As summer wanes to a welcome close I am making preparations for the autumn season. I start my final term at Oxford University next month and I will be studying until December when my course finishes. Although the academic year usually runs from September to the following July, most universities also offer an alternative program of January to December studying, for those who wish to start a bit later. This is ideal for the shorter courses such as the kind I am undertaking.
I have recently received my required reading list from my Professors for this coming term and so I have already ordered the textbooks from Blackwells. Sadly, my local branch of Blackwells closed down a couple of years ago, so I now have to order from them online, which isn't quite the same. I used to love wandering around the store, browsing the shelves. It was a great way for new books to find me. I am looking forward to getting a head start on the core text and reading around the topics that we will be covering this term. I've also bought myself a new Oxford notebook ready for Michaelmas term. I love stationary shopping at the end of summer. It's so nostalgic, giving all the back-to-school vibes as children and adults alike prepare to return to a more scholarly way of life.
In addition to my Oxford studies, I am also writing new projects for my publisher too, so it is a very busy time. It isn't always easy juggling my publishing work and my Oxford course work and assignments, but I'm managing. The hardest part is when the deadlines clash and I have to get both a book and a major assignment in on the same day! That takes some quite serious planning and time management. Of course, there are days when I wish I could just curl up with a book and read, but for the most part I am enjoying being so busy. It's nice to be working on new books and its interesting to write assignments and essays. I enjoy both types of writing, both commercial and academic. Each has its own challenges and it is nice that I have the chance to develop these two authorial voices, because many writers go one way or the other. I am lucky enough to write both.
As I am spending so much more time in my study lately, I have decided that I want to make it more autumnal, so I have been on the hunt for a few pieces to make the space as cosy as possible. I want to bring in more witchy and dark academia vibes and so, to that end, I picked up a few little bits to dot around the room. First, I got a set of autumn leaf string lights that I plan to fix around my bookcases. Then I got an autumnal witch cushion to place in my buttoned leather desk chair, along with a cosy throw that has autumn leaves and pumpkins on it. It will be lovely to snuggle into during the colder days and dark nights when I'm up late writing or studying.
I love having candles flickering around me as I work, with the shadows dancing on the walls and along the spines of my books creating a cosy, magical atmosphere that I find quite inspiring. I write better in the dark, by candlelight. So I was delighted when I found a tealight holder shaped like a witch's hat! It's so cute and whimsical and it looks lovely when its lit. I keep this on my desk as I write, along with a spooky witch's hand candle holder that holds a small tinned candle from Upturned Cauldron, in their Poison Apple fragrance which is perfect for September. I love their candles and I have a few of them. Bewitched Pumpkin is my favourite, but I also like Mermaid Tears which I believe is new to their collection this year. I have this burning in my bathroom and it smells amazing! Its like the scent of a rock pool by the sea. They also do some fun wax melts shaped like vampire teeth too, so they are definitely the place to go for seasonal scents to fill your home with witchy atmosphere.
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