Autumn Equinox: Day 7

It's the final day of our Autumn Equinox celebrations! And it's the Autumn Equinox, so the first day of autumn! Rob was at work today, so I just had a few nice, lowkey things planned to celebrate the start of the new season.

Autumn Walk

Okay, maybe this wasn't the most dramatic nature walk ever, as I was only going to the supermarket. But I got to see plenty of little seasonal things along the way, not least the incredible amount of acorns on the oak trees.

Maple Hazel Hot Chocolate

Popped into Costa before tackling the supermarket. I don't normally like hot chocolate, but I felt obliged to have the most autumnal drink on the menu today.

Apple Crumble Cake

The rest of the day was mostly spent cooking and baking with things from our most recent Groobarbs veg box. First up was an apple crumble cake.

Banana Bread

I know I make banana bread all year round, but I'm calling this an autumnal recipe because I added blueberries to it!

Leek, Potato and Fennel Soup

I made a leek, potato and fennel soup today, which definitely tasted very seasonal. I served it with a bit of crumbled blue cheese (which you can't see in the picture) and some walnuts.


And so the wheel of the year turns... We'll be celebrating again at Halloween. And as we're doing 31 Days of Halloween again (starting on 1st October)... the wheel is turning pretty quickly this time.

Autumn Equinox: Day 6

The sixth day of our Autumn Equinox festivities... and time for a picnic!

Turton and Entwistle Reservoir

We went for a picnic today at Turton and Entwistle Reservoir today. It was so sunny!

Colourful Forest Tea

We took a moment to enjoy the season with Colourful Forest tea. I can't remember where I got the tea from, but it was nice to just pause, sip the tea, and let the season and the forest wash over us.

Autumn Equinox: Day 5

It's the fifth day of our Autumn Equinox festivities, and we had quite a lot planned for today. It's nice to be off work, so we can have a bit of seasonal fun today.

Autumn Equinox Walk in the Park

This morning, I led a seasonal walk for Friends of Crumpsall Park. To be honest, it just descended into a mushroom hunt, but there were some beautiful specimens to be found.

Hannah’s Bookshelf Autumn Equinox Special

Then this afternoon it was my annual Hannah's Bookshelf Autumn Equinox Special on North Manchester FM, where I played seasonal flash fiction from 15 writers, played some seasonal music, and ate some apple pies with the volunteers at the community centre where the radio station is based.

Autumn Equinox Dinner

We had our traditional Autumn Equinox dinner of vegetarian meatloaf and root vegetable & saffron rice tonight.

Autumn Equinox Gifts

And after dinner we exchanged our traditional gifts and cards. These whiskies will go into the tasting set that we'll enjoy in December.

Dark Night of the Scarecrow

We rounded off the evening with the traditional Autumn Equinox film... Dark Night of the Scarecrow.

Autumn Equinox: Day 4

It's the start of squash season! Hooray! We didn't have any time for festivities today (work), but we did have time for squash.

Spaghetti Squash

We got a spaghetti squash in this week's Groobox delivery, so we had it for tea, baked with cheese and truffle oil. 'Tis the season!

Autumn Equinox: Day 3

Another day of celebrating the Autumn Equinox, but another day of being too busy for festivities. I've got a feeling my posts this year are going to be totally dominated by food. Well... it is harvesttime.

Corn on the Cob

I started off the harvest season with corn on the cob (at the start of our Lammas celebrations), so it's only fitting that I'm rounding off the season with it as well. We've had a lot of sweetcorn in our Groobox deliveries this summer!

Autumn Equinox: Day 2

The second day of our Autumn Equinox celebrations, and unfortunately rain sort of stopped play for a bit today. The woodland walk I was meant to be leading this morning was cancelled, and then we had to move the Poetry in the Park session for the care home indoors. Still, the rain eased off in the afternoon, so not all was lost.

Autumn Equinox Celebration

In lieu of our planned Poetry in the Park event, I did an indoor Autumn Equinox Celebration at Castlerea Care Home. We had poetry, music, apple pies and lots of seasonal conversation.

