Monthly Archives: July 2022

Summer Beauty Essentials

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It’s summer and it’s time to pamper. These are the beauty brands to get you looking fab. We love them.

Beauty , summer
St. Moriz: St. Moriz began its development and production of self tan in 2008 with the help of its in-house salon professional experts and has grown into one of the UK’s leading tanning brands. The secret lies in the skincare-focused ingredients.  St. Moriz products create a bronzed look for you while simultaneously preventing breakouts and protecting your skin.

  1. Available at https://www.stmoritz.com/en/
    St. Moritz is thoroughly cosmopolitan. The Alpine resort’s blend of glamour, lifestyle, sport and pristine nature outshines even the world’s greatest cities.

Jolen: Jolen is a bespoke company that specializes in bleach and wax strips. They have been around for over 50 years, and people keep coming back because of their incredible hair removal technology. Skip the salon and get silky smooth skin from the comfort of your own home!

Available at Boots

Glo32: Glo32 has toothpaste and whitening kits that are not only good for you, but also good for our planet. Glo uses natural ingredients such as coconut oil that is cruelty free and fully vegan that can help remove stains from your teeth in a flash.

Available at Boots

The Humble Co: The Humble Co. is at the forefront of environmentally friendly oral healthcare. All of The Humble Co. products are packaged in biodegradable wrappers made out of 100% recycled materials. The Humble Brush is available in both adult and kids’ sizes, in a variety of colours making it perfect for the whole family to use. And it doesn’t just stop at toothbrushes, The Humble Co. also produces biodegradable Floss Picks, Dental Floss, Cotton Swabs, Bamboo Straws, Bamboo Toothbrush Stands, Interdental Brushes and Natural Chewing Gum and Toothpaste.

Available at Boots

An organic, eco-friendly alternative to the plastic body mop…

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Small changes can make a big difference – when you’re ready for a new body mop, the Soap Saver Pouf provides a practical, natural solution.

Hailed for years as a great bodycare basic to ensure a lovely lather, the body mop has been a favoured accessory in bathrooms and shower rooms but the one problem we now recognise is that it’s made from plastic.
Thankfully, there’s a natural, organic alternative – and what’s more, it’s not just an effective body mop – its innovative design means it’s a soap-saver too!

The Soap Saver Pouf features organic mesh ruffles surrounding a mini soap saver bag to create a totally natural body mop that’s kind to your body and the environment.
Made from organic cotton mesh, it’s totally plastic-free and will gently exfoliate whilst also ensuring you get the most from your soap bars.
Simply chop some pieces from your favourite natural soap bar and pop them into the soap saver pouch in the centre of the Pouf.
The Soap Saver Pouf can be used in the shower or bath or you can even use one in the kitchen for dishwashing (not the same one as in the bathroom!!).

Pop the Soap Saver Pouf in the washing machine from time to time to ensure you keep it fresh.
Soap Saver Pouf
£9.50
100% unbleached organic cotton mesh
Inner soap saver bag with drawstring
Marley’s Monsters’ Organic Soap Saver Pouf
is available in the UK from…
Live in the Light – the online natural and organic lifestyle store www.liveinthelight.co.uk

 

Website – www.liveinthelight.co.uk
Instagram – @liveinthelight3

 

SUNDAY SCENE: LYNNE SHELBY ON HER FAVOURITE SCENE FROM ROME FOR THE SUMMER

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Kate Harper, the heroine of my new book, Rome For the Summer, has always loved the painting that has hung in her parents’ dining room for years, never suspecting that it is worth a fortune – until her art dealer boyfriend cheats her family out of the proceeds of the painting’s sale, leaving her devastated.

Kate discovers that, two hundred years ago, the girl in the painting, Charlotte Browne, ran off to Rome with the artist who painted her portrait. He abandoned her, but her eventual fate is unknown. Hoping to uncover the mystery of what happened to Charlotte, Kate seizes the chance of a summer job in Rome, where she strikes up a friendship with artist Jamie Taylor . . .

