Monthly Archives: January 2020

STEP ASIDE GU – THERE’S A NEW DESSERT DON IN TOWN

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Every once in a while a sweet treat lands in our lap that changes EVERYTHING. Pati & Coco’s multi-layered, multi-textured chocolate desserts have done just that.

Picture this, you start by cracking through the signature layer of fine tempered dark chocolate. Once through, experience patisserie folds of luscious ganache and delicate sheets of chocolate underneath before ending with a satisfyingly crunchy biscuit layer at the base. Swoon.

Available in packs of 2, these 80g pots come in four intense and luxurious flavours. Disclaimer, our favourite was the caramel & choc pots, giving decadent, millionaire’s shortbread vibes!

  • Ganache & Choc
  • Praline & Choc
  • Caramel & Choc
  • Pistachio & Choc

Available to buy at Sainsburys

Living with Alzheimers – I wish I’d paid more attention to Paul Daniels’s Magic shows by Chris Suich.

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Living with Alzheimers- Bob and Chris Suich

It was a big match day for Arsenal. I’d got the ‘football room’ suitably attired for Bob with the lucky Arsenal gnome, the two Irish leprechauns and the Gunnersaurus. They were lined up looking towards the TV. We were waiting for our friend to come round and watch it with us.
Bob had recently had a bit of an obsession about door handles. He kept trying the handle, pushing them down fiercely (several times) to such an extent the latch was sticking and I couldn’t get into some rooms. The only way I could get the latch to move back was to get my bank card, slide it in the gap, and push the latch back. In the end I had been so annoyed that I’d actually taken the handles off the door in the ‘ football room’. I left the door wide open with a note sellotaped to it ‘DO NOT SHUT’ and put a square pouffe in front to hold the door back to the wall.
Our friend came round and the game became very exciting. The beers flowed and we became totally absorbed in the match. Suddenly I realised the door was shut.
I screamed out in horror. ‘ The door’s shut!’

‘It wasn’t me.’ chanted Bob over and over (who was sitting on the pouffe.)
‘It must have been you though, Bob because you’ve moved the pouffe and shut the door at the same time.’
‘It wasn’t me,’ Bob repeated.
There was no door handle to get out and the door was fast shut. My purse with the bank card was in my handbag – the other side of the door. My phone was also in my bag so I couldn’t even phone a neighbour for help. I had a vision of us all being locked in until the postman came the next day, and us waving frantically at him shouting ‘Save us. Save us!’
How could we get out? I remembered the front door was unlocked – if we could get out of the window. But the window was so small. There was no way I could get out as my back was playing up and if I tried to twist it my muscles might go into an agonising spasm. Our friend is a 6 footer so I couldn’t imagine he could get through the window. But Bob was thin and small perhaps I could persuade him somehow to try to get out.
Bob was the right size but could he understand how to climb out of the window? I started to try to make him understand.
‘If I tipped you up, Bob, out of that top window and held onto your ankles you might be able to do a forward roll like the SAS, do you think you could do it?’
‘Not me.’
That was when I wished I had paid more attention to those Paul Daniels magic shows where they put people into a box and they become very small people, contortionists I think they are called. If only I knew how to make myself that small I could have got through the window. I had a flash back to a show Bob had booked where I had watched a young lady supposedly chopped up with a sword and all the time they were in a tiny space where the sword never went.
Then our friend saved the day.
‘I think I might be able to get out of that window’ he exclaimed.
‘ Really?’ I answered, a little hope in my heart.
We cleared the windowsill of the ornaments and pictures and our friend climbed up. It was at this moment that the ridiculousness of the situation took a hold of me and I became a hopeless giggling mass. Desperately trying not to let our friend see me laughing as he was struggling to balance with one leg either side of the frame. He became that very small person I had seen in the magic shows.

He managed it! He jumped down onto the path. He walked in through the front door and between us we did the bank card trick in the edge of the door where the latch was, and managed to push it backwards so the door opened.
Well, that was a game to remember for all the wrong reasons!

