Welcome October!

Today is October 1st, so me and my friend P. thought it would have been nice to go for a walk in the woods.

We took our dogs (my dog, Iara, is a chihuahua and his dog, Nikarr, is a dutch shepherd) and went exploring.

We found a really nice place not far from my place where there's a huge forest dotted here and there with fields and paths. There weren't many people around so we let the dogs roam mostly free. 

I love the woods in Autumn. The smell of the falling leaves and chestnuts, and that light fog makes everything dreamy and kind of magic. The only sounds were those of the little animals hurrying to go home in the underbrush. Even both our dogs were quiet and didn't bark at all, although they were enjoying the walk very much.

After such a hot Summer, Autumn is more than welcome. It is nice to wear your jeans, boots and cardigan to go out. It always reminds me of my childhood, the search for the fallen chestnuts that would be cooked in the evening. I am a daughter of Autumn, being born in the end of October, so maybe that's why I enjoy it so much.

Autumn is made for afternoon walks with the dogs, long books, early bedtime. And of course cocoa.

So when we got home I groomed Iara, who then went directly to sleep in her little bed, and took a relaxing bath. I am writing while sipping my favourite beverage in he world: vanilla flavoured hot chocolate (vegan, of course). I decorated it with tiny sugar hearts, because you always need to love yourself <3

My own personal Autumn Challenge!

Autumn is the perfect seasons for challenges. We stay in more, we have more time to do stuff.

So I've created my own Autumn challenge. Here it is (taken from my twitter  so you can see the pretty emojis - also so you can see my username and add me - I also included a handy link *heh*):

I have already re-read and finished Emma, by Jane Austen, and already wrote about it. 

Next in line are:

1. Jane Eyre (which, alas, I have never finished reading!)

2. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

3. Vanilla roiboos tea blend

Emma you've been nominated

Jane Austen would have loved the Big Brother.

I don't know much about her life: although I've studied English for one year at college before switching to Communication Sciences, my curriculum focused on Shakespeare and, strangely enough, Virginia Woolf.

I'm still looking for a good biography, so pretty much all I know about the author I gathered from the movie Becoming Jane. Lame, I know.

Through her work, though, I am convinced that if Jane Austen was born sometime between 1970 and 1990 she would be a fan of modern reality shows and a lot of tv.

I formed this opinion during my re-read of Emma, which was part

Autumn re-read challenge #1 - with my dog

of my personal Autumn re-read challenge. 

I had read Emma for the first time many years ago, and at the time I hadn't noticed many things that stuck with me during this re-read.

Emma is a peculiar novel. I know it's not among the favourite works of Austen; my guess is because of the slow pace and lack of action. And because it's long. 

Now, I have always imagined Austen to be a very cold, very serious woman. But I can't help imagining her in our contemporary society, watching the Big Brother and talking about it the next days while sipping tea. Take Emma: at the beginning she is a somewhat frivolous girl, interested in matching her friends and gossiping about everything. Her character is beautifully developed throughout the novel, as she gains more and more depth. What is stunning, though, is that Austen never judges her, she never writes Emma as being shallow or stupid. She's a girl in the limited society of a small town in the English country. The way she behaves is completely normal! And Austen seems amused of Emma's behaviour: it is clear she loves her character, otherwise she wouldn't have given her such a happy ending (and titled her novel with her name!).

Imagine Austen watching some reality show: she would be enticed in the relationships and attachments of the participants. I am sure of that. I don't think she would be very negative about that, I don't think she would consider it trash tv: she would be amused. 

Emma is a real life portrayal of 1800's life: boring, slow, gossipy. Mr Woodhouse is an exceptional character, the sweet and funny malade immaginaire. There are parts of Emma that made me burst out laughing. Austen was a master in capturing the very essence of people, exploiting their uniqueness and quirkiness. 

What am I trying to say with this? Nothing in particular. Just that Emma amuses me and that I would have greatly enjoyed watching some reality show with Jane Austen and listening to her comments.