Midsummer: Day 7

It's the final day of our Midsummer celebrations. We had our big night last night, and Rob was at work today, so it was just a few quiet seasonal treats for me to round off the festivities.

Midsummer Tea Break

I enjoyed a nice cup of Sunny Days tea from Tugboat Tea.

The Midnight Feast

A bit of seasonal reading - I started The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley today (I meant to read it at the Solstice itself, but ran out of time!).

Tutti Frutti Nougat

This was a very summery treat, especially because I bought it from the seaside when we were in Scarborough in earlier this month... Tutti Frutti Nougat from John Bull.

Daisy Bath Bomb

And then a nice festive bath with a Daisy Daisy Bath Blaster from Bomb Cosmetics.


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

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

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

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 (Lammas, summer harvest) flash fiction from around the world for inclusion on Hannah’s Bookshelf, the weekly literature show on North Manchester FM.

On Saturday 27th July, I’ll be hosting the Hannah’s Bookshelf Lammas 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 22nd July.

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 Lammas Special at 2pm on Saturday 27th July, on digital radio and 106.6FM.

Midsummer: Day 6

It's the sixth day of our Midsummer celebrations. I was at work during the day, but then I had a festive event to go to, followed by our big seasonal celebration at home!

Summer Solstice Nature Celebration

I had a gorgeous time at a Summer Solstice Nature Celebration run by Natalie Rossiter this evening. Forest bathing, finding moments of joy, walking barefoot in a meadow, then food, conversation and toasted marshmallows in the woods.

Midsummer Dinner

Later on this evening, Rob cooked our traditional Midsummer Dinner of Gratinated Cabbage with potatoes and green beans.

Jaws

And with our dinner we watched the traditional Midsummer film, which is, of course, Jaws.

Midsummer Gifts

After dinner, we exchanged our traditional Midsummer gifts, seasonal whiskies that we'll put with our tasting set to enjoy in December.

Midsummer: Day 5

It's the fifth day of our Midsummer celebrations this year, and it was a bit of a busy one (with an absolutely lovely trip out in the evening).

Crumpsall Park Summer Solstice Walk

This morning, I led a Summer Solstice-themed walk for Friends of Crumpsall Park, enjoying the natural world and folklore of the season. As one of the participants was blind, I turned it into a tactile, sensory walk, where we explored the summer through touch, sound and smell instead of sight.

Hannah’s Bookshelf Midsummer Special

This afternoon was the Hannah's Bookshelf Midsummer Special on North Manchester FM. I had seasonal flash fiction from twelve writers, plus summer-themed music and some seasonal chat from me. Also... jam tarts!

Cheetham Close Stone Circle

After my show, we headed up to our local stone circle: Cheetham Close in Bolton. We came here last year and just fell in love with the place. Although the stone circle is likely Bronze Age, it was destroyed by a farmer with a sledgehammer in the 1870s. However, some of the stones (or fragments of them) are still there, nestled in the landscape. You have to know where to look, but when you find it, it's truly magical.

Sunny Days Tea

We took a moment at Cheetham Close to enjoy the season, accompanied by a little taste of Sunny Days from Tugboat Tea.

Midsummer: Day 4

The fourth day of our Midsummer celebrations and... well... it's another day that's mostly just about work. Ah well.

Darkness in the Fields

I managed to catch a couple of the sessions for this year's Darkness in the Fields - Midsummer online folk horror festival after work today. Great talk on creepypasta by Alex Davis, and then a really interesting Q&A with Andrew Michael Hurley.

Midsummer: Day 3

It's the third day of celebrating Midsummer, and it's the Summer Solstice today! Unfortunately, we both had very long days at work, so there was no time to really do anything festive. Ah well.

Crème Brûlée Frappuccino

I treated myself to the most summery drink I could find on the way home from work today... Crème Brûlée Frappuccino seemed appropriately seasonal.

Midsummer: Day 2

It's the second day of our Midsummer celebrations, and I've got a few events on today! The weather this morning looked a little bit unpredictable, so I wasn't sure if it was all going to be a bit cloudy. I shouldn't have doubted though!

Bailey’s Wood Walk and Talk

This morning was the regular Friends of Bailey's Wood Walk and Talk session, and it had a Summer Solstice theme this week. I led the walk with some folklore and stories about the changing seasons, and we had cupcakes and cherry squash afterwards!

Summer Solstice Poetry in the Park

I took the residents of Castlerea Care Home to Crumpsall Park this afternoon for our Summer Solstice Poetry in the Park session. We had seasonal poetry, a gentle walk around the park looking at signs of summer, daisy chains and dandelion clocks, plus refreshments in the Visitors Centre. It was a resident's birthday, so we had birthday cake too.

Bailey’s Wood Summer Solstice Walk in the Wood

And then it was back to the Friends of Bailey's Wood for the early evening Summer Soltice walk, enjoying the changing season in the forest with tales of nature and folklore from yours truly. I was worried it was going to be a bit overcast, but oh boy, did the sun get his hat on for us! Welcome to Summer!

Midsummer Mugs

When I got home, Rob and I got out our new Midsummer mugs that we bought while we were on holiday in Whitby.

Midsummer: Day 1

It's the first day of our week of celebrating Midsummer / Litha / Summer Solstice. We've got a few nice things planned, as always, including quite a bit of stuff outside. Today's weather was... interesting, but that ended up being amazing in an unexpected way.

Solstice Hair Studio

I wouldn't normally count going for a haircut as a seasonal celebration, but since my hairdresser has named her salon Solstice Hair Studio, I think I can count it!

Coffee with a Friend

I met up with my friend Christopher Monk (of Monk's Modern Medieval Cuisine) today at Roma in Whitefield. We had a good catch-up and a chat about a possible event later in the year. Plus... coffee and cannoli (and some cannoli to take home for Rob)!

Walk on Saddleworth Moor

Rob and I decided to return to our favourite path across Saddleworth Moor for the first night of our celebrations. We love going back here at different seasons, and we were here for the Summer Solstice a couple of years ago. This time, the moors gave us a bit of a surprise. It was overcast and drizzly when we arrive, but as we walked, a mist started to swirl up around us, making everything just look unreal and magical. It was like wandering into a different world.

Wild Meadow Wax Melts

When we got home, we lit our diffuser with Wild Meadow scented wax melts from Wax Lyrical for the season.

Events in June 2024

Summer Solstice Walk and Talk in the Woods
Wednesday 19th June
11.00–12.30pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'll be leading a gentle, sociable walk in the woods to enjoy the changing seasons
Booking Link

Summer Solstice Poetry in the Park
Wednesday 19th June
1.00–4.00pm
Castlerea House
I'm running a seasonal poetry and storytelling workshop session in the park for residents at Castlerea care home
Private Event

Summer Solstice Walk in the Woods
Wednesday 19th June
6.30–7.30pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'll be leading a sociable walk in the woods to enjoy the changing seasons
Booking Link

Summer Solstice Walk in the Park
Saturday 22nd June
11.00–12noon
Friends of Crumpsall Park
I'll be leading a sociable walk in the park to enjoy nature and the changing seasons
Booking Link

Hannah's Bookshelf Midsummer Special
Saturday 22nd June
2.00–4.00pm
Hannah's Bookshelf / North Manchester FM
I'm hosting a special seasonal edition of my regular radio show on North Manchester FM, including Summer Solstice-themed flash fiction
Submission Link

Virtual Writing Retreat
Sunday 30th June
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

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