Thank goodness Arsenal won.

JANE WENHAM-JONES REFLECTS ON TEN YEARS OF PRESENTING THE ROMANTIC FICTION AWARDS

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One of the most anticipated highlights of Romance Reading Month is when the announcement of the shortlistees for the Romantic Novel Awards is made which this year will be on the 3rd Feb. The awards themselves will be held on 2nd March 2020 at The Leonardo Hotel, Tower Hill, with prizes in nine categories of Romantic Fiction as well as the award for Outstanding Achievement.

Jane Wenham-Jones has hosted the RNA awards since 2011. Here she reflects on ten years of sparkly gowns, celebrity guests and Awarding Excellence in Romantic Fiction.

“It is usually around this time of year that I start spending an inordinate amount of time looking at frocks. When I first presented the Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards, it was with Tim Bentinck – David from The Archers – and I wore an over-the-top glittery affair in fuchsia, which set the pattern for the next ten years. In that time, I have got stuck in a dress, had to involve a veritable team to zip me up, and had the formidable Catherine Jones (ex-army) shove an authoritative arm down my front to tape up my cleavage so I didn’t do a Judy Finnegan. Who, as it happens, made the night when she gave out the awards with the lovely Richard Madeley a couple of years later.

Photo credit Marte L Rekaa

The award ceremony is one of the highlights of my year. It is glorious to celebrate the very best in romantic fiction – a massively-selling and important genre that warms hearts worldwide – and uplifting to see the very real joy on the faces of the winners. I usually mispronounce the name of at least one of these and quite often drop my notes, but thanks to our marvellous celebrity guests we laugh on.   I have choked with hilarity with the Reverend Richard Coles, developed a small crush on Barbara Taylor Bradford  and gazed in awe at the beauty and elegance that is Dame Darcey Bussell. Prue Leith, Fern Britton, Alison Weir and Peter James have done the honours too, and were all funny and as hugely supportive as you would expect.

The Romantic Novelists’ Association does much to dispel the image of the romantic author floating in a cloud of pink chiffon dreaming of tall, brooding, macho men sweeping small fluttery females off their delicate size threes and the annual awards are a celebration of the reality and diversity of writing about love, as well as a jolly good excuse to drink lots of champagne. The next one is going to be extra special as it falls in the year this brilliant organisation gets its bus pass. We have a famous guest to hand out the gongs, an exciting new award in memory of the late, great Jackie Collins and more on the various short lists than ever before. I’ve got the dress early. Bring it on and Happy Birthday RNA!”

www.janewenham-jones.com

To celebrate 60 years of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Romance Reading Month will run throughout February #RNA60 #RomanceReadingMonth

Throughout the month the focus will be on different ways that readers can access romantic fiction and will be highlighting different sub-genres and authors as well as supporting libraries during #LoveMyLibraryWeek On Valentine’s Day the RNA will be launching a new Facebook Group, the Romantic Fiction Book Club. The group has been created by a number of RNA members to provide a safe and cosy place for romance lovers to chat about their favourite books. The RNA will also be championing romantic fiction from underrepresented authors. RNA Chairwoman Alison May said, “We have bursaries available for new and mid-career authors from under-represented groups. We invite authors and readers to share their diverse romance novels using the hashtag #RNADiverseRomance.”

If you would like more details about Romance Reading Month or the Romantic Novelists Association then please visit www.romanticnovelistsassociation.org

 

 

Cancer-causing gas is present in EVERY household

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More than half of UK homes haven’t been tested for a cancer-causing gas – which is found in EVERY household.

Radon is a natural radioactive gas which comes from rocks and soils and is the top cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.

Reassuringly, levels of radon tend to be low indoors – but higher levels pose a serious health risk and there’s no way of knowing how severe levels are without testing.

