Sometimes fall is not about leaving, sometimes it is about returning home. Even if for a short period of time. It can just so happen for that period to be around Halloween, when all the leaves are painted and the birds seek warmth. One can only wish to be that lucky. And I was, since my sister came home to visit last week and I thought it would be quite fun to reiterate, with physical proof, all the little things that made the stay so, so special.

Let’s start out with the most important part of it all, preparing for Halloween. Although, we randomly think about our costumes every now and then, we never know for sure what we want to be until the last moment. Then it becomes mildly obsessive. For me, inspiration came one gloomy night, while the many coffees I drank that day would not let me be taken by sleep. One of my fixations, when looking for a Halloween costume, is that it should match my current hair color. When I was a redhead, I decided to be Poison Ivy. Similarly, when I was content with my natural hair color again, I opted for brunette characters, such as Tomb Raider or Black Swan.

… and homemade blood (a delightful concoction of sour cherries, cocoa powder and cornstarch, boiled until the right consistency was met)

Personally, I enjoy cute costumes, scary is not really up my alley. Alas, my sister offered to do my makeup, so my imagination was free to act. I decided to be Little Red Riding Hood, mauled by a wolf. That is how my sister ended up gluing tissue on my cheek and brow bone, covering it with concealer and sealing everything up with some dark red eyeshadow and homemade blood (a delightful concoction of sour cherries, cocoa powder and cornstarch, boiled until the right consistency was met). I already had a lot of the components for the look, that is why I chose it, mainly (very economical of me, I would argue). All that was left to acquire was a red hood, a whimsical picnic basket and a velvety red bow for my hairstyle.

The Moon decided on Medusa. She already had a snake headband (because who doesn’t ), a hypnotic lime-green dress and the right idea for the makeup, namely sticking some fishnets on her cheekbone and patting them with some sparkly green eyeshadow in order to create a scale-like look. She then took the fishnets down, but I managed to take some pictures beforehand. Thankfully.

Nonetheless, when we are together, everything becomes funny

Everything was secured, including the train tickets. Because 7 hours by train away, there lives one of my best friends since high school and one of my sister’s best friends from high school. So it was a win-win situation. The train ride was quite…interesting. Nonetheless, when we are together, everything becomes funny. Even sticky tables, chewed-up seats, or funny smells. We snacked and chatted, after a lot of eavesdropping and subtle side-glances, we arrived at our destination.

…but alas, the wedding choux stands unbeaten

Out of our usual environment, we had to do what every sensible person would do in a different town: try out all the pastries. Also coffee. But mainly pastries. This included a rice pudding mini pie and a grand cinnamon bun with a lot of cream cheese. The Moon is also on a mission to find a choux that can top the one she had at her friend’s wedding. She tried there as well, but alas, the wedding choux stands unbeaten…

There was a lot of walking and catching up. I even went to one of my friend’s uni classes with her as my sister met up with her designated friend. On the first night, I accompanied her to a pilates class. I humbly discovered that doing physical exercises after sleeping for 5 hours, traveling for 8 and walking for 2 might leave your legs shaking after the first 10 minutes. Never mind that, we were together and we had a wonderful time. The next day, we had brunch and crêpes and watched a little bit of Hocus Pocus until the few hours of sleep got to us. Afterwards, we gathered supplies from the nearest store and gas station and put on some 2000s music while getting ready.

After unsuccessfully trying to make it inside a fully booked club, we ended up at a karaoke bar. The Moon returned to our burrow because her back was getting to her. Honestly, I preferred the karaoke bar. It was so much fun and the people were peculiar, but in an endearing way. We went home shortly after my face has started peeling off, leaving a cocoa scented trail behind me.

That is what I call innovation

But, back in our hometown, the weather has gotten even more golden and peaceful. No wind, no heaviness in the sky. Naturally, we embarked on a walk, accompanied by our best friend and flavored coffee (for reference, I had a white mocha iced coffee, my sister a pumpkin spice latte and our friend had a stroke of genius and ordered a pumpkin spice iced matcha. That is what I call innovation). We tried to find a thrift store, we scavenged for one, but it was indeed Sunday and the wind was not the only one resting. But we settled for the view and each other’s latest stories.

The last stop on this journey of autumnal atmospheres had to be, of course, our sweet, sweet house in the countryside. Everything is misty there this time of the year and, according to the local legends, this means that the Mother of the Forest is doing her laundry. The leaves were barely hanging on but, somehow, their beauty and grace lingers. We saw the most beautiful small bird in the forest, displacing a maroon chest and a vibrantly blue back. Strangely enough, they put an interesting-looking photo booth around the lake so we obviously decided to try it out. The whole process was quite fun and the Moon is proudly holding her newly-found leaves in the picture.

We walked some more, naturally, and had coffee with our great-aunt. She makes it extra delicious by adding sugar to the pot. It always has a nostalgic caramel flavor to it. We flipped through old photos, my sister hung a couple of nails on the wall (and I helped by cheering her on) for some souvenirs and played with the visiting cats. It felt like the present but it also felt like forever ago. It always does. I forget my age and my current projects and I just listen to the stories about relatives whose names I never remember, about small town drama and forgotten recipes or ways to keep your plants alive. It is always a blessing to get lost for a little while.

Safely tucked in our home, away from the rain and cold, we roasted chestnuts and sat by the fire. Progress on a festive puzzle was made, a lot of talking was done and the night ended with some snacks and some episodes of a 2010 TV show classic.

We also want to share with you our current reads, with the mention that both the Moon and I are reading more books at the same time, depending on the context. It is usually a spiritual/scientific one and a cozy/romance/fantasy one. The photos just happen to depict what we picked up that sunny morning on the balcony. I have to say that mine is not my usual style, but the cover is absolutely stunning, it has amazingly cozy vibes and storyline and it was 1 € at a flea market (the hardcover edition). Alas, talking about this topic now, we really should do a post in which we chat about our favorite books.

So, dear ones, this is how we spent another golden late autumn together. We change the scenery, but never the ambiance. Us, cozy creatures, relish in the beauty of a cup of tea, a yummy smelling book and a good gossip between friends. Speaking about that, an amazing book that I highly recommend for this chilly season is Between Friends by Kathleen Rowntree. It does tackle some pretty heavy themes, but the setting and the world building are charming and bewitching. Okay, enough about books for now! Back to the original conclusion: we deeply hope everyone who is reading this has managed to create their own toasty haven for the cold season. If not, we are so pleased that you chose us as your guide in everything warm and fluffy