One of my favourite scenes in the book, takes place on Kate’s first day in the city, when Jamie takes her to see the Trevi Fountain, leading her through ‘a maze of streets’ narrow enough for her ‘to wonder how the cars parked along their length could possibly have driven down them.’ Passing apartments with flowers tumbling from their tiny balconies, restaurants with tables outside on the pavement, fruit stalls, ‘and street vendors selling anything from red roses to dubious leather handbags,’ they round a corner into bright sunlight and Kate hears the sound of rushing water . . .

‘Oh – there it is!’ I exclaimed. There in front of me was the famous Trevi Fountain, its white marble statues glowing in the late afternoon sun, water splashing down into a turquoise pool, the steps surrounding it packed with tourists, most of them holding up camera phones. It was a scene familiar to me from every movie set in Rome that I’d ever watched, and yet it took my breath away.

Writing this scene through the eyes of a character who has never visited Rome before bought back memories of my first visit to the city – my reaction on seeing sites like the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum or the view from the Palatine Hill for the first time, was very similar to Kate’s!

The scene is also the first time Jamie, who spotted Kate sketching on the Spanish Steps earlier in the day, offers to help her improve her painting and drawing technique.

I looked again at the fountain with its statues of a man and two galloping horses set against a backdrop of a palace façade, and knew that I didn’t have the skill to capture it on paper.
‘I could never draw something like that,’ I said.
Jamie raised his eyebrows. ‘You don’t know that.’
‘Believe me, I do,’ I said. ‘I’m no good at drawing people or horses, even if they’re made of marble.’
‘I could help you draw them,’ he said, ‘if you’d like me too.’ He smiled encouragingly, and somehow, even although I felt sure he would be wasting his time, I found myself nodding my head.

Kate’s drawing of the fountain turns out a lot better than she expected, Jamie’s encouragement helping her find the confidence that she lacks to believe that she can actually draw, foreshadowing the way her summer in Rome will lead to her finding the confidence to pursue her dreams and ambitions in other areas of her life as well.

I very much enjoyed writing this scene and giving my heroine a great first day in the Eternal City. As Jamie says to her, at the end of the chapter, as they share a bottle of wine and a pizza at a pavement café: ‘Benvenuti a Roma, Kate.’

 

www.lynneshelby.com

 

 

 

Games 2 Go: Tension – The Top Ten Naming Game

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Games 2 Go: Tension – The Top Ten Naming Game.

Trying to get your children off screens? Want a way to keep them entertained on the move? This clever little game involves the entire family.

Game, tension, games A riotous race to call out possible solutions to a given subject. But be careful as only answers matching the 10 on the card will score points. The game is fun, fantastic, fast-paced, and frustrating in equal measure. The new travel version has all the awesome elements from the original game but is conveniently slimmed down, allowing you to take it anywhere with a mini card dispenser and scorer.

Great for holidays, on the go, or even at the park, it fits easily into the palm of your hand. Slip a card out of the dispenser and then score using the snappy little poppers on either side. Ideal for involving different generations, the game includes cards that are appropriate for players as young as 8 years old. Can you handle the Tension?

Take on holiday or play on the move. Games 2 Go: Tension is the perfect carry-out card game and costs £13 from Cheatwell.com

Brady Square’s COLUMBIA COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION continues its great work, post Covid. by Margaret Graham

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Brady Square was my mother’s home and where I still visit, toddling around, remembering so much: Uncle Stan Newsome, Auntie Isobel and David …the stories, teasing, love, laughter. 

Nick, one recent owner, caught me peering through the gates and gave me a tour of the shop turned house, but first we walked past the guard-raptors, straining at their pole tethers!

My connection with Brady Square led me towards the unstoppable Marion Taylor, Secretary of the CCA Committee,who told me of the community’s amazing efforts to help during Covid, (read here )  But little Annie Newsome’s girl became Oliver Twist and wanted to know more – about what was happening now with CAA.