Despite the possible health impact, two thirds of adults don’t know what radon is and that it can cause cancer.

Commissioned by Airthings, makers of smart radon and indoor air quality monitors, the research of 2,000 adults found six in 10 haven’t given any thought to the health impact of the air in their homes.

A spokesman for Airthings said: “Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.

“In fact, radon-induced lung cancer kills more people than house fires and carbon monoxide combined.

“It’s an invisible radioactive gas with no smell or taste and comes from rocks and soil.

“Low levels can be found in the air outside however levels of radon can be higher inside buildings – homes included.”

UK homes also contain gasses called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which, although not lethal like radon, can cause headaches, sore throats and fatigue.

But the study found eight in 10 have no idea what VOCs are and 80 per cent are unaware they can cause eye, nose and throat irritation.

The compounds can be released when doing a number of apparently harmless everyday activities such as burning scented candles, using non-organic cleaning products and even when cooking.

Further to this, nine in 10 regularly do things in their home which could increase levels of radon and VOCs.

Almost half don’t often open the windows when cooking, 42 per cent frequently burn candles and a third use diffusers in their homes.

Perhaps as a result, the Airthings study, carried out through OnePoll, found six in 10 ‘regularly’ suffer from symptoms associated with poor air quality.

These include headaches (25 per cent), constant dryness and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and skin (22 per cent) and ongoing fatigue (21 per cent).

A fifth also have a tendency, or noticed a tendency among their cohabitees, to cough and sneeze.

A spokesman for Airthings added: “In addition to testing your home for radon and VOCs there are simple steps you can take to reduce levels of these gasses.

“But the first step is to have your home tested to get an indication of the severity of the problem.

“There are also things you can do to minimise VOCs in particular – such as ditching toxic chemicals and using natural cleaning products, opening windows, vacuuming regularly and having lots of house plants in the house.”

SYMPTOMS/EFFECTS OF VOCS BRITS HAVE NOTICED IN THEIR HOMES:

1. Their home has mould

2. Their children developed a cough

3. They developed a persistent cough

4. It affected their energy levels

5. Their children don’t play outside as much/very often

6. The plants in their garden have struggled/died

7. Their lung condition or their child’s lung condition (e.g asthma) has worsened

8. They have to keep their windows closed all year round

9. They don’t cycle to work anymore as a result

10. They have developed breathing difficulties

TIPS FOR REDUCING VOCS IN YOUR HOME:

• Open the windows

• Do not smoke indoors

• Keep air humidity levels between 30 per cent to 50 per cent

• Avoid synthetic fragrances such as plug ins and candles

• Use house plants

• Ditch the toxic chemicals – use natural cleaning products

• Improve ventilation

• Vacuum regularly

• Remove your shoes when you come in

• Test your home with an air quality monitor and use an air purifier if required

SISTER SCRIBES’ READING ROUND UP: JANUARY

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Jane:

The last book I read in 2019 was Raynor Winn’s The Salt Path, a fitting end to the year. It was our book club choice, one we’d begged the library for after having suffered the poet laureate’s egotistical whinge about doing the same walk at roughly the same time.

Phrases such as ‘greatest surpasses least’ spring to mind. Raynor Winn and her husband Moth had nothing left to lose when they embarked on the South West Coastal Path in the summer of 2013; no home, no jobs, no money and in Moth’s case, having been diagnosed with a terminal illness, no future. And yet the book is a joy, well deserving of its award nominations and best-seller status.

That isn’t to say it sugar coats the pill. I felt desperate with them, thirsty with them – and mostly hungry with them. But I also saw the beauty that surrounded them, heard the wash of the waves, the weather howling in from the Atlantic as autumn started to bite. That is the genius of Winn’s writing, the power of her words. That and making an autobiography read and feel like a novel.

There is a lovely postscript to my review too: yesterday I went to hear Raynor Winn speak and had a long conversation with Moth, still very much alive. He told me she wrote the book as a gift for him, for when he can no longer remember the wonderful thing they did. Which makes it a love story as well.

