Countdown to Christmas: Day 14

Another day of celebrating the Countdown to Christmas in a little cottage in Cornwall! Today was just lovely (but I'm going to say that about every day we're here, aren't I?)

Lizard

It's the second day of our holiday!

Camomile and Green Tea Shower Steamer

Today, my shower was scented with camomile and green tea.

Christmas Pumpkin Soup

We've managed to acquire an accidental tradition! For the last two years, we've brought the last of the Halloween pumpkins (picked on our annual visit to Dunham Massey Farm Ice Cream's Pumpkin Patch) to Cornwall with us, and I've made it into festive soup. Technically, it was a butternut squash this year, but the tradition is established now. I teamed the pumpkin with some Brussels sprouts and little pasta stars, so it was definitely Christmas soup! (It was very thick.)

Reindeer Cupcake

Little Christmas cupcake for after the soup.

Hannah’s Bookshelf 3 Minute Santas Special

Obviously, as I'm currently in Cornwall, today's episode of Hannah's Bookshelf on North Manchester FM was pre-recorded. It was the first of my festive specials for the year... 3 Minute Santas! I ask writers to submit festive short stories that last 3 minutes, and this year I had a record-breaking 23 stories on the show, all different genres and styles.

Walk to Church Cove

This afternoon, I went for a little walk along the coastal path from our cottage to Church Cove (just over a mile away). It's weird, but in all the years we've stayed here, I've never done this walk before as we normally head out in the opposite direction! It was gorgeous, particularly as I walked back in the twilight, listening to Christmas music.

Rovaniemi Virtual Walking Challenge

My walk along the coastal path added the last couple of miles to my festive Rovaniemi virtual walking challenge (from The Conqueror). When I logged my last distance, I got a postcard from Santa Claus Village and a finisher's certificate... and a medal to follow!

Gingerbread Chocolate Pots

We had Gingerbread Chocolate Pots tonight!

Rare Exports

Since I'd just completed my Rovaniemi virtual walking challenge, it seemed fitting to watch a Christmas film set in Lapland (the Land of the Northern Lights).

The Anti-Social Season

Tonight's Christmas reading was The Anti-Social Season by Adele Buck. Not my usual genre, but 'tis the season.

Advent Tea

Today's tea from my Bird and Blend advent calendar was Morning Kick.

Advent Model

And today's model from our other advent calendar was a little Christmas machine and chair!

31 Days of Halloween: Day 20

Today is a very special day in our calendar, a solemnly observed annual tradition.

Pumpkin Day!

That's right! It's Pumpkin Day! This is the day when we go to Dunham Massey Farm Ice Cream and pick our pumpkin for the year. It's one of our favourite things to do at Halloween. Of course, I say pumpkin as if it's singular... this year, we ended up with seven (though four of them were tiny). And then we had pizza!

Spooky Scavenger Hunt

There was a Spooky Scavenger Hunt among the remains of the sunflower trail this year, so we had a little wander and spotted some mildly unsettling scarecrows.

Pumpkin Spice and Sunflower Ice Cream

Can't come to Dunham Massey Farm without having some ice cream. I got my usual Pumpkin Spice (of course), but this year I also had a scoop of Sunflower, which was gorgeous.

Apple Crumble

Rounded off the day with one of Rob's signature apple crumbles.

Countdown to Christmas: Day 13

We're on holiday! Woohoo!

Lizard

Another day in our lovely remote little cottage at The Lizard!

Pumpkin and Red Pepper Soup

I made Pumpkin and Red Pepper Soup today. Most of the ingredients were from our most recent Groobarbs delivery, but would you believe that the mini ghost pumpkin was from our Halloween pumpkin picking at Dunham Massey Ice Cream Farm? It lasted perfectly and tasted amazing.

Cherry and Ginger Banana Bread

I've done some baking! I made Cherry and Ginger Banana Bread this afternoon, and enjoyed a slice of it with a cup of Bird and Blend's Mascarpone and Sour Cherry tea.

Chocolate Pots

Chocolate Pots are a holiday go-to for me (though it's another no-bake dessert). 150g of melted chocolate mixed with 150ml double cream, and then anything festive I can fling at them! Top tip: make them the night before so they have plenty of time to chill in the fridge.

Daisy Darker

The next book I'm reading on holiday is Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney. I bought it for my mum for Christmas last year, and she lent it to me in January after she'd read it. I've been saving it since then, because I really wanted to read it while we were in Cornwall. And I'm having Rose Conjou tea from Tugboat in Truro while I read it.

Advent Tea

Behind Door No. 13 in my Bird and Blend Tea calendar... Christmas Cake!

Advent Jewellery

And behind Door No. 13 in my Avon jewellery calendar... a star pendant!

31 Days of Halloween: Day 21

It's Pumpkin Day! And given it's the second year in a row we've observed Pumpkin Day, that must mean it's a genuine tradition! Woohoo! It's also our monthly day off together, so we've got lots of (admittedly heavily pumpkin-based) things planned.

Trick or Treat Sweets

I completely forgot I ordered this bag of Halloween sweets from Candy Stack Creations! It's like a Halloween present from past me!

Crumpsall Breakfast

Since we had the day off together, we went out for a lovely breakfast at the Secret Sandwich and randomly met up with friends, before heading out for the afternoon.

Pumpkin Picking

It's Pumpkin Day! We went to Dunham Massey Ice Cream Farm to get a big pumpkin to carve, plus some mini pumpkins (because they're so cute).

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

It wouldn't be Pumpkin Day without some pumpkin spice ice cream, would it?

Pumpkin Patch Cake

It's Pumpkin Day!

31 Halloween Films: You’re Next

An afternoon film from our list... what's next? You're Next!

Special Earrings

I changed my earrings before we went out for the evening... bet you can't guess why.

Saw X

We went to see Saw X tonight. I was a bit nervous about what it would be like, after the disappointment of Jigsaw (and I didn't even bother with Spiral). But it was an absolute joy (and I know that's a weird thing to say about a Saw film). There's so much affection for the franchise, the characters and the fans in this film!

31 Halloween Films: Friday the 13th

Back from the pictures and back to our Halloween list... it was Friday the 13th next!

31 Days of Halloween: Day 15

After a week of not leaving the house due to my horror cold, I decided it was time to get back into the holiday spirit. I even put on my pumpkin dress for the first time this year, as we had a day of festive fun planned that I really didn't want to miss.

Today's Tea

Today's tea was another one from the Rosie Lea Tea gift set... Felix Felicis. It's a black tea with vanilla, liquorice and heather.

Today's Story

Today's classic tale of horror was an old favourite... 'The Monkey's Paw' by W.W. Jacobs.

Halloween Earrings (1)

As I was leaving the house after a week of quarantine (exciting! and exhausting!), I celebrated by wearing a pumpkin dress and sparkly pumpkin earrings.

Pumpkin Picking

Today we went pumpkin-picking Dunham Massey Ice Cream Farm! And we're very happy with our pumpkin choices. We'll be carving those later this week.

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

I got some pumpkin pie ice cream from Dunham Massey Ice Cream Farm as well!

Halloween Earrings (2)

Second pair of Halloween earrings of the day... as we were off to see a horror film at the pictures, it felt right to switch to my Billy the Puppet earrings for the evening.

Smile

Saturday night at the movies! We went to see Smile tonight, which was very good fun.

The Black Phone

And when we got home, we watched The Black Phone (also good fun).

Live and Spooky Campfire Stories (Brad Abdul)

Another very enjoyable Campfire Stories video from Flame Tree Press today... Brad Abdul reading from his upcoming debut novel The Devil's Advisor.