Countdown to Christmas: Day 15

Another day of celebrating the countdown to Christmas!

Lizard

And another day of our festive Cornish getaway.

Grapefruit Shower Steamer

Today, my shower was scented with grapefruit!

Coastal Path Walk

We went for a walk from our cottage to Lizard village along the coastal path this morning. It's not a long walk, but it's very pretty.

Mince Pie at Twisted Lizard

We popped into Twisted Lizard, a quirky little gift shop that's opened since the last time we were here, to get a couple of Christmas gifts, and we got mulled wine and a homemade mince pie!

Ann’s Pasties

Our main reason for walking into Lizard (apart from the lovely scenery and the Christmas shopping) was to get a couple of pasties from Ann's Pasties, our favourite Cornish pasty shop!

Christmas Tree Cake

We also got these gorgeous cakes!

Abominable Books

As always, I've been saving my latest Abominable Books subscription box for a treat. I opened it this afternoon, and I got Feast While You Can by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta, Marginal by Tom Carlisle, a festive flapjack and some other horror goodies.

Surviving Christmas

Tonight's Christmas film was Surviving Christmas.

Hotel Magnifique

After the film, I read Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor. What a gorgeous book this is! I absolutely loved it!

Advent Tea

Today's tea from my Bird and Blend advent calendar was Mulled Cider!

Advent Model

And today's model from our other advent calendar was a little snow plough!

31 Days of Halloween: Day 31

It's the big day! After an entire month of celebrating, Halloween is finally here! And, as with previous years, the big day itself is actually going to be a lot quieter than some of the other festivities we've enjoyed, because that's how the spooky season tends to go.

Coup de Grâce

Kicked off the day with some spooky tram reading from my most recent Abominable Books box - Coup de Grâce by Sofia Ajram.

Office Cakes

Took a box of leftover seasonal cakes into work today to share with my colleagues.

Halloween Lollipop

One final bit of spooky chocolate for the season.

The Exorcist

This evening, the power of Christ compelled me to go to a screening of The Exorcist at Cultplex. A good way to end my month of Halloween celebrations, I think.


And so the wheel of the year turns. We'll be celebrating again at Christmas.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 26

Today was a very busy day, involving four different outfits and two different wigs. It was a good day.

Bailey’s Wood Litter-Pick

This morning started off with the monthly Friends of Bailey's Wood litter-pick. As is tradition, we dressed up for October litter-pick. And, as is also tradition, we (or maybe that should be I) tried to make our costumes as unsettling as possible.

Christmas Duck

One of the guys on the litter-pick presented me with a present this morning. He said, "I know you're into your ducks," and I think this is because my little Halloween ducks have been turning up at various events. Then he told me he'd found this one in his garden one day, and I could have it for when we start celebrating Christmas. I love my little garden duck!

Mouse and Chocolate Owls

A present from my mum!

Hannah’s Bookshelf Halloween Special

This afternoon was the annual Hannah's Bookshelf Halloween Special on North Manchester FM, featuring seasonal flash fiction from this year's 3 Minute Scares entries.

Abominable Books

Also on my radio show today, I opened my October box from the Abominable Book Club. I got Disturbance by Jenna Clake and Coup de Grâce by Sofia Ajram, plus a tote bag, popcorn and a few other treats.

Bailey’s Wood Horror Walk

Then it was to the woods for the Friends of Bailey's Wood evening event... Saturday the 26th - Horror in the Woods. I led some brave souls through the forest, telling stories of other realms, vengeful trees, and why you should never book a cabin in the woods on Airbnb.

L is for The Loved Ones

Back home, we continued our horror A-Z with The Loved Ones.

M is for The Menu

And then we rounded off the day with The Menu.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 4

Another day of celebrating Halloween. It was a bit of a low-key day, as I was at work, but still a few nice spooky things.

Desk Spider

I was working downstairs in the museum this morning, and when I came upstairs to the office at lunchtime, my manager had put a spider on my laptop.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

And continuing the spooky office theme, I took some Clayton Park Pumpkin Spice Cookies in today.

