Much of the first part of the week was spent avoiding the rain. Huddling in the house until the last minute, watching the dampness hanging in the air and dripping inexorably off the thatch. There is a greyness in the days that is infectious; it seeps into my bones and I feel limp. We order firewood and put trays of vegetable and thyme in the top oven for soups and stews. Pots of stock simmer in the bottom oven, fighting the gloom with a scent of nourishing comfort. The kettle is boiled over and over again as I brace myself to go out with the dogs, or to pull leeks from the back corner of the house garden, for trips to the post office with dyer's bundles and brass wreath hoops. It feels like it will never end. That it will never be dry again, and the sun will never shine. I feel cheated of the Autumn that I longed for. Instead of tweed and scarves and fingerless mittens, we seem to be lost in a wet cloud of leaky wellingtons, clammy barbours and damp, gritty dogs.

Thursday 17th October. And then just like that, it passed. The sky turned a crisp and sharp blue. The sun set in a blaze of delight. The rose hips glistened in the fresh new light. And for the sheer exuberance of delight that the season was redeemed, me and F set off for Bailey's.

I have a confession to make. Lots of my packaging is bought in Baileys. This is not a wise financial or business decision, and when people ask me where I get my string from, I get quite evasive. I came home from our trip with bags and bags of linen twine, in bundles and on reels. Khaki greens and steely greys. Pyramids of natural twine for dyeing. And a notebook for lists.

I wrote a blog post about this once, about how I make choices and decisions in my business because of what makes me happy and what gives me joy. That I trust that by doing this, people who share my happiness and share my joy will understand. That some unwise decisions are the best decisions, that we sow seed and grow flowers for no other reason than how they make us feel. That we will drive all the way to Bailey's and buy string because there is nowhere else like it, and because sitting on a sofa in their loft feels like coming home.

There are no photos of Bailey's because you aren't allowed to take photos. But here is their Instagram, and there are some beautiful pictures there. If you visit and are looking for my seeds, they are in the back of the cart shed, past the ceramics and smocks, where the houseplants are. I cannot over-state how thrilled I was to see them.

Friday 18th October - Sunday 20th October. And there was only just time to rush home and post the pre-ordered Dyer’s bundles (they'd sold out in days, although they're now back up on the website if you missed out) and then we set off for a family weekend in West Sussex. There were children and dogs and acorns and conkers and misty walks and pub lunches and absolutely everything that Autumn wasn't being, but now seems to have decided to be. Hu-bloody-rah.