some food and drink. I baked gingerbread skeletons and made my favourite Demon's Blood drink (ginger beer mixed with orange juice and apple juice, and dyed green). The drink recipe is from The Real Witches' Kitchen book by Kate West.

I also made some potato salad, based on a recipe from The Kitchen Witch by Soraya. I normally use chives/and or spring onion instead of rosemary because I like it better. This year I used spring onion because I couldn't get any chives.

 Here is a picture of my pumpkin:

 

Happy Samhain/Hallowe'en!

I normally post on Sundays or Mondays, but I wasn't able to get this finished yesterday, so I'm posting today instead. :) 

 

Samhain (my favourite sabbat apart from Lammas) is coming up! This year it's on a Monday (31st October). I also celebrate Hallowe'en, which is thought to have originated from Samhain customs. In the past I've written several posts with ideas for celebrating and last year I did a round-up post linking to them all. During 2022 I've been writing posts sharing some links and ideas for the sabbats, rather than an in-depth post, so here is Samhain's. :)

Note: If you're in the Southern Hemisphere Beltane is almost here! You might like my Happy Beltane! post: https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2022/04/happy-beltane.html

 

Samhain is the 3rd and final harvest festival on the Wheel of the Year, coming after Lammas in late July/early August and Madron/Mabon aka the Autumn Equinox in September. It marks the end of summer and the start of the winter season. Madron is the official start of autumn, but I think in the past summer and winter were seen as the bigger seasonal shifts. It is also thought to be one of the times of year (along with Beltane) when the veil between the worlds is thin. It is a cross-quarter sabbat and a fire festival, and takes places on 31st October, although some people may celebrate from 31st Oct to 1st November (sundown to sundown).

Summer-Autumn Update (2022)

It's already October, so it's time for my 3rd quarterly update- summer to autumn! You can see my previous updates at the links below:

Winter-Spring Update (2022): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2022/04/winter-spring-update-2022.html

Spring-Summer Update (2022): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2022/07/spring-summer-update-2022.html

 

In early July I went to a metal fusion belly dance workshop in Portslade with Lianna Greene, which was fun. It's been good to get back into dancing again this year (after the lockdowns and uncertainty due to the pandemic) although I'm not currently attending regular classes.   

I also went to Lancing Beach at sunset during July. It was more of a "gentle" sunset but still nice. Here's a photo:

 

Sunset at Lancing Beach.

Madron 2022

The week before last (Friday 23rd September) it was Madron, more commonly known as Mabon and the Autumn Equinox. (Some people will have celebrated on Thursday, depending on their time zone.) I wasn't able to get a post about it done last weekend, so I'm doing it today instead. :)

As I mentioned in the Celebrating Madron! post, my main celebration is baking and this year I made some pumpkin spice bars. The recipe is from Simply Taralynn: https://simplytaralynn.com/2022/09/05/delicious-pumpkin-spice-bars-with-maple-frosting/

It has a maple frosting because Taralynn (the blogger) isn't keen on cream cheese frosting. I considered making the maple icing, but in the end decided to go for cream cheese. I know it goes well with ginger things, so imagined it would be nice with pumpkin flavours. I used the (frosting) recipe from Taralynn's gingerbread cookie bars with cream cheese frosting: https://simplytaralynn.com/2020/12/15/gingerbread-cookie-bars-with-cream-cheese-frosting-gluten-free-and-dairy-free/

I might make the gingerbread cookie bars in future!

I don't think pumpkin spice is easily available here, so I used mixed spice instead, which is apparently similar. You can make your own pumpkin spice though, here's a recipe from Little House Living that tells you how (see the Spice Mixes section): https://www.littlehouseliving.com/7-pantry-staples-start-making.html

Update 3/10/24: The link above now redirects to a similar post and I can't find the pumpkin spice recipe. But here's one from Don't Waste the Crumbs: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/homemade-pumpkin-pie-spice-recipe/

The recipe also requires pumpkin puree which isn't widely available in the UK either. I did buy some from Tesco before but they've stopped doing it. However, I was able to get some from Waitrose (America's Finest brand). 

The pumkin bars were nice. I wondered if the puree would make them too "gooey" but it all blended nicely. And the cream cheese frosting went well with them. Here's a picture:

 

I cut a slice out to show what the bars look like!