Autumn Equinox: Day 7

Our final day of celebrating the Autumn Equinox. Today was pretty quiet, as I was at work during the day. We did go out in the evening.

Starve Acre

We were at Stockport Plaza tonight for a screening of Starve Acre. Okay, it's not a specifically autumnal film, but we thought a bit of folk horror suited the seasonal celebrations. We very much enjoyed the music the organist played at the intermission, particularly when he ended on the theme to Halloween, before giving a cheery wave and descending beneath the stage.


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

Autumn Equinox: Day 6

It's the penultimate day of us celebrating the beginning of autumn, and oh boy! we've got a lot going on today.

Crumpsall Park Autumn Equinox Walk

This morning, I led a gentle, social walk for Friends of Crumpsall Park to enjoy the changing seasons in the park (especially the trees!).

Hannah’s Bookshelf Autumn Equinox Special

This afternoon was my Hannah's Bookshelf Autumn Equinox Special on North Manchester FM, where I shared some folklore of the season, but also played a selection of original, seasonal flash fiction from some fantastic writers who contibuted to the show. Also... I brought in apple pies for the volunteers at the community centre where the radio station is based.

Cherry Pie

I've had a LOT of apple pie so far this autumn, so I thought I'd mix it up and have cherry.

Bailey’s Wood Autumn Equinox Walk

After the radio show, I led a seasonal walk for Friends of Bailey's Wood, sharing folklore and stories of the season and enjoying the woods getting its autumn clothes on.

Autumn Equinox Dinner

Tonight was our Autumn Equinox Dinner, and Rob made us the traditional meal of meatloaf and root vegetable rice, followed by blackberry crumble (made with blackberries I picked when I went mad for brambling at the end of the summer).

Autumn Equinox Gifts

After dinner, we shared our traditional Autumn Equinox cards and gifts. Two more whiskies to add to the tasting set we'll be enjoying in December.

Dark Night of the Scarecrow

For the past couple of years, we've struggled to find a film that could be our regular seasonal film (we've got one for all the other seasons). But... the quest is over! Our (newly) traditional Autumn Equinox film is Dark Night of the Scarecrow!

Autumn Equinox: Day 5

Another day of celebrating the beginning of autumn!

Pumpkin Cream Iced Oat Shaken Espresso

This was without a doubt the daftest named drink I've ever ordered (and I struggled to keep a straight face while I asked for it), but I just couldn't resist the allure of commercialization. Teamed it with a Maple & Pecan Swirl.

Piano Recital

Rob and I met up in town after work and had a lovely time at a piano recital at Forsyth's Music Shop. The performers were Robson Piano Duo, identical twins who specialize in piano four hands. Okay, it wasn't specifically autumnal, but it was a very nice way to spend the evening.

Apple Pie

Apparently I really can't resist the allure of commercialization.

Berry Sweets

Rob got me a little present today, and very seasonal it is too.

Autumn Equinox: Day 4

The fourth day of our Autumn Equinox celebrations, and it was a quiet one today as we were both at work.

Apple Pies

I brought some apple pies into work today. I meant to take a picture of them before I shared them with my colleagues. Oops.

Autumn Equinox: Day 3

Day 3 of our autumn celebrations, and it was a bit of an outdoorsy day today.

Walk and Talk in the Woods

I led an Autumn Equinox Walk and Talk session for Friends of Bailey's Wood this morning. We shared some stories about the season and went mushroom spotting, before apple pies and cherry squash.

Autumn Equinox Poetry in the Park

In the afternoon, I took residents from Castlerea Care Home to Crumpsall Park for a seasonal Poetry in the Park session. We had some seasonal poetry (Keats is compulsory on this annual trip, of course), and then we went for a sensory autumn walk, finding little signs of autumn in the natural world. Me and one of the residents got pelted with acorns by some squirrels! Then we came back to the Visitors Centre for more poetry, dandelion and burdock, and some apple pies.

Cat Walk

This evening, Rob and I did another of our Roam for Cats walks for Cats Protection. It was a lovely autumnal walk with some very pretty trees, but we massively misjudged the timing and ended up having to quickly exit the park as they were locking up!

Autumn Equinox: Day 2

It's our second day of celebrating the arrival of autumn!

Mid-Autumn Festival

This morning, I was at the Manchester Museum for one of their Mid-Autumn Festival events. This was a free taster session to learn about Chinese seasonal traditions. We had an introductory Tai Chi session (which was amazing), followed by tea and mooncake. I also really enjoyed chatting to the other people who attended about how we feel about autumn and the changing seasons.

Autumn Wax Melts

Time to light a seasonal wax melt... Fireside from Scentered Serenity. We loved this one, because the smell reminded us of the log-burner we had on our holiday back in June.

Bat Mugs

We've seen a lot of bats this year, so new autumn mugs were needed. Bats are for summer and autumn, not just for Halloween.

Autumn Equinox: Day 1

It's the first day of our week of Autumn Equinox celebrations! And autumn has arrived right on cue. Even the air smells different this week. It's weird, because I genuinely enjoyed summer for the first time in a long (I was pretty much a summer person by the end of it), so I'd almost forgotten how much I love autumn. But now that it's here... bring it on!

