Beltane: Day 3

Another day of celebrating Beltane! And today was an absolute cracker.

Bakewell

We're still on holiday in Bakewell, and today we baked up a picnic and headed out for an adventure. It was so sunny... I even got to wear my sunglasses for the first time this year!

Monsal Trail

Today we walked half (sort of) of the Monsal Trail. Two years ago, we walked from Bakewell to Upperdale and back again. This year, we wanted to explore the other half, so we went from Upperdale to Chee Dale and back (just over nine miles). It was absolutely glorious! Everything was green, and we were surrounded by butterflies and bees and birdsong and bluebells. We explored tunnels and disused lime kilns, and I had a Banana and Toffee Ripple ice cream. Just a properly perfect day.

The Green Man: A Field Guide

I am a bit obsessed with the Green Man this Beltane, so when we got back from the trail, I read a bit of The Green Man: A Field Guide by Clive Hicks.

Events in May 2024

Beltane Walk in the Woods
Friday 3rd May
5.30–6.30pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'll be leading a sociable walk in the woods to enjoy the changing seasons
Booking Link

Late Spring Walk in the Park
Saturday 4th May
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

Virtual Writing Retreat
Sunday 12th May
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

Woodland Fairy Walk
Wednesday 29th May
11.00-12noon
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'll be leading a creative walk in Bailey's Wood, hunting for fairies (suitable for all ages)
Booking Link

Dark Fairy Folklore in the Woods
Wednesday 29th May
6.00-7.00pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'll be leading a woodland walk with dark and creepy tales of fairy folklore (suitable for ages 12+)
Booking Link

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

Beltane: Day 2

Our second day of celebrating Beltane! And we had a nice little trip out planned today.

Bakewell

We're still on holiday in lovely Bakewell. The weather isn't too bad today, and apparently it's going to get even better tomorrow.

Summerisle Mugs

Celebrating Beltane with our new Summerisle mugs from Cultzilla!

Robin Hood’s Stride, Stone Circle and Hermit's Cave

We had a lovely walk and a picnic in the hills above Bakewell. We visited (and climbed all over) Robin Hood's Stride, and I found a little grotto to sit in. Then we visited a nearby stone circle and the Cratcliffe Hermit's Cave, where there's a stone crucifix that dates back to the thirteenth or fourteenth century. It was a really brilliant walk!

Green Man Puzzle Box

I'm a bit obsessed with the Green Man this spring, so I treated myself to a Green Man puzzle box from Bakewell market today.

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!