Beltane: Day 1

It's time for Beltane! Halloween in Spring! We're really looking forward to celebrating this year, as we were both recovering from serious illnesses last Beltane, so we didn't manage to do very much at all. Fingers crossed, this year will be very different.

Bakewell

We're on holiday for the first half of our Beltane celebrations. It's our annual trip to Bakewell, and we've got lots of lovely things planned.

Tree Necklace and Earrings

Rob got me a lovely Beltane gift before we set off on holiday... a sparkly tree necklace and earring set that I absolutely love.

Abominable Books

I saved this month's Abominable Books box to open while we're on holiday. I got Red River Seven by A.J. Ryan, My Throat An Open Grave by Tori Bovalino, a Cthulhu pin and a massive block of Slab maple and walnut fudge!

Rose Bath Bomb

I've been saving this bath bomb for the springtime.

My Throat An Open Grave

Even though it's set in September, I decided to jump straight in to reading My Throat An Open Grave (at twilight, near some ivy, obviously). The Lord of the Woods storyline appealed to me, as I feel like this Beltane is going to be all about the Green Man!

Beltane Stories Wanted for Hannah’s Bookshelf on North Manchester FM

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

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 (May Day, Beltane, Spring) flash fiction from around the world for inclusion on Hannah’s Bookshelf, the weekly literature show on North Manchester FM.

On Saturday 4th May, I’ll be hosting the first Hannah’s Bookshelf Beltane 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 Thursday 25th April.

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 Beltane Special at 2pm on Saturday 4th May, on digital radio and 106.6FM.

My Year in Books 2024: March

Just one book on this month's list. It's been a busy few weeks, and I haven't had a lot of time for reading. It's a good book, though, and one I'd definitely recommend!

If you'd like to see my other reviews from this year so far, they're here: January, February

Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce (2020)

I’ve really enjoyed the other books by Rachel Joyce that I’ve read, particularly (as will come as no surprise) The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I was a little trepidatious about this one as it’s not set in the present day, and I’m not a massive fan of historical fiction. Okay, the 1950s isn’t the most historical you can get, so it wasn’t too much of a worry. The Miss Benson of the title is Margery Benson, a woman in her mid-forties who has led a pretty mundane and unfulfilling life. Margery works as a domestic science teacher, earning very little money and absolutely no respect from her colleagues or her students. Since she was a girl, Margery has dreamt of travelling to New Caledonia in search of a golden beetle that may or may not exist. One day, pushed to the edge, Margery walks out of her job, places an ad in the paper for an assistant, and starts making plans to go. Unfortunately, her advert doesn’t get the calibre of applicants she was hoping, and she somehow ends up boarding the ship with a younger woman called Enid Pretty, who is literally the antithesis of Margery. It’s not too much of a spoiler to say these two women will discover an unexpected friendship, and it’s also not a spoiler to say (in a book by Rachel Joyce) that this discovery will be both joyful and melancholy. But mostly joyful. The ending made me cry as well, as expected.

Events in April 2024

Nature Walk in the Woods
Monday 1st April
11.00–12noon
Friends of Bailey's Wood
Dr A.P. Rankster will be leading a gentle, social walk in the woods... with a twist!
Booking Link

Virtual Writing Retreat
Sunday 21st April
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

Spring Equinox: Day 7

It's the big day! The culmination of our week of Spring Equinox celebrations (and the equinox itself, of course)! And I had lots of things planned for today.

Bailey’s Wood Walk and Talk

First up, I led a Spring Equinox Walk and Talk session for Friends of Bailey's Wood, spotting all the signs that spring has sprung in the woods (with cake and Vimto afterwards).

Castlerea Poetry in the Park

After the woods, I took the housemates from Castlerea Care Home to Crumpsall Park for a Spring Equinox Poetry in the Park session. We had a lovely time, with seasonal poetry and snacks, and a wander round the park looking for daffodils, blossom and buds.

Gingerbread Popcorn

A little late afternoon seasonal snack (it's got a rabbit on the packet so I'm counting it)... Gingerbread Popcorn from Joe and Seph's!