Autumn Equinox Walk in the Woods

This evening, I led a woodland walk for Friends of Bailey's Wood to celebrate the changing seasons. As well as talking about the folklore and astronomy of the equinox, we also spotted some lovely signs of autumn, including conkers, acorns and very cute mushrooms. The sun was just starting to set as we finished the walk, which looked fabulous through the trees.

Autumn Equinox: Day 1

It's the first day of our Autumn Equinox celebrations for this year! I've got a few seasonal events and celebrations planned, but today was a work day so no festivities. Instead, today seemed to be all about eating as many sweet seasonal treats as possible. I didn't plan it that way, but it happened.

Apple & Cinnamon Baton and Maple Pecan Danish

I thought it would be nice to start the Autumn Equinox off with some seasonal pastries.

Toffee Apple Muffin and Iced Pumpkin Spice Caramel Macchiato

The internet went down at work today, so we decided to have one of our meetings in a coffee shop instead. And who I am to resist a new seasonal coffee menu?

Apple Pies

When we got back to the office, I remembered I'd brought in a box of apple pies as well. So that was the afternoon sorted!

My Year in Books 2025: August

Time for my monthly list of the books I read for pleasure. There are only two books this time, though at least that's more than last month. It's a bit of a mixed bag this month too, as I really enjoyed one of the books, but really didn't like the other one.

In case you're curious, here are the other lists from this year so far: January, February, March, April, May, June, July

Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter (2023)

The first book I read this month was one that I got as my ‘mystery’ book with a recent Abominable Books box. I decided to read it, because it had a cold case mystery theme (and I’m a bit of a sucker for cold case mysteries at the moment). I didn’t look into it more than that before I started reading, so the creative storytelling techniques Hunter uses came as a (nice!) surprise. The story is an investigation into the murder of Luke Ryder twenty years previously. The case is being featured on a true crime show, Infamous, and a team of experts has been assembled to explore the case and offer a possible solution. The narrative unfolds through emails, episode scripts, pieces of evidence and newspaper reports from the time, which definitely appealed to me. As each ‘episode’ of the investigation unfolds, secrets are revealed about the case, but also about the experts who are taking part. It’s not a spoiler to say that each of them has a closer connection to the Luke Ryder case than it initially appears. I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded. There were some good clues, and it was definitely possible to work things out as the plot developed. I did work out the ending – but only in the final part of the book, when something was revealed that made the solution clear. The attention to detail with the ‘evidence’ presented was also really good, making it a nicely immersive reading experience.

The Sentence by Christina Dalcher (2023)

The next book I read was a library book, but sadly this one didn’t really do it for me. The book is set in a near-future-ish version of America, where anti-death penalty protestors have managed to convince lawmakers in all fifty states to pass the ‘Remedies Act’, legislation that states that if a prosecutor requests the death penalty for a convicted felon, and they later turn out to be innocent, the prosecutor themselves is then executed in retribution. The main character is Justine Boucher, one of only two lawyers who have requested the death penalty since the Remedies Act came into force. As you can probably guess, doubt is now thrown on the conviction, meaning that Justine has to possibly face the consequences. The novel is, essentially, an anti-death penalty sermon, with some stomach-turning descriptions of executions along the way. The problem is that, in order for the premise to work, the reader has to accept some pretty implausible things along the way – not least that all fifty states (that’s right, even Texas) would adopt and enact the Remedies Act, and no state would find a loophole to avoid having to execute a state prosecutor. That just didn’t ring true at all. Additionally, the murder case at the centre of Justine’s story has such a convoluted explanation, as it has to be both watertight (explaining her previous certainty) and also an unsafe conviction, that my credulity was stretched to breaking point. Overall, an interesting idea but the execution is botched.

Autumn Equinox Stories Wanted for Hannah's Bookshelf on North Manchester FM

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

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

On Saturday 20th September, I’ll be hosting the Hannah’s Bookshelf Autumn Equinox 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 15th September.

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 Autumn Equinox Special at 2pm on Saturday 20th September, on digital radio and 106.6FM.

