The rain has begun, the air smells like falling leaves, I'm craving cider (the grown-up variety), and I wish I could step into the quaint and cozy world of Toast UK...

When I used to receive the Toast catalogues (I don't anymore because I only ever bought one thing — blast the powerful pound!), I would pore over them every morning with my coffee, daydreaming about old-fashioned kitchens, perfectly worn-in linen, freshly-chopped firewood, and moccasins warmed on a pot-bellied stove. My San Francisco apartment came with none of these amenities! No wood-burning fireplace, can you believe it!? Where will I use the toasting fork? Where will I hang my (by my calculations) $231 worth of Fair Isle socks to dry? However, I'm a bit relieved there's not a pile of boots in my corner, and that I don't have to sleep on shipping pallets. But oh, that crocheted blanket is beautiful...

Until the US dollar gains strength or I get a job as a Toast model, I'll have to find other ways to cozy-up my apartment. Baking bread always helps, as does a thick wool shawl draped over my telephone-talking chair, warm ballet shoe-like slippers, and beeswax candles burning in the evenings. What about you?

Images: Toast UK