Spring Equinox Dinner

This evening, Rob cooked us the traditional Spring Equinox dinner of Vegetable Paella.

Spring Equinox Gifts

And we exchanged our traditional Spring Equinox gifts and cards. These whiskies will go into our tasting sets to be enjoyed in December.

Night of the Lepus

We watched our (now) traditional Ostara film tonight... Night of the Lepus!


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

Spring Equinox: Day 6

The penultimate day of our Spring Equinox celebrations was a pretty quiet one, due to work commitments. No reason not to get a little seasonal treat though...

Spring Equinox Donut

It's a mini egg donut!

Spring Equinox: Day 5

Rob was on a long shift today, so I decided to spend the day mostly wandering around (sometimes by myself, sometimes with others).

A Walk in Crumpsall Park

First up, I had a meeting in the park with Friends of Crumpsall Park. And I spotted the first of the daisies!

Milk Cake and Chai

After the park meeting, I walked over to You, Me and Tea in Crumpsall for some Pistachio Milk Cake and Pink Chai (which both looked suitably seasonal).

A Walk in Blackley Forest

Then after the cake, I wandered through Blackley Forest for a bit, enjoying some springtime peace and quiet.

A Walk in Heaton Park

Later on in the afternoon, me and my mum went for a little walk in Heaton Park.

Bailey’s Wood Spring Equinox Walk

Finally, I led a community Spring Equinox Walk in the Woods for the Friends of Bailey's Wood, sharing stories and folklore of the season.

Spring Equinox: Day 4

Our fourth day of celebrating the upcoming Spring Equinox, and we decided to head out for a picnic.

Picnic at Haughton Dale

We went for a picnic in Haughton Dale today. It was nice to wander round, looking for signs of spring in the woods. We saw a lot of blossom, heard a lot of bird song, and then accidentally watched some frogs having sex. Spring is truly in the air!

Seasonal Tea

Took a slightly meditative moment to enjoy spring in the woods with a seasonal tea. This one was Cream Egg tea from Bird and Blend.

Spring Equinox: Day 3

Another day of celebrating the beginning of spring, and today was a bit of a busy one. Lots of seasonal fun today!

Crumpsall Park Spring Equinox Walk

I started the day by leading a Spring Equinox walk for Friends of Crumpsall Park. The sun was shining, and it was warmer than it's been, so it really did feel like spring was in the air.

Blossom Watch

On the way home from the park I saw two beautiful cherry blossom trees in bloom. They look like candy floss!

Hannah’s Bookshelf Spring Equinox Special

Today was the first ever Spring Equinox Special on Hannah's Bookshelf, my weekly radio show on North Manchester FM. I talked about spring folklore, played some spring-themed music, and then shared some original Equinox-inspired bite-size short stories by contributors to the show. I also made some more white chocolate and Parma Violets cupcakes for the volunteers at the centre where our studio is based.

Chocolate Popcorn

Okay, this one's advertised as an Easter treat, but as far as I'm concerned anything with a bunny rabbit on the packet is perfect for the Spring Equinox! Little snack for after my radio show... Trio of Chocolate Popcorn from Joe and Seph's!

Ostara Wax Melts

We bought a new wax diffuser last year, but we couldn't use it at Imbolc in case it aggravated the horrible coughs we got with one of the many colds we've had so far this year. But we've fired it up for spring, and this season we've got bunny rabbit shaped Black Plum and Rhubarb melts from Mysteria Melts.

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons by Candlelight

Going to see a performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons by Piccadilly Sinfonietta is now an annual tradition for us. It was part of our Imbolc celebrations for the past two years, but this year their performance at St Ann's Church fell during our Spring Equinox celebrations. It felt like this made more sense, as the Four Seasons does start with spring after all!

Hot Cross Bun Pie

We stopped off at McDonald's on the way home from the concert. Again, this seems like it might have been intended as an Easter special, but I think a Hot Cross Bun pie is seasonal enough for the Spring Equinox.