Category Archives: Featured

Women reveal secret affairs, re-discovered martial bliss, falling out of love and more salacious secrets in viral postcard project

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Earlier this year, designer and shop owner Eleanor Tattersfield – who runs Marby & Elm, a print workshop and stationery store on Exmouth Market, London – put out a call on Instagram: ‘I’ll send you a postcard, you send me a secret’. What transpired was a feeling of togetherness and community between women from all backgrounds.

Postcards poured in, some beautifully decorated, some simply handwritten, but each one anonymously sharing a very personal confession. They came from people of all ages and all walks of life, including some celebrities from Jamie Oliver to Cath Kidston and Grayson Perry.

All human life is here: furtive infidelities, bad behaviour in the local bakery, sneaking off for baths during a busy home-schooling schedule, and secret abortions. Eleanor’s postcard is featured in a new collection called Lockdown Secrets out now by Pavilion Books

LOCKDOWN SECRETS

ELEANOR TATTERSFIELD

A compelling collection of anonymous postcards sent during lockdown, revealing hilarious, salacious, relatable and sometimes heart-breaking secret confessions.

 

In the thick of the 2021 coronavirus lockdown, designer and shop owner Eleanor Tattersfield put out a call on Instagram: ‘I’ll send you a postcard, you send me a secret’. Lockdown Secrets is an astonishing record of what happened next.

 

Postcards poured in, some beautifully decorated, some simply handwritten, but each one anonymously sharing a very personal confession. They came from people of all ages and all walks of life, including some celebrities. Prominent themes began to emerge: relationships, sex, masturbation, food, rebellion, loneliness and, surprisingly, a lot of love for lockdown itself. Eleanor’s project caught media attention from all over the world, including pieces on BBC and Channel 4 News in the UK and 9 News Sydney in Australia.

 

This beautiful book brings together the best of the postcards Eleanor received, including 100 previously unseen secrets. All human life is here: furtive infidelities, bad behaviour in the local bakery, sneaking off for baths during a busy home-schooling schedule, rediscovered marital bliss, and, occasionally, poignant moments of sadness and despair.

 

We’ve all been through the lockdown experience, and every reader will find something to relate to in this fascinating collection, a perfect snapshot of an extraordinary time.

 

About the Author

Eleanor Tattersfield is the proprietor of Marby & Elm, a print workshop and stationery store on Exmouth Market, London, where she designs and hand-makes cards, letterheads, calendars, labels and posters. The shop started in her garden shed and grew into a family business, and her products are now stocked in Liberty London. In 2021 she began her hugely successful lockdown secrets postcard project. She lives in London and is available for interview.

 

Follow Eleanor and Lockdown Secrets on Instagram:

 

@marbyandelm | #LOCKDOWNSECRETS

 

Perfect For Christmas Go Nuts For Cambrook Foods

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If you’re after a last minute stocking filler, or you need something for the person who has everything, then Cambrook‘s gift sets are sure to be a hit.

With two gift sets available, these are perfect for foodie-lovers and nut-lovers alike, in addition to being ideal stocking fillers, gifts for grandparents or as part of a Christmas hamper!

The two jar set includes the Hickory Smoke Seasoned Almonds & Cashews with a real hickory hit, together with a jar of Baked Truffle Nuts with almonds, cashews, macadamias and pecans, all baked and seasoned with