Journal Thurs 21st August 2025

Morning all. It’s borderline needing a jumper weather first thing today, (6.20am). The mist is hanging in the middle distance and I always think it makes the different layers of trees look like theatre set scenery, from dark grey at the back to the lightest whisper of silver grey at the front. It’s nearly here, the best season of the year. Autumn.

I was shriek awoken this morning by foxes, outside still dark. It sounds like someone is being murdered. Having watched them on the trail cams for 12+ months, I’ve seen a badger chase them off, and they spend most of their time looking for fallen fruit, particularly in cherry season. We’ve had a family of 4 in the garden at once, the adults having a completely different gait to the 2 young pups that are frolicking about and biting each others tails. I know the cats are out most nights until the weather is really unseasonable, and I know that foxes can attack cats, but I’ve never been unduly worried. Before we lost the kittens mother (we called her Ripley after Sigourney Weaver’s character in Alien, because she was badass), we watched her chase a fox out of the garden. I hope the kids picked up a little of her ferocity if needed. They know the garden like the back of their paws, and there are a hundred hiding places in the barn that a fox could not get to. They can also get through our wide mesh fence in the front garden and a fox could not. It’s only ever been other cats that have terrorised them in the past, none for ages now though. I think we’ve achieved a nice balance between semi-feral and semi-domesticated now, they have evolved to suit their surroundings.

Figgles, (actual name is Figaro after Gepetto’s cat in Pinocchio), has started to remember what it’s like to come inside and find a cozy spot on a blanket on my lap of an evening. This brings deep joy. She can be an absolute cuddle-monster as long as she’s in the right mood and it’s entirely on her terms. The problem then is that she’s so cozy and so fast asleep that I can’t get up to go to the loo or even go to bed because I don’t want to wake her. I cannot stress how little I have ever wanted cats, and now I cannot wait to see their 2 eager little faces when I open the door every morning. I fear that I am now forever a cat lady. (Obvs dogs too, always dogs.) It suits my Autumn bog witch aesthetic to have a familiar doesn’t it. Technically I have 4.

I have Florence and the Machine’s new single on repeat in my head now, new album comes out on Halloween, because our queen knows her audience, and I cannot wait. There is something primal about that voice and those drums, this song makes me feel like sourcing a chariot on eBay and leading the Iceni in a fight with the armies of Rome. I lazily wonder how easy it is to buy woad…. I have started to pull a Season of the Witch playlist together on Spotify. Lots of Lana Del Rey, Florence, Stevie, a bit of Tay Tay, the theme from Practical Magic. To be played when every candle is lit in the house and the fire is crackling. I cannot wait. It consoles me after forgetting that My Chemical Romance tickets went on sale last Friday like an absolute fool.

“Create a high-resolution, highly detailed image for a blog post titled “The Witching Season: Music, Cats, and Autumn Magic.” The main subject features an ethereal autumn landscape with layers of trees in varying shades of grey, shrouded in morning mist, reminiscent of a theatre set. Include two playful cats in the foreground, embodying a whimsical essence, and subtly include a distant family of foxes to add a sense of intrigue. The light should be soft and magical, evoking a cozy autumn morning. The image should be in sharp focus to highlight the enchanting details of the scene, capturing the essence of the witchy autumn vibes and love for cats”.

TTFN,

V x

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