Cosy Days & Small Town Adventures
March 31st 2025
Dear sweet friend,
How are you on this slightly grey autumn day? Spare me no details.
I'm sitting here with my cuppa tea, my curlers in, my favourite bra on, and a splash of red lippy, which from my usual standards feels entirely audacious.
We've been blessed with a little rain this week, and I've spoken to no less than six people about how (genuinely) exciting it is. I'm not sure if this is a sign life in my mid-thirties or a sign of living in a semi-rural farming community …probably a little bit of both.
Naturally, at the first sign of clouds and rain, I whipped out my cosiest hoodie and track pants. Only to discover it was wishful thinking, and find myself sweaty by midday -so here's to hoping cooler days join us soon.
I adore these transitional seasons. There's something so magical about how warm the sun feels your skin when the air is crisp and cool. How have you been enjoying the change of season? Do you enjoy these transitional seasons as much as I do? Please tell me what is your favourite way to spend these days?
Image by Woman and Wolfe
The cooler weather has allowed us to add a few more walking adventures into our routine. Our town consists of a main road, one pub, one church, and a school plus a few little side streets, which gives us just enough scope to find plenty of adventures. Adventures usually involve chatting to the local cows, admiring the horses, and feeling curious about the history of the town and finding remnants of it all around.
One particular beautiful, abandoned house caught my eye with its rusted tin roof, pink painted window sills, and crumbling stone outhouse. I can't help but wonder about the families that lived there, the little babes that ran around the farm, the lives that have lived under that roof. I also then wonder if my husband and I would ever have the energy to create a home in an old ‘fixer upper.’ We probably will not, but who knows?
I am having such a fun, full circle moment with history. As a child, I wanted to be an archeologist, but instead went down the path of nursing and midwifery. But recently the niggle of becoming a historian or someone who is immersed in the past won't leave me. So I have a small developing plan to go back to uni and start with genealogy, as I'm also extremely keen to create our family history as well. I can't wait to see what happens and share more!
Are you at all interested in your family history or the history of the local area around you?
It has been so wonderful to finally sit down and write to you. Please share all the things in your reply. I want to know everything!
Quickly, before I go, I just have to tell you about two of my favourite books I've read this month. The first was Iron and Ambers by Helen Scheuerer. This is the follow up series or the spinoff series to the Legends of Thezzmar, which is honestly my most favourite series of the last decade. Iron and Embers is so fun, tension filled, delish, foreshadowing, slow burn, and immaculate spice.
My other favourite this month was a sneaky early release by called Only Hope Ruby Landers. In a fairly different genre, this romcom had me giggling, loving the banter, and wishing myself a beautiful, albeit messy group of friends. And as a bonus, the main characters are actual adults (if you know, you know -romantasy I am looking at you!). Definitely let me know if either of these books are on your shelf.
I cannot wait to hear from you,
With Love,
Bessie xoxo
The original written version of this letter can be found here.
The audio podcast version of this letter can be found here.