Abominable Books

When I got home, I realized I still had my Abominable Book Club box from September to open. I got The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey and Delicate Condition by Danielle Rollins this time, plus some other goodies including Black Forest Gateau from Gnaw Chocolate.

Beltane: Day 1

It's time for Beltane! Halloween in Spring! We're really looking forward to celebrating this year, as we were both recovering from serious illnesses last Beltane, so we didn't manage to do very much at all. Fingers crossed, this year will be very different.

Bakewell

We're on holiday for the first half of our Beltane celebrations. It's our annual trip to Bakewell, and we've got lots of lovely things planned.

Tree Necklace and Earrings

Rob got me a lovely Beltane gift before we set off on holiday... a sparkly tree necklace and earring set that I absolutely love.

Abominable Books

I saved this month's Abominable Books box to open while we're on holiday. I got Red River Seven by A.J. Ryan, My Throat An Open Grave by Tori Bovalino, a Cthulhu pin and a massive block of Slab maple and walnut fudge!

Rose Bath Bomb

I've been saving this bath bomb for the springtime.

My Throat An Open Grave

Even though it's set in September, I decided to jump straight in to reading My Throat An Open Grave (at twilight, near some ivy, obviously). The Lord of the Woods storyline appealed to me, as I feel like this Beltane is going to be all about the Green Man!

Countdown to Christmas: Day 17

Still on our pre-Christmas holiday!

Lizard

Another day in our little cottage at The Lizard.

Mulled Apple Juice

I was mulling again today! This time, it was apple juice made with the mulling spice blend we got from Spicy Chameleon last month.

Abominable Books

I'm always so behind with opening my Abominable Book Club boxes, aren't I? Today, I opened my November box. I got Schrader's Chord by Scott Leeds, You'd Look Better as a Ghost by Joanna Wallace, some chocolates, bookmarks and a magnet, plus a mystery second-hand book (which was right up my street... I know this cos I already borrowed it from the library and read it last month... haha!)

Playa del Mar Cocktails

I made Playa del Mar cocktails tonight. I mean, we are right next to a beach and the sea (admittedly, the sea is pretty wild and the beach is at the bottom of a cliff).

Tiramisu

I made another of my holiday go-to desserts (and yes, it's another no-bake one)... tiramisu. It's Rob's favourite!

Wolfburn Whisky

We enjoyed a Wolfburn whisky tasting set this evening, a present from my little brother from last time he visited the distillery.

Advent Tea

Behind Door No. 17 in my Bird and Blend tea calendar... Candy Cane!

Advent Jewellery

And behind Door No. 17 in my Avon jewellery calendar... a silver triangle pendant!

My Year in Books 2023: October

Okay, so it's a very short post today. 31 Days of Halloween doesn't always leave much time for reading. That said, I did read one book, and it was a very good one!

In case you're curious, here are the rest of my reviews for the year so far: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September

Ghostwritten by Ronald Malfi (2022)

There was a lot going on this month, so I knew I wouldn’t get chance to do a lot of reading. But I was keen that any reading I did was right for the season. And I think I made a very good choice! I got Ghostwritten in one of my Abominable Books boxes, and it’s been sitting on my to-read pile since then, just waiting for the right time! It’s a collection of four (almost) standalone novellas, each focused on a book or story that is cursed in some way: an unpublished manuscript, an old book that needs to be delivered to a new owner, a book created by a lonely child, and a choose-your-own-adventure game. I knew that the subject matter would be to my taste, but I was really taken with Malfi’s writing. Although the novellas differ a little in terms of their tone, there’s a distinct style and voice that I found really enjoyable. I was completely immersed in each one, and so I couldn’t pick a favourite (though some of the descriptions of places in The Dark Brothers’ Last Ride were just perfect). I say these are ‘almost’ standalone, as they are set in the same ‘universe’. There’s a very subtle overarching narrative that links them, and I really enjoyed the light touch Malfi uses to create this. There are tiny hints to another story that isn’t told in any of the novellas that was beautifully intriguing and sinister. Overall, this is perfect Halloween reading!