My Year in Books 2025: July

Ah, another very short list again this month. I only got time to read one book for pleasure in July, though it was a very long one!

In case you're curious, here are my lists for the rest of the year: January, February, March, April, May, June

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton (2020)

This next book was a library book. I actually got it out in early June, but it took a little while to read it. Partly, that was because it’s quite a massive book! But mostly, it was because I had a lot of other stuff I needed to read for review this month. I’ve read Turton’s first and third novels and absolutely adored them, so it’s a bit strange that it took me so long to read his second one. But I’ve read it now, and I really liked it! The book is set in the seventeenth century, on a ship heading from the Dutch East Indies to Amsterdam. On board is the world’s greatest detective, Sammy Pipps, and his bodyguard Arent Hayes. Sammy has been imprisoned by the Governor of Batavia for an unspecified crime and is locked in the hold for the journey. Before they’ve even left the dock, however, strange things start to occur, leading some to wonder if the devil is tormenting the voyage. The story unfolds as a cross between supernatural horror and classic locked room mystery, with an impossible murder leading Arent to team up with Sara, the Governor’s wife, as the only detective who could solve the puzzle quickly has been locked up. It’s a really compelling story, and the classic whodunnit elements are never overshadowed by the shadow of the supernatural. The reveal is deeply satisfying as well – I worked out about 50% but there were some really good surprises left too.

Lammas: Day 2

It's the second day of our Lammas celebrations, but it was a busy day at work for both of us. I didn't really have time for anything more than a little seasonal treat during the day.

Berries and Cherries

A little seasonal snack at work (partly picked myself).

Lammas: Day 1

It's the first day of this year's Lammas celebrations! I'm not actually sure what we've got planned for this week, but I imagine it will involve bread. And probably pie. Definitely pie.

Lord of the Rings Walk

My and brother continued our The Conqueror Lord of the Rings virtual walking challenge today with a trip to Heaton Park. We're on 'The Fellowship' at the moment, but the weather conditions were a lot nicer than those in the book. We got ice creams to represent the pass over Caradhras, and then afterwards we swapped some little gifts we'd got each other.

Corn on the Cob

First of the season!

Dubai Chocolate

Ended the day with the Dubai chocolate my brother got me.

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

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

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

On Saturday 2nd August, I’ll be hosting the Hannah’s Bookshelf Autumn Equinox 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 28th 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 2nd August, on digital radio and 106.6FM.

My Year in Books 2025: June

After almost getting back on track last month, it seems I'm back to one-book-a-month posts again. I only read one novel for fun in June, and it was a reread at that. Ah well. Maybe July will see a longer post.

In case you're interested, here are my posts from the rest of the year so far: January, February, March, April, May

The Chimney Sweeper's Boy by Barbara Vine (1998)

At the end of last month, I read Asta’s Book, my favourite book by Barbara Vine (and probably one of my favourite books full stop). I think it was almost instinctive that I picked up The Chimney Sweeper’s Boy afterwards. This book is a family mystery, like Asta’s Book. It begins by introducing the ostensibly happy (but rather smug) Candless family. Gerald Candless is a successful novelist, who dotes on his daughters Hope and Sarah, but is on frosty terms with his wife Ursula. When Gerald dies unexpectedly, his publisher asks Sarah to write a memoir of her father. As she begins work, she starts to discover that her father wasn’t quite the man she thought he was. In fact, as she quickly learns (and this is in the blurb, so it isn’t a spoiler) he wasn’t actually Gerald Candless. The mystery here isn’t quite as rich and deep as that in Asta’s Book, and Sarah isn’t as engaging or likable a character as Ann (the protagonist of the earlier book), but it’s still a gripping read. As Sarah discovers the truth of her father’s life, Vine gives the reader period flashbacks, allowing the story to unfold through the dramatic irony as we get to know the real ‘Gerald Candless’ in a direct narrative his daughter will never fully understand. Some aspects of character motivation are questionable, particularly the way that Hope and Sarah ignore all the red flags of the childhood, but it’s a compelling study of troubled character.