The Hop Shop

What else is Autumn for if not long walks in crisp air, kicking leaves the colour of the rainbow in to the air and of course, hunting down pumpkins.

Luckily for me, I didn't have to search too hard.

Once the wind died down and I got the hair out of my eyes that is...

Tucked away down a winding country road (ok, I'll let you into a secret, its just off the M25), is The Hop Shop at Castle Farm. In the spring its fields are bursting with lavendar but come Autumn if its pumpkins you're after then its pumpkins you will find. 

I got straight down to the business of finding the right one and had somewhat of a goldilocks moment.

Thinking that bigger might be better, I started with these bad boys...

Before quickly realising I may have bitten off more than I could chew (and carry).

Trying to put it back gracefully (and obviously failing), I moved on to the medium sized pumpkins to see if we were better suited.

Still a tad on the heavy side though.

​So off to find the small ones I went and predictably it was the grey one that caught my eye...

And this one was juuusssttt right. 

I got momentarily distracted by the pumpkin 0's and X's before we made our way in to the farm shop. 

He was concentrated on the farm foods and I kept myself busy with the homeware and flowers. 

We left with arms full of jams, chutneys and dried hydrangeas before heading back to the car to grab our furry friend and stretch his legs.

Just down the road is Farningham village. I've been coming here since I was a little and it hasn't changed at all, full of quaint houses and pubs on every corner it's perfect for a walk, with or without a pooch in tow.

Bronson decided it was time for a dip so naturally I followed because how can you resist that face?

I cracked a joke, he didn't appreciate it clearly...

Some of us splashed around more than others but then I decided what the hell and got in on the action. 

Once everyone had tired of my splashing about we set to wandering alongside the stream rather than just straight through it. 

Still not quite done acting like an 8 year old, I attempted to clamber on to the side of the bridge for a quick sit down. 

So graceful right? 

I gave up when it became apparent that my chances of sitting on the edge were a hell of a lot slimmer than my chances of ending up in the stream below and we got back to wandering in some all be it unexpected surroundings. 

We squelched through the mud (thank god for wellies) back to the stream for a quick wash (the dog, not me) and then headed home to fill vases with flowers (just me, the boys surprisingly had no interest).

Pop back for another slice of California sunshine next!

​WG x