When Kate Field found out I was reading The Salt Path she begged me not to read her new book next because she thought it would be an anti-climax. It is typical of her modesty, but wide of the mark. Hers is a completely different book and I wouldn’t even begin to compare them.

A Dozen Second Chances is just the sort of romantic fiction I like. The characters are real and relatable, mature and shaped by their lives. And being characters in a book Eve and Paddy have had plenty of history, which has done just that. The will-they-won’t-they story of their second chance made me unwilling to put the book down, with a clever and beautifully sewn up plot and satisfying ending.

On a personal note I loved the fact they are archaeologists. The heroine of my next book is as well and I could see Kate’s research had gone along similar lines to mine. I just hope she enjoyed it as much as I did.

 

Kitty:

January is the perfect time to catch up with my reading and I have read several books that I have absolutely loved.

Our Sister Scribe, Susanna, published her first book as Polly Heron – The Surplus Girls. Jane has already shared an extensive review on Frost but I have to add that I adored it and I urge saga lovers to give it a go.

I also raced through Mhairi McFarlane’s If I Never Met You and, true to form, it didn’t disappoint. I love everything about Mhairi’s writing, it’s always fast-paced, insightful and genuinely funny – guaranteed to make me cackle. In this one the heroine is in her mid-thirties when her life and expectations are thrown into disarray and she starts a faux-romance with the office Lothario. Truly fabulous.

And finally, Cathie Hartigan’s Notes From The Lost. A timeslip with part of the story set in wartime Italy and part set in modern-day Exeter. I fell so heavily in love with Alfie, an escaped POW hiding out in mountains and villages and found this book to be uplifting and restorative, with both parts seamlessly woven together. I cannot wait for some time to pass so I can have the pleasure of reading it all over again.

 

 

 

Are You Watching? Book Review

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Are you watching bookThis crime thriller from Vincent Ralph is that publishers dream: a YA novel that adults will love too. It is a modern novel with mixes social media and crime, and then combines it with skill and excellent pace. I raced through this book, practically breathless to get to the end. Full stars. 

A page-turning new YA thriller for the social media age, perfect for fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and One Of Us Is Lying.

Ten years ago, Jess’s mother was murdered by the Magpie Man.

She was the first of his victims, but not the last.

Now Jess is the star of a YouTube reality series and she’s using it to catch the killer once and for all.

The whole world is watching her every move.

And so is the Magpie Man.

Are you Watching is available here.

The Red Ribbon by Lucy Adlington: Reviewed by Natalie Jayne Peeke – West Country Correspondent.

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The Red Ribbon by Lucy Adlington is suitable for Young Adults, but … but … it should be read by anyone of any age.

Rose, Ella, Mina and Carla – in another life we might all have been friends together. But this was Birchwood.

THE RED RIBBON. Copyright © 2017 by Lucy Adlington. Reproduced by permission of the publisher,

Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

 

Ella, a kind and determined young girl  lives with her grandparents whom she adores. Her favourite pasttime is dress making with her grandmother – thank heavens, as things transpire.

Because, in the midst of world war two Ella, a mere fourteen years of age,   is snatched on her way home from school and  thrown into the place of horrors that is Birkenau . Leaving behind her life, her family and her freedom .

Adamant not to be a victim, Ella uses her skills  in order to survive and survive she determines she must.

Ella begins her first day at work in this appalling place by stepping into a world of beauty: silks, seams, scissors, pins, hems and trimmings. She is a dressmaker, but this is no ordinary sewing workshop. Hers are no ordinary clients.

Ella has joined the seamstresses of Birkenau-Auschwitz, as readers may recognise, and every dress she makes could mean the difference between life and death. Real life and death for this place is all about survival.

