How to make the most of the last days of Cosy season

Enjoy it while it lasts

Cosy season is about to leave us, guys. Here in Edinburgh, we live in constant fear of waking up tomorrow, opening the bedroom curtains, and discovering that Mordor season is fully installed.❄️ For that, last year I wrote a comprehensive guide on surviving the grimmest time of the year:

How to survive Mordor season

But Cosy season is different. Cosy season is about introspection, walks in nature and other delightful things. It’s enjoying the cold before it’s too cold. It’s signing up to all the apps that give you free stuff on your birthday (shoutout to all my Libra girlies out there♎). Some people call it Autumn, but again, if you live in Scotland you realise that seasons are a social construct so excuse me if I MAKE MY OWN SEASONS???

October is my favourite month (on that note: it’s my birthday today!✨ ) and I am happy that by this time of the year, it’s still not miserable out there. We’ve been blessed by the weather Gods! Which takes me to the idea behind today’s newsletter:

How to enjoy the last days of Cosy season

• Y’all know that Uncanny is my favourite podcast, and this year, Danny Robins is doing a fantastic Halloween countdown: every day until the 31st of October he releases a bite-sized case with paranormal stories the listeners have been sending over. My favourites so far? The wandering patient and The bunk bed ghost. Listening to it while I walk to the office with a hot coffee in my hands is my favourite part of the morning 👌🏻

• Speaking of Halloween: time to start prepping your costume because time is running out. Apart from ye olde house party, I also bought a ticket for a screening of Beetlejuice (1988) at Seb’s Urban Jungle in Leith Walk - feeling social, might regret later lol. Regarding the costume for the house parties, this year I’ve sourced all between my wardrobe and Vinted ♻️ Can you guess the couple?

  

  

• Sign up for an evening workshop to do something crafty. I’ve already booked my spot in this Badge-making workshop at Typewronger Books and I am now collecting ideas for the badges I want to make 🤩

• It’s still not depressing out there, I repeat, still not depressing out there, so put on your hiking boots and go walk in the forest. Marvel that nature is still a thing like the city rat you are. Yesterday we went to Dalkeith Country Park and it was lovely to see the colours of the leaves and walk alongside the river. Everything was beautiful, even the overpriced cream cheese baguette that I had for lunch which only contained three olives and two sundried tomatoes, but then my autumnal reverie got interrupted by the sound of a very passive-aggressive “Excuse meee, UNFORTUNATELY, if you want to access the pumpkin patch you need to pay a ticket” 🎃

I guess it’s observing “the pumpkin patch” from a distance then.

• If the trees are changing the colour of their leaves, why not doing the same with your hair? Chocolate brunette? Pumpkin Ginger? Blue steel? Think of any other ridiculous and appealing seasonal names for the idea you have in mind and go for it. Nothing says new season like a new hair colour. Strength Bonus Points if you go to a hair salon, they quote you £200, you get angry, and you decide to go to Boots to take matters into your own hands. You too, are a magical being whose appearance syncs with the seasons. 🍂 At least that’s what I say to my co-workers when they say they can’t keep up with my hair changes.

• Do one thing you’ve always wanted to do. As temperatures drop, your impostor syndrome will keep you warm. To me, that was hosting a Female

  Substack Writers
  Meetup in Edinburgh. So I’ve done it. No going back now. Are you coming? :)

• Get prepared for what’s next: a long, depressing winter. Internet people call it Romantizing it. I have found my cure for the upcoming winter blues, and it’s called Benita Larsson. Her videos on simple city living, hygge, and all things Scandi are soothing and inspiring in equal parts. We are moving to a smaller and cheaper apartment by the end of the month, and she has become my new space-optimization-minimalism guru. I love you, Benita. 💘

Now is your turn: what’s on your list? I’d love to know. I hope you are having a good Monday - I will celebrate my birthday today and make sure to eat cake and have a lil good cry! (Two of my birthday essentials) 🎂👋🏻

Thank you for reading Sad Little Life 🙂 I am so happy you are here. This is a publication free to read for everyone - if you want to show your support and help this newsletter get discovered in the big Substack ocean, you can like this post, leave a comment, or interact with me in Notes. You can also share your favourite part on social media and tell your friends. See you soon 🌞