Marion took me back to the beginning: ‘The CCA building opened in 1939 and was used as the Unemployment Exchange until this moved in 1970s to premises in Washington Galleries. This is when the building became our  CCA centre.

‘The building was Council owned but for several years they have wanted the community to take over the lease. In 2021 a new committee was formed to discuss the way forward.

‘The council had undertaken a survey of the building and were prepared to spend £100,000 on the update. We as a committee felt we had to protect community assets. Failing to do so would result in the unthinkable, the sale of the building

Marion told me that most of the  council costings were for the structural renovations. So what about the inside? I wanted to know. ‘But before you tell me, surely these lovely doors aren’t to be changed?’ She assured me they weren’t, just tarted up, but those weren’t her words. They belong to little Annie Newsome’s girl, who is BAD.

Marion made clear that the renovations were discussed with their users, and potential users before applying for funding, bearing in mind they were catering for all members of the community.

Unstoppable, her enthusiasm knowing no bounds, Marion took off:

‘We wanted to build on the fact that our users enjoy the ambiance and homeliness of the centre, the kitchen is always available for that ever-welcome cuppa and our rooms are multifunctional. We have two large community rooms where various activities take place and you can have the choice of which area suits your needs; whether it is Didi dancing at 18 months or exercise sessions. We have bookings for team meetings, cultural creations, wildlife group, home schooling, and recently hosted a sign language course. Fat Quarters sewing group (named after the last material on the bail!) and The Forever Young Bingo Ladies are a regular weekly booking’

Oh, oh, when I saw the image Marion sent of the Bingo Ladies I was so thrilled, because I am also clearly forever young, as I have the same Stretchers shoes as two of the ladies, navy with bright pink laces. Never seen anyone else wearing them.  Marion said, ‘There you go, you can take the person out of Brady Square but you can’t take Brady Square out of the person.’

Marion continued the wonderfully long list of those using the CCA centre: weekend parties  as we can adequately house bouncy castles, discos and as an extra we have tables and chairs for the children to have their buffet. It’s wonderful, as like Topsy who ‘growed’, this often results in party guests booking their own parties. Let’s not forget Shake that Boogey who has increased her sessions to three times a week and the weekly physical exercise with Amazon steps.’ Marion added that this was: too energetic for the likes of me)

With hire charges at £10 an hour, though perhaps needing to rise to £15 in the current situation it’s still ‘as cheap as chips‘ in Marion’s words. It is too, in comparison with other community centre charges.  ‘CCA is advertised on social media’ Marion says, ‘and we hope everyone knows they are welcome to pop in at any time for tea and a chat.’

In addition it’s  clear the community spirit reinforced during Covid is still alive and kicking, as the CCA powerhouse needs donations of medical supplies and toiletries for Ukraine and spectacles for Camboldia. They liaise with the Polish Centre in Newcastle as to what help they can supply.

WIFI is to be installed soon when they will have a new computer hub either for educational purposes, becoming familiar with computers, accessing the internet or just to play games on the tables CAA will provide.

Even more good news is that refurbishment has begun and  Frost Magazine will be following the new and improved CCA every step of the way. During this period all users will be directed to alternative areas within the building including the Bingo Ladies  who can continue to flash those pink laces.

For information:   Columbia Community Forum  Columbia Community Association Facebook

Margaret Graham is editor of Frost Magazine, and the author of many novels under three names. She is also little Annie Newsome’s daughter and proud of it and her  connection to Brady Square.

 

Rosebud Preserves – Good Old-fashioned Yorkshire in A Jar – Or Bottle – by Award Winning Author Dr Kathleen Thompson

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As a Yorkshire lass myself I suppose I have a bias – but when Elspeth Biltoft, the founder of Rosebud Preserves talks of the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales, old-fashioned preserves recipes, traditional fruits like greengages, quince and rowanberry, and gathering so many elderflowers (only those at the peak of bloom are good enough) that your arms ache and your head is swimming with the perfume, I’m a captive audience.