Increasingly Ella seeks refuge from reality, and from haunting memories, in her work and in the world of fashion and fabrics but again and again she is faced with painful decisions about how far she is prepared to go to survive. Is her love of clothes and creativity nothing more than collaboration with her captors, or is it a means of staying alive? Will she fight for herself alone, or will she trust the importance of an ever-deepening friendship with Rose?

Adlington’s inspired concept of weaving a red ribbon  through the colours of couture gowns and camp mud is masterly  – a red ribbon, given to Ella as a symbol of hope,  which to my mind is the theme of this engrossing important novel.
A beautiful story of friendship, morality,  bravery and most of all, the importance of hope, in the face of the horrendous truth of Ella’ s situation .

You will be cheering on Ella, laughing with her and crying with her. You will want to cut down those that abuse her and embrace those who care for her .

“I would survive ’til the end of the war , then I would open my own dress shop and never see ugly things again”
The Red Ribbon by Lucy Adlington is available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com  in ebook hb, pb audio.

 

SISTER SCRIBES: SUSANNA BAVIN ON THE APPEAL OF THE SHORT STORY

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Hands up everyone who remembers the First, Second, Third etc Pan Book of Horror Stories, Edited by Herbert Van Thal. I loved those scary stories when I was in my early teens. Looking back, some of them weren’t entirely suitable for a young reader, though that didn’t stop me lapping them up. My favourite was a ghost story by E F Benson (who wrote the Mapp and Lucia books), called The Confession of Charles Linkworth. I had a phase of reading it every Sunday afternoon before tea and, even though I ended up practically knowing it by heart, it frightened me silly every time. The hero of my newest book, The Surplus Girls, is named Gabriel Linkworth, as a nod to that story.

That was the second E F Benson short story I had come across. The first was The Room in the Tower, which featured in a book called Ghosts! An Anthology, which I received as a Christmas present. Unfortunately, the story was rather wasted on me because I didn’t altogether understand it. It is, in fact, a vampire story and I sort of knew that when I read it, but I was a very literal-minded child and this was in a book of ghost stories and therefore Julia Stone had to be a ghost… didn’t she?

I have always been a reader of short stories. In particular I love the collections that were put together in 1930s, with titles such as The Mammoth Book of Thrillers, Ghosts and Mysteries and A Century of Humour, which was one of a series of A Century of… books. What better way to be introduced to writers such as Wilkie Collins, Guy de Maupassant, O Henry and W W Jacobs? My first taste of G K Chesterton was the wonderfully funny The Tremendous Adventures of Major Brown, which I re-read regularly. The Mammoth Book mentioned above even contained a ‘sealed section’ at the end, with stories to make you ‘glance over your shoulder and perhaps even start when there is a creak on the stair.’

A writer whom I came to love was A J Alan, whose wit and humour could find mystery in the most ordinary situations. It was often the style in these 1930s anthologies to top each story with a few sentences of author biography, beside which was a pencil sketch of the man (it was almost always a man) himself; but there was only ever a fancy question mark in the place where A J Alan’s portrait should be. He was famous for reading his stories on the wireless and his identity was a closely guarded secret, as befitted the mysterious nature of his tales.

And I adored Anthony Hope’s The Dolly Dialogues. I bought myself a first edition after enjoying the two chapters that featured in A Century of Humour. They are clever and teasingly romantic observations of life and love.

The most recent collection of short stories I’ve read is Jan Baynham’s Smashing the Mask and Other Stories. Although there isn’t an official theme to the book, a thread of the supernatural runs through several of the tales and in each one Jan creates a different sort of atmosphere, from the deep sorrow of a ghostly mother to the chilly horror of a long-ago murdered girl to the traditional creepiness of helping a stranger. She also uses painful directness to tackle the all too recognisable dilemmas of hoping against hope to meet a long-lost child and struggling to be brave in a situation of coercive control. Jan has produced an intriguing collection filled with insight, a variety of moods from the uplifting to the poignant, and more than one clever twist in the tale.