Mushrooms in the Park

Look at these gorgeously autumnal mushrooms in Crumpsall Park!

Autumn Gifts

A couple of little things to kick off our celebrations... my mum got us a little autumn mouse, and I got us a dinky wooden wheel of the year.

Autumn Equinox Stories Wanted for Hannah’s Bookshelf on North Manchester FM

Submit your seasonal flash fiction to be played on Hannah’s Bookshelf this September!

Can you tell a seasonal story in just 3 minutes? Want to have your work played on the radio? This month, I’m looking for seasonal (Autumn, harvest festival) flash fiction from around the world for inclusion on Hannah’s Bookshelf, the weekly literature show on North Manchester FM.

On Saturday 21st September, I’ll be hosting the Hannah’s Bookshelf Autumn Equinox Special, and as part of my seasonal special, I’ll be playing a selection of my favourite 3-minute stories on the show (broadcast on FM and on digital). Want to be part of it? Submit a recording of your seasonally inflected story (maximum 3 minutes) by midnight on Monday 16th September.

All genres welcome – be they cosy, romantic, scary or sad. The only rules are that stories must be your own original work, have some connection to the season, and be in English (the language of the broadcast). And please ease off the swears – stories have to be radio friendly! All you need is a microphone and a story – once you’re ready to submit your story, click on the ‘Start Recording’ button on my website to record your story and submit it. Remember to enter your name and email address when submitting your story.

If you aren’t able to submit via a recording and would like another method of taking part, please message via my website for more information.

Please share this call with anyone who you think might be interested – I’d like to cast the net as wide as possible. My favourite seasonal stories will be broadcast on the Hannah’s Bookshelf Autumn Equinox Special at 2pm on Saturday 21st September, on digital radio and 106.6FM.

Events in September 2023

Virtual Writing Retreat
Sunday 17th September
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

Booth Hall Before the Hospital
Monday 18th September
2.00-4.00pm
NHS Retirement Fellowship (South Manchester Branch)
I'm giving a local history talk on the history of Booth Hall (the house, not the hospital) in Manchester
Members Event

Autumn Equinox Walk in the Woods
Friday 22nd September
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

Park Write - History Writing
Saturday 30th September
2.00-5.00pm
Friends of Crumpsall Park
I'm hosting a history-themed creative writing workshop in Crumpsall Park, using the park as inspiration for creativity
Booking Link

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

Autumn Equinox Stories Wanted for Hannah's Bookshelf on North Manchester FM

Submit your seasonal flash fiction to be played on Hannah’s Bookshelf this September!

Can you tell a seasonal story in just 3 minutes? Want to have your work played on the radio? This month, I’m looking for seasonal (autumn, harvest) flash fiction from around the world for inclusion on Hannah’s Bookshelf, the weekly literature show on North Manchester FM.

On Saturday 23rd September, I'll be hosting the first Hannah's Bookshelf Autumn Equinox Special, and as part of my seasonal special, I’ll be playing a selection of my favourite 3-minute stories on the show (broadcast on FM and on digital). Want to be part of it? Submit a recording via my website of your seasonally inflected story (maximum 3 minutes) by midnight on Monday 11th September.

All genres welcome – be they cosy, romantic, scary or sad. The only rules are that stories must be your own original work, have some connection to the season, and be in English (the language of the broadcast). And please ease off the swears – stories have to be radio friendly! All you need is a microphone and a story – the details of how to submit are on my website.

If you aren't able to submit via a recording and would like another method of taking part, please message via my website for more information.

Please share this call with anyone who you think might be interested – I'd like to cast the net as wide as possible. My favourite seasonal stories will be broadcast on the Hannah’s Bookshelf Autumn Equinox Special at 2pm on Saturday 23rd September, on digital radio and 106.6FM.

Autumnal Equinox: Day 7

It's the big day! The finale of our first ever Autumnal Equinox celebrations. I think we've done the season proud again, and we're ready to prepare for the big ones that are coming! Here's how we celebrated to today though...

Autumn Equinox Earrings

My final pair of Autumn Equinox earrings... a harvest bonanza!

Poetry in the Park

This afternoon, I took some of the residents of Castlerea Care Home to Crumpsall Park to do our weekly poetry session outside for a change. We enjoyed the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness with poetry, a walk, creating Autumn Equinox story stick and some apple pies.

Mabon Dinner

We finished our week of celebrating the start of autumn with the (now)traditional Autumn Equinox dinner of (not)meatloaf and root vegetable rice, followed by spiced ginger sponge pudding.

Timorous Beastie Whisky

A little seasonal tipple this evening... Timorous Beastie whisky from Douglas Laing & Co. (I know the poem is set in November, but it feels close enough.)

Mabon Gifts

We ended the evening by exchanging seasonal gifts and cards. These whiskies will go with the others we've given each other during the year, then we'll have them at Christmas.

And so the wheel of the year turns... We'll be celebrating again at Halloween. And as we're doing 31 Days of Halloween again (starting on 1st October)... the wheel is turning pretty quickly this time.