Countdown to Christmas: Day 16

And we're still on holiday! Woohoo!

Lizard

Another day in our remote little cottage at The Lizard. I don't think I mentioned this before, but there are cows right outside the cottage.

Hannah’s Bookshelf 3 Minute Santas Special

By the magic of technology (and forward planning, of course), I was on air on North Manchester FM today. It was the annual Hannah's Bookshelf Pre-Christmas Christmas Special this afternoon, with festive flash fiction from this year's 3 Minute Santas writers.

West Country Scandals

I bought this little book, West Country Scandals by James Whinray, at a gift shop last year, but I didn't get chance to read it then. Of course, the real West Country scandal is that I drank Devon Cream Tea (from Bird and Blend) when I was reading it in Cornwall. Shocker!

Zombie Cocktails

I know tiki cocktails might not sound very Christmassy, but look how festive these Zombies look!

Escape from the Movie Studio

We brought a couple of little escape room games to play while we're away. Kicked off tonight with Escape from the Movie Studio and totally nailed it. We are no longer trapped in a movie studio.

The Last Snow

The next book I read on holiday was The Last Snow by Stina Jackson. I teamed it with Ceylon Bop from Tugboat. (The bookmark was a little present I bought for myself when I was Christmas shopping at St Ives Bookseller the other day.)

Advent Tea

Behind Door No. 16 in my Bird and Blend tea calendar... Devon Cream Tea!

Advent Jewellery

And behind Door No. 16 in my Avon jewellery calendar... a gold joy pendant!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

Countdown to Christmas: Day 15

Our Cornish pre-Christmas holiday continues...

Lizard

Another day in our lovely little isolated cottage at The Lizard.

Christmas Earrings

And another new pair of Christmas earrings! A little pair of Christmas puddings from BadcatdesignByZoe!

Ann’s Pasties

When in Cornwall... Ann's Pasties are the best pasties.

Mince Pie Flapjack

Lovely mince pie flapjack that we bought from Flapjackery in St Ives yesterday.

Cinnamon Roasted Squash

I attempted a festive dinner tonight. Cinnamon Roasted Crown Prince Squash (with a squash from our most recent Groobarbs delivery) with mash and sprouts. I'm not sure I was a fan, but Rob seemed to really like it!

The Other Mrs Walker

The next book I read on holiday was The Other Mrs Walker by Mary Paulson-Ellis, one of the library books I borrowed in December. And I had a cup or two of Whisktea from Bird and Blend while I was reading it.

Advent Tea

Behind Door No. 15 in my Bird and Blend tea calendar... Jammy Dodgers!

Advent Jewellery

And behind Door No. 15 in my Avon jewellery calendar... a silver loveheart pendant!

Countdown to Christmas: Day 14

Our Cornish holiday continues! We come here every year, and we have a few festive traditions we like to enjoy each time. Today was all about those traditions, and so it was a super-Christmassy day for us.

A Trip to St Ives

We always like to have a day out to St Ives when we're staying in Lizard, so I get a bit of nostalgia for childhood family holidays. We usually do a bit of Christmas shopping while we're here too.

Lunch in St Ives

Even though we only come here once a year, we do have a favourite place to go for lunch... Scoff Troff Café. I had Welsh Rarebit and Cornish Mist tea (earl grey, vanilla and steamed milk).

Christmas Ice Cream

Can't come to the seaside and not have an ice cream. We went to Moomaid of Zennor (in what is now becoming an annual tradition), and I tried their Salted Caramel Christmas Pudding flavour.

Mousehole Harbour Lights

We went to see the Mousehole Harbour Lights this evening. There was no big switch-on event this year, but we arrived just in time to see everything light up for the evening. Absolutely love the Mousehole lights and we wouldn't come to Cornwall without seeing them.

Spicy Hot Apple Punch

And what better accompaniment to the Mousehole Harbour Lights than a Spicy Hot Apple Punch?

Music from the Rock Choir

Although there was no big switch-on ceremony at Mousehole this year, they have a whole programme of songs and carols during the time the lights are on (and we think this actually works even better). We decided to time our visit so we could see Rock Choir Cornwall perform at the harbour, which was very good fun. The choir were awesome and provided a really lovely festive vibe for the evening.

Seasonal Whisky Tasting

Back at Lizard, it was time for our big seasonal whisky night. All year, we've been buying each other seasonally inspired whiskies and saving them up to enjoy in the winter with a nice cheeseboard and some seasonal playlists (though Rob isn't impressed with the inclusion of The Wurzels on the Autumn Equinox playlist).

Advent Tea

Behind Door No. 14 of my Bird and Blend tea calendar... Cookies and Cream!

Advent Jewellery

And behind Door No. 14 of my Avon jewellery calendar... sparkly crystal earrings!

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!

Countdown to Christmas: Day 12

We're on holiday! It's our annual pre-Christmas Cornish getaway!

Lizard

First day waking up in our isolated little cottage at The Lizard.

Christmas Rainbow

I saw a rainbow this morning. I'd like to think it's a glimpse of Bifröst, and that Heimdall is preparing to visit us for Yule. Speaking of which...

Yule Island

The first book I'm reading on holiday is Yule Island by Johana Gustawsson, which I'm enjoying with a cup of Snowball Hot Cocoa tea from Bird and Blend.

Americano Cocktails

I made Americanos (Campari, sweet vermouth and soda) on a whim tonight. And it accidentally turned out to be a massive wave of Christmas nostalgia for Rob! Hooray!

Black Cherry Cheesecake

One of my holidays was that I was going to bake loads, as I'll finally have time to do that. And so, the first thing I made was... a no-bake black cherry cheesecake.

Ledaig Whisky

Enjoyed a dram of Ledaig 10 year old from Tobermory Distillery tonight, a lovely pre-Christmas gift from my friend Irene.

Advent Tea

Behind Door No. 12 in my Bird and Blend Tea calendar... Mulled Cider!

Advent Jewellery

And behind Door No. 12 in my Avon jewellery calendar... candy cane earrings!