With Elspeth’s passion for the best quality, wild-gathered and natural seasonal products, combined with Rosebud Preserves chef John Barley’s scientific and innovative approach to achieving perfect products, this partnership is a ‘recipe’ for success. Yorkshire born and bred (she recalls being carried on her father’s shoulders through the Dales as a child) Elspeth has also built collaborations with local farmers and small producers to get the very best of everything.

Her jams and jellies use simple balanced recipes, with no additives, preservatives or even pectin – setting is achieved from the fruit alone, skilful cooking and unrefined cane sugar, which adds a delicious hint of molasses. They make their own top quality vinegar for the preserves, the fruit and cider for the Bramley Apple And Cider Sauce are sourced from the monks at Ampleforth Abbey and they collaborate with The Spirit of Masham Distillery for their rather special Elderflower Gin Liquer. Just removing the cork releases the heady aroma of wild elderflower, transporting you to a shady spot under a hedgerow of elders in the Dales.

I was particularly excited to try the Greengage Fruit Cheese. The very firm jelly with the intense flavour of those old-fashioned plums is a new twist on the Spanish ‘membrillo’ (quince paste) and is just perfect with a good cheese. The allspice and cinnamon in the Spice Plum Chutney really took me back to my childhood and mum’s cooking, however their mince pies – Almond And Orange Mincemeat encased in amazing pastry from Two Dales Bakery of Reeth are a real step-up from traditional mince pies. The mincemeat is made without suet and the ground almond and orange provide an irresistible light sweetness.

So if you are in need of a treat or you’re looking for a special gift, do check out their individual jars and bottles but also the gift sets at https://rosebudpreserves.co.uk. The mince pies won’t be available until November, but you don’t need to wait to try the mincemeat – apparently it goes very well with ice cream.

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows


http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q
http://faitobooks.co.uk


Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

CARIADS’ CHOICE: JULY 2022 BOOK REVIEWS

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Nita Prose’s The Maid reviewed by Kitty Wilson

This is my favourite audiobook in ages. I absolutely loved it and found myself racing through it over the course of a weekend, deliberately choosing activities that meant I could keep listening. A delightful heroine surrounded by a fab cast of characters, you cannot help but fall in love with Molly the maid as she navigates a world full of social cues, clues and language that she doesn’t always understand. On the surface this is a simple whodunnit with a neurodiverse detective heroine, but it’s also a witty, refreshing look at society, how we communicate and what we prioritise. Highly recommended.

 

Lynne Shelby’s Rome for the Summer reviewed by Carol Thomas

What a lovely, uplifting read! I read the novel on holiday; it was the perfect book to relax and unwind with. Kate was a likeable heroine, her family were wonderful, and her newfound life and love interest in Rome was perfect. For a novel filled with artistic fervour, Jamie was the ideal hero; his passion for both the art exhibited in Rome and that created by his hand was evident throughout. The insights into the past worked well, and I enjoyed discovering more about Kate’s Italian girl (depicted in a painting). Overall it is a lovely escapist read that will whisk you off to Rome for the Summer, fill you with warmth and leave you with a big satisfied smile.

 

Anne Booth’s Small Miracles reviewed by Jane Cable

I can absolutely see why this book is published under Random House’s Vintage label, because it is just that. Quaint, charming and a little old-fashioned, not just because it is set in 1995; it transports the readers back to simpler times, before the world was glued to its mobile phone.

Set in an English catholic convent down on its luck, the book follows the remaining three nuns, the local priest and a small cast of parishioners and friends, as after a modest lottery win, a series of other ‘small miracles’ begin to occur.

Although I quite enjoyed the journey, there was something missing from the book for me. I wanted it to be either funnier, or tug at my heart-strings more, and I had problems relating to the three main characters. However if you yearn for fiction akin to the Miss Read books, this may very well be exactly to your taste. It was in no way a ‘bad’ book (whatever that is), just not for me.

 

Bella Osborne’s A Wedding at Sandy Cove, parts 1 and 2 reviewed by Morton S Gray

I have loved all of Bella Osborne’s books and wasn’t surprised that I loved this one too. I sat and read the first part of Ella’s story in one sitting and didn’t want it to finish. Can’t wait for the next part.

Like Ella, I was a bridesmaid numerous times and never thought I would be a bride, but to work in the bridal industry must make that thought even harder. Love her cat and her friends, who can see her flaws but want the best for her.

Easy to read, easy to relate to, left me wanting more …

Part two of A Wedding at Sandy Cove didn’t disappoint and I found myself laughing and even shouting at my kindle, so I guess that means I was involved in the story!

Ella’s adventures continue. I’m glad I wasn’t at her friend’s hen party event but there is plenty to read about and I even spat my mouthful of tea out at one point when I laughed totally unexpectedly!

Waiting for Part Three…

 

 

 

Another list of tasty treats from Joffe Books. Enjoy.

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Joffe Books’ book of the week is BLUE MURDER, the first book in bestselling, multi-award-winning author Cath Staincliffe’s Detective Janine Lewis series, which inspired the hit ITV drama Blue Murder — out now for just 99p | 99c.

Janine Lewis is a single mum of three and Manchester’s newest detective chief inspector. Her cheating husband walked out the day she got promoted. Now she’s six months pregnant with his baby and in charge of her first murder case.

CLICK HERE TO BUY BLUE MURDER BY BESTSELLING AUTHOR CATH STAINCLIFFE FOR JUST 99P | 99C.

Don’t miss the first in Cath Staincliffe’s unforgettable, electrifying series of Manchester-set police procedurals, described as “a real knockout” by Ian Rankin, as “one of the best police procedurals I’ve read this year” by Ann Cleeves, and as “utterly gripping” by the Daily Telegraph. And to that, we can add Frost Magazine, it is all of these things.

                        

Kidnap on the Moors by Priscilla Masters   OUT NOW — JUST 99P | 99C

A missing lawyer. A strangled nurse. A killer that DI Joanna Piercy must track down before they strike again.

“Pulled me in right from the start.” Ann Cleeves

The Boathouse Murders by Pauline Rowson    99p/99c

Renegade detective Andy Horton is assigned the case of a missing person: Jasper Kenton, a PI. Kenton was on the trail of a man whose wife thought he was having an affair. Then Kenton’s naked body is discovered on a stretch of beach on the Isle of Wight, wrapped in sailcloth.
Now Horton is embroiled in an investigation that has major personal ramifications — should he stay silent, or speak out and risk his career?

INDIE AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: DISCOVER THE ATMOSPHERIC CRIME FICTION OF #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR RACHEL MCLEAN

Joffe Books tell us they are proud to take inspiration from indie authors. Not only are they writing brilliant and compelling stories, but they are also connecting closely with their readers and reaching them in increasingly dynamic ways, turning their passion for writing into incredibly successful careers.

This week Joffe’re featuring the #1 Kindle bestselling indie author Rachel McLean!

Rachel has two bestselling British crime series out: the DI Zoe Finch series based in Birmingham, and the Dorset Crime series, which takes place around the Jurassic coast.

Book one in the Dorset Crime series, The Corfe Castle Murders, won the 2021 Kindle Storyteller Award and has been a Kindle bestseller since its launch in July 2021

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COPY OF THE BALLARD DOWN MURDER BY RACHEL MCLEAN.

 

JOFFE BOOKS LAUNCH NEW AUDIO LIST

Joffe are delighted to announce that BLUE MURDER will be launching a brand-new audiobook list from Joffe Books — with a selected list of our titles, including Cath Staincliffe’s Detective Janine Lewis series — available as audiobooks on Audible and all leading audiobook platforms.

Search for “Blue Murder by Cath Staincliffe” on your preferred audiobook platform to find the book, and happy listening!