31 Days of Halloween: Day 23

Somehow, I've managed to fall an entire week behind with these posts. I'm also playing catch-up with my Halloween teas and stories, though not with all the other festive stuff I've been doing (and there's been a lot, which might account for why I'm behind with my blog posts!). I will do my best to catch up, but given that it's actually Halloween tomorrow, that might be a tall order.

Today's Tea

Sunday's tea was Black Magic from Artisan Tea. It's a black tea blend with cinnamon, orange peel, ginger, green cardamom, cloves and black pepper (though it's nowhere near as fiery as you might expect).

Today's Story

I've fallen totally behind with my Halloween story-a-day reading but trying to catch up now with the story that should've been last Sunday's classic tale of horror... 'The Open Window' by Saki. Ahhh... I forgot how much I love this one!

Romancing the Gothic Lecture

I attended a really enjoyable and fascinating Romancing the Gothic talk by Dan O'Brien on undertakers in 18th-century satire last Sunday. It was perfect for the season, but also very helpful for my current research.

Halloween Gifts

I got my mum some Samhain soap from The Scottish Soap Witch (black cherry and frankincense), but I forgot to give it to her when we had dinner last Saturday. She popped in on Sunday to get it... and give me a lovely little Halloween cushion she made for me!

Samhain Candle

It was time to light our Samhain candle from Chalice Creations on Sunday night. It's rose, sandalwood and orange, and it's hopefully going to see us through to the big day.

Live and Spooky Campfire Stories (Ramsey Campbell)

Last Sunday's Campfire Stories video from Flame Tree Press was Ramsey Campbell, reading an excerpt from his latest novel Fellstones.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 22

Another slightly late post, but there's quite a bit of stuff on this one. Hopefully, I'll finally get back on track with these posts before the big day!

Today's Tea

Saturday's tea was another one from the Rosie Lea Tea gift set... Dragon's Blood. It's a very fruity infusion of elderberry, apple, hibiscus, blackberry leaves, seabuckthorn berry, raspberry, strawberry and blackberry.

Today's Story

Saturday's classic tale of horror was 'The Judge's House' by Bram Stoker.

Halloween Earrings (1)

My first pair of Halloween earrings today were little lowkey ghosts.

Pumpkin and Parsnip Soup

Since Rob did such a good job carving the pumpkin shell, it was only fair that I did something with the flesh. I made a pumpkin, parsnip and red chilli soup with (half of) it!

Halloween Earrings (2)

My second pair of Halloween earrings on Saturday were my silver broomstick-riding witches.

Family Halloween Dinner

We had a lovely Halloween-themed dinner with my mum and dad on Saturday night, including a cheeky red wine and a gorgeous apple cake made by my mum.

Live and Spooky Campfire Stories (Reggie Oliver)

On Saturday's Campfire Stories video from Flame Tree Press, Reggie Oliver read from his short story, 'The Black Ship'.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 21

I'm still catching up with these posts, as I've fallen a little bit behind. Oops. Friday saw another tea and a couple of stories, but also (very exciting) the unveiling of the pumpkin lantern, carved from the pumpkin we picked at Dunham Massey. And it's a big one, so there was a lot of carving involved.

Today's Tea

Friday's tea was Hexen-Tee from Wegwartehof. It's made of Haselnussblätter, Milde Minze, Zitronenthymian, Brombeerblätter, Ringelblume, Lavendel, Eisenkraut, Lindenblütte, Oswegoblüte und Stockrose! (I understand 50% of those. Hope the others aren't poison!)

Today's Story

Friday's classic tale of horror was 'The Bottle Imp' by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Pumpkin Lantern

The pumpkin is a ridiculous vegetable. There. I said it. And yet... how festive. Don't ever change, pumpkins.

Live and Spooky Campfire Stories (John Everson)

On Friday's Campfire Stories video from Flame Tree Press, John Everson read the prologue to his latest novel, Five Deaths for Seven Songbirds.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 20

I'm still a bit behind with my posts, but hopefully I'll catch up soon. Thursday was quite a busy day, so for once there's a bit more than just tea and stories! (But there is still tea and stories!)

Today's Tea

Thursday's tea was Full Moon Brew from Sybil's Tea Co. It's lemon balm, camomile, rose and lemon zest!

Today's Story

Thursday's classic tale of horror was 'The Succubus' by Honoré de Balzac.

Tonight's Halloween Look

A different look for Thursday night's Facebook Live video.

Ghost Story Readalong Live

I did the third (and penultimate) Facebook Live video for my Ghost Story Readalong (and it turns out I can't handle having a fringe). Next week, it's Part 3 and the Epilogue!

Groobarbs Veg Box

Our fortnightly veg box from Groobarbs came on Thursday. I wouldn't normally count this as a Halloween thing, but... we got a pumpkin! (Plus parsnips, leeks, carrots, potatoes, peppers, apples, raspberries and strawberries.)

Abominable Books

And my monthly Abominable Books Box also arrived on Thursday. As well as lots of other goodies, I got The House of Tongues by James Dashner and Black Lake Manor by Guy Morpuss this time.

Live and Spooky Campfire Stories (Lena Ng)

Thursday's Campfire Stories video from Flame Tree Press featured Lena Ng reading her story 'The Last Train Onwards', which features in their Asian Ghost Short Stories collection. I think this was one of my favourites so far.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 19

Once again, I'm a bit late posting this. I've got a bit of catching up to do with my blog posts this week. This one is about my festivities on Wednesday, though I have to admit I only had time for a tea and a couple of stories. There's definitely more to come later in the month though.

Today's Tea

Wednesday's tea was Toffee Apple from teapigs. I'm sure you can guess how this one tastes!

Today's Story

Wednesday's classic tale of horror was 'Afterward' by Edith Wharton.

Live and Spooky Campfire Stories (Philip Fracassi)

And Wednesday's Campfire Stories video from Flame Tree Press was Philip Fracassi reading his story 'Autumn Sugar', which features in their Close to Midnight anthology.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 18

Today was a day of catching up on work after being a bit restricted by illness last week. I had a few (totally non-festive) meetings today too. Ah well, still time for a tea and a couple of stories though.

Today's Tea

Tonight's tea was Luna Elixir from Midnight Imperium. It's a very tasty blend of black tea, green tea, jasmine blossoms and cornflower petals.

Today's Story

Tonight's classic tale of horror was 'The Trial for Murder' by Charles Dickens.

Live and Spooky Campfire Stories (Shameez Patel Papathanasiou)

Another very enjoyable Campfire Stories video from Flame Tree Press, with Shameez Patel Papathanasiou reading an excerpt from The Eternal Shadow, the follow-up to The Last Feather, which is out next year.