31 Days of Halloween: Day 6

Day 6 of our Halloween celebrations, and we were out and about for a lot of the day.

Litter-Pick in the Park

This morning kicked off with the monthly Friends of Crumpsall Park litter-pick. Mostly, this was an excuse to take pictures of mushrooms, golden leaves and cobwebs.

Roam for Cats

In the afternoon, Rob and I went for a 5-mile walk as part of our Cats Protection Roam for Cats challenge (we're a bit behind our target of 100 miles).

D is for Death Line

Continuing our Horror A-Z with Death Line...

E is for Eden Lake

... and then Eden Lake.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 5

Another day of celebrating Halloween, and we stepped things up a gear today as it was our first proper day together. Lots of seasonal stuff to do...

Squash

Rob bought a squash today. We named him Mick. Okay, I named him Mick, because I misheard Rob reading 'Mixed Squash' off the label.

Wax Melts

We lit our diffuser today, with a Pumpkin Spice wax melt from Scentered Serenity.

Halloween Decorations

Today was the day we put our Halloween decorations up. There's quite a lot going on in the living room, and the bathroom is filled with Halloween ducks now.

Halloween Biscuits

Rob went out to get some Halloween cakes or biscuits to celebrate getting the decorations up. The shop near us didn't have anything with a Halloween theme, so he just got some Viennese twists and put them on a plate with a ghost on it.

A is for An American Werewolf in London

For this October, we've put together an A-Z of horror films (all personal preference, of course). This afternoon, we kicked off with An American Werewolf in London.

Orphans of the Carnival

Started a new book today... Orphans of the Carnival by Carol Birch.

Squash Gratin

We ate Mick.

B is for Barbarian

The next film in our A-Z was Barbarian.

C is for Candyman

And then we watched Candyman.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 4

Another day of celebrating Halloween. It was a bit of a low-key day, as I was at work, but still a few nice spooky things.

Desk Spider

I was working downstairs in the museum this morning, and when I came upstairs to the office at lunchtime, my manager had put a spider on my laptop.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

And continuing the spooky office theme, I took some Clayton Park Pumpkin Spice Cookies in today.

Abominable Books

When I got home, I realized I still had my Abominable Book Club box from September to open. I got The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey and Delicate Condition by Danielle Rollins this time, plus some other goodies including Black Forest Gateau from Gnaw Chocolate.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 3

It's the third day of our Halloween celebrations!

Defeat the Librarian

Okay, so the things I did today weren't technically Halloween things (or, indeed, spooky), but I've sort of got a tendency to describe everything I do in October as a Halloween event. Case in point... myself and a colleague went to the Defeat the Librarian quiz at the Portico Library tonight (any resemblance to a certain Channel 4 comedy quiz show is purely coincidental).

Dinner at Wagamama

And then we went to dinner at Wagamama. Yeah, you might say this isn't a Halloween thing, but I had Pulled Shiitake Koyo Bowl, and what could be more seasonal than a mushroom?

31 Days of Halloween: Day 2

It's the second day of our Halloween celebrations for this year!

Harlequin Squash

Spooky season is also squash season. And right on cue, we got a harlequin squash in our Groobarbs veg box today! (Not sure if we'll go as crazy for squashes as we did last year, but you never know.)

The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue

This is absolutely a Halloween tradition for me... it isn't October until I've watched The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue! We went to a screening at Cultplex this evening, as that's the one place you can guarantee will screen this absolute classic every year.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 1

It begins! Once again, we're celebrating Halloween for the entire month of October. I have no idea if we'll be able to top the past couple of years (I mean, will anything top the year I walked on fire?!), but we have a lot of nice things planned for the spooky season. And away we go...

Mummy Cake Pop

Apparently, I'm still not immune to the commercialization of the seasons.

Halloween Chocolates

My mum and dad got us a little Halloween present in September, and we've been saving it for today. Not sure if we'll eat all this chocolate in one day, but I doubt it'll last until the 31st.

My Year in Books 2024: September

Well, just one book on this month's list. Like last month, I seem to have been so busy with writing and research that I haven't had much time for reading for fun. Ah well. I'm sure I'll catch up.

In case you're curious, here are my reviews from the rest of the year so far: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August

Fellside by M.R. Carey (2016)

I loved The Girl With All the Gifts (who didn’t?), but somehow I missed Fellside when it came out. I might be late to the party, but I finally decided to put that right. Fellside is a long book, but I found myself quite immersed in it. It’s also not quite the story I was expecting. The story begins with Jess Moulson, a young woman who wakes up with horrific burns and no clear memories of how she got them. When she’s arrested and tried for starting a house fire in which a young boy died, Jess accepts that she’s done something terrible. Jess is convicted and sent to Fellside, a maximum security prison in Yorkshire. There’s something in Fellside – a ghost, I guess you could call it – that wants to speak to Jess, if she’ll listen to the message it has for her. I went into this one expecting the story to focus on the events that led up to the fire for which Jess was charged, but this turned out to be more of a side-plot. The real story is about what’s going on inside Fellside, and a drug operation run by the larger-than-life Harriet Grace. I’ll admit I worked out what was going on before the big reveal (specifically the one related to the ghost that’s speaking to Jess), and I did find some elements of the story to be a bit too drawn out. However, it’s very readable and at times I couldn’t put it down.

3 Minute Scares is back for its ninth nailbiting year!

North Manchester FM’s Halloween creative writing competition is open for submissions for 2024.

Hannah's Bookshelf, the weekly literature show on North Manchester FM, wants your scary stories for Halloween! Once again, I'm asking people throughout Greater Manchester to submit their 3-minute stories for my annual creative writing competition. Writers keen to be crowned Greater Manchester’s Spookiest Wordsmith can submit a recording of their mini-tale via my website, with the best entries being broadcast on the Hannah’s Bookshelf Halloween Special on Saturday 26th October.

I'm delighted to announce that the prize for this year’s best entry is a fabulous Halloween book bundle (with a few little surprises). Entries need to be 3 minutes long, meaning a word count of around 350-400 words. The judges will be looking for style and originality, as well as how scary the story is. The deadline for entries is midnight on Wednesday 16th October.

All you need to enter the competition is a computer with a microphone… and a good story. Entries can be recorded via my website. More information and rules of the competition, including information for people unable to submit a recording, can also be found on my website.

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.