31 Days of Halloween: Day 28

Friday was quite a busy day for me. Mostly, it was work stuff, but there was still time for a good bit of seasonal celebration too!

Today's Tea

Friday's Halloween tea was Spooky Halloween Spice from Tea-Adora! It's black tea with ginger, coriander, cinnamon, orange peel and cloves!

Today's Story

Friday's classic tale of horror was 'An Inhabitant of Carcosa' by Ambrose Bierce.

‘Saints and Souls’

The next seasonal chapter of Ronald Hutton's The Stations of the Sun that I read on Friday was 'Saints and Souls.

Halloween Film Afternoon

We had the Halloween party at Castlerea Care Home this afternoon. I did my annual dramatic reading of The Raven (with audience participation), then we watched The Mummy and drank a brew of Dried Mummy's Brains!

Fancy Dress Cluedo

Friday night Cluedo with my mother-in-law at Halloween can only mean one thing... it was the return of Fancy Dress Cluedo!

31 Days of Halloween: Day 16

Sorry for posting this one a little bit late, but it was another day of celebrating the season for me on Sunday. It wasn't quite as pumpkin-oriented as Saturday, but there was still some spooky fun.

Today's Tea

Sunday's tea was Around the Fire from Hoogly Tea. There was a lot going on here. It's Oolong and Lapsang Souchong teas with cinnamon, orange peel, safflower and chilli. When you open the box, it smells like Laphroaig whisky, but the taste of the tea is actually a bit more subtle.

Today's Story

Sunday's classic tale of horror... 'Present at a Hanging' by Ambrose Bierce.

Virtual Writing Retreat

Technically, this is a monthly thing, rather than a specifically Halloween event! I run these Virtual Writing Retreats (as Hannah Kate) for my Hannah's Bookshelf gang every month, but I made the October one a little bit spookier. (And I was working on some creepy stuff myself, so I think it counts.)

Live and Spooky Campfire Stories (Gwendolyn Kiste)

And another enjoyable and intriguing Campfire Stories video from Flame Tree Press... Gwendolyn Kiste reading from her short story 'The Woman Out of the Attic'.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 2

It's the second day of Halloween for me. It's been a bit of a tiring day, but I still managed to get some seasonal stuff in.

Today's Tea

Tonight's tea was one of four included in a rather stylish Halloween gift set from Rosie Lea Tea. I chose Phoenix Tears today. It's a sweet caramel flavoured rooibos tea.

Today's Story

Tonight's classic tale of horror is 'An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge' by Ambrose Bierce.

Litter-Pick in Crumpsall Park

This morning we were at the monthly Friends of Crumpsall Park litter-pick. It wasn't technically a Halloween event, but I made sure I found as much seasonal stuff as possible while were out.

Ghost Files

We recovered from a bit of tiring morning with a facon and egg roll and catching up on the latest episode of Ghost Files on Watcher.

October Readalong

This afternoon I started reading Ghost Story by Peter Straub and getting things ready for my October Readalong. We're starting off with the prologue this week.