Events in July 2023

Virtual Writing Retreat
Sunday 9th July
10.30–5.00pm
Hannah's Bookshelf
I'm hosting an online writing retreat for creative writers with writing exercises and structured writing sessions
Members Event

Summer Holidays in Blackley's Past
Wednesday 12th July
7.00-8.30pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'm giving a local history talk on the history of summer holidays, with a focus on Blackley and North Manchester
Booking Link

Suffrage Sonnets
Sunday 16th July
11.30-12.15pm, 2.15-3.00pm
The Pankhurst Centre
I'm running a creative writing workshop as part of the Emmeline's Birthday Party event at the Pankhurst Centre
Booking Link

Park Write - Nature Writing
Saturday 22nd July
2.00-5.00pm
Friends of Crumpsall Park
I'm hosting a nature-themed creative writing workshop in Crumpsall Park, using the park as inspiration for creativity
Booking Link

Lammas Stories
Wednesday 26th July
2.00-4.00pm
Castlerea House
I'm running a seasonal poetry and storytelling workshop session for residents at Castlerea care home
Private Event

Interested in booking me for an event? Click here to find out more.

Midsummer: Day 7

It's the big day! And gosh... what a week it's been. I feel like we've definitely made up for missing out on Beltane this year, and we've given the summer season a very grand welcome this time. Today was quite a busy one, building up to our Midsummer Dinner.

New Midsummer Earrings

These ones seemed particularly appropriate given the weather today!

Bailey’s Wood Midsummer Litter-Pick

We were back in the woods this morning for the Friends of Bailey's Wood Midsummer litter-pick. There were a few spots of rain, but otherwise a lovely summer's morning to be out in the woods!

Hannah’s Bookshelf Midsummer Special

This afternoon saw the first ever Hannah's Bookshelf Midsummer Special (a special seasonal edition of my weekly literature show on North Manchester FM). I had a lot of fun presenting this show, which featured a selection of seasonal short stories from some amazing writers.

Midsummer Tea Break!

My final Midsummer tea for this year! And today I'm drinking Deckchair Dreaming from Bird and Blend Tea.

Midsummer Dinner

Tonight Rob prepared the traditional Midsummer Dinner of Gratinated Cabbage and Roast Shallots.

Midsummer Gifts

We swapped our traditional Midsummer gifts tonight... more whiskies to add to the sets we'll be enjoying in December.

Jaws

We watched the traditional film (as of this year) of the season while we had our Midsummer Dinner... Jaws! An out-of-town policeman tries to investigate the death of a young girl in the face of stonewalling from potential witnesses, the indifference of the partying locals, and the intervention of the extravagantly dressed and charismatic leader of the island... WAIT A MINUTE!

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

Events in June 2023

Virtual Writing Retreat
Sunday 11th June
10.30–5.00pm
Hannah's Bookshelf
I'm hosting a online writing retreat for creative writers with writing exercises and structured writing sessions
Members Event

Booth Hall Before the Hospital
Monday 12th June
7.30-9.00pm
Cheetham and Crumpsall Heritage Society
I'm giving a local history talk on the history of Booth Hall (the hall, not the hospital), Blackley
Members and Non-Members Event (£3.00 per session)

Summer Solstice Walk in the Woods
Tuesday 20th June
6.30–7.30pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'll be leading a sociable walk in the woods to enjoy the changing seasons
Booking Link

Bailey's Wood Summer Solstice Walk and Talk
Wednesday 21st June
11.00–12.30pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'll be leading a gentle, social walk in the woods with a Summer Solstice theme
Booking Link

Summer Solstice Poetry in the Park
Wednesday 21st June
2.00–5.00pm
Castlerea House
I'm running a seasonal poetry and storytelling workshop session in the park for residents at Castlerea care home
Private Event

Interested in booking me for an event? Click here to find out more.

Events in May 2023

Booth Hall Before the Hospital
Wednesday 10th May
7.00-8.30pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'm giving a local history talk on the history of Booth Hall (the hall, not the hospital), Blackley
Booking Link

Virtual Writing Retreat
Sunday 21st May
10.30–5.00pm
Hannah's Bookshelf
I'm hosting a online writing retreat for creative writers with writing exercises and structured writing sessions
Members Event

Interested in booking me for an event? Click here to find out more.

Beltane: Day 5

Another day of our sickness-restricted Beltane. We're back in Manchester now, and we managed to make it out and into nature. At least we got to see a few trees this year!

‘Rogationtide and Pentecost’

The next seasonal chapter of Ronald Hutton's The Stations of the Sun was 'Rogationtide and Pentecost'.

Bailey’s Wood Beltane Litter-Pick

It might not have been the Beltane festivities we had planned, but we were out for the Friends of Bailey's Wood Beltane litter-pick today, so I spent the morning surrounded by hawthorn and birdsong.

Events in April 2023

Easter Poetry and Storytelling
Friday 7th April
2.00-4.00pm
Castlerea House
I'm running a seasonal poetry and storytelling workshop session for residents at Castlerea care home
Private Event

The Medieval Blackley Deer Park and its Afterlife
Wednesday 12th April
7.00-8.30pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'm giving a local history talk on the history of the medieval deer park at Blackley, including its demise and afterlife
Booking Link

Virtual Writing Retreat
Sunday 16th April
10.30–5.00pm
Hannah's Bookshelf
I'm hosting a online writing retreat for creative writers with writing exercises and structured writing sessions
Members Event

Beltane Poetry and Storytelling
Friday 28th April
2.00-4.00pm
Castlerea House
I'm running a seasonal poetry and storytelling workshop session for residents at Castlerea care home
Private Event

Interested in booking me for an event? Click here to find out more.

Spring Equinox: Day 6

It's the penultimate day of our Spring Equinox celebrations. I had a really long day at work today, so there wasn't a huge amount of celebrating. I did a couple of things to mark the season though.

‘An Egg at Easter’

I read the next chapter of Ronald Hutton's The Stations of the Sun: 'An Egg at Easter'.

Crosslee Litter-Pick (with Daffodils)

And I was out for a litter-pick with the school council of Crosslee Primary School in Blackley, who made sure the occasion was daffodil-tastic.

Spring Equinox: Day 5

Although we had our Ostara Dinner yesterday, it was actually the Spring Equinox today, so there was a little bit more celebrating for us. It was a bit of a muted holiday for us this year (for some personal reasons), but there were a few more seasonal things to enjoy.

‘Holy Week’

I read the next chapter of Ronald Hutton's The Stations of the Sun today: 'Holy Week'.

Bailey’s Wood Spring Equinox Walk

And this evening I led a Spring Equinox Walk in the Woods for Friends of Bailey's Wood. It was a little bit wet and muddy, but we spotted a few signs that the seasons are changing.

Spring Equinox: Day 3

Another day of celebrating the season for us. It was a bit of a quiet day, as I was out for a big chunk of it. But I think we've managed a bit of equinox-y fun.

Daffodils

I was at a community fun day in Boggart Hole Clough for a big part of the day, but I did take a couple of minutes out for a bit of daffodil spotting!

Rites of Spring

Rob found us a few spring-themed horror films to watch this weekend. We started with Rites of Spring tonight. (Side note: I get that in a folk horror film, you're going to see people sacrificed to ensure the harvest. But the dude in this film sacrifices people for an early harvest. That's just greedy. You wait till Lammas for your cornflakes, mate, like everyone else.)

The Reaping

Our second spring-themed film tonight was The Reaping.

Events in March 2023

Bailey's Wood Spring Equinox Walk and Talk
Wednesday 15th March
11.00–12.30pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'll be leading a gentle, social walk in the woods with a Spring Equinox theme
Booking Link

Spring Equinox Poetry in the Park
Friday 17th March
2.00–5.00pm
Castlerea House
I'm running a seasonal poetry and storytelling workshop session in the park for residents at Castlerea care home
Private Event

Spring Equinox Walk in the Woods
Monday 20th March
5.30–6.30pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'll be leading a sociable walk in the woods to enjoy the changing seasons
Booking Link

Virtual Writing Retreat
Sunday 26th March
10.30–5.00pm
Hannah's Bookshelf
I'm hosting a online writing retreat for creative writers with writing exercises and structured writing sessions
Members Event

Interested in booking me for an event? Click here to find out more.

Imbolc: Day 7

The last day of our Imbolc celebrations this year. Rob was on shift on Thursday day/night, so I was left to my own devices for the final day. Here's what I got up to on Thursday...

‘Valentines’

Looking ahead to the rest of February, I read the 'Valentines' chapter in Ronald Hutton's The Stations of the Sun today.

Library Visit

Not exactly a seasonal thing, as I do this every month, but I was at the Avenue Library in Blackley this morning. At least one of the books I checked out had 'January' in the title, so that sort of counts!

Snowdrops

Hooray! I was worried I was going to get all the way through Imbolc without seeing any snowdrops, but look what I spotted in Heaton Park this afternoon!

Lunch at the Hidden Gem

Me and my mum went for lunch at the Hidden Gem coffee shop in Heaton Park today. Love this place.

Myst Replay

My brother came round tonight to continue our replay of the Myst games. It was the last day of Imbolc, so we had one last seasonal snack with our game.

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

Imbolc: Day 2

It's the second day of our second year of celebrating Imbolc, so here's what we got up to on Saturday...

Bailey’s Wood Imbolc Litter-Pick

The Friends of Bailey's Wood litter-pick is a monthly event, so I can't pretend this was a specifically seasonal thing. But... the woods were very wintery, and there were hardly any signs of spring just yet, so it definitely felt very Imbolc-y!

Imbolc Chocolate

I got a little Imbolc present for me and Rob... Ginger and Lime chocolate (with snowdrops!) for him and Toasted Tea Cake chocolate for me, from Kernow Chocolate.

Imbolc Candle

We lit our Imbolc candle from Chalice Creations tonight. Myrrh, Roman Chamomile and Basil to scent our festive week.

Vivaldi's Four Seasons by Candlelight

I didn't expect Vivaldi's Four Seasons by Candlelight to become one of our annual traditions! We enjoyed a beautiful performance by The Piccadilly Sinfonietta tonight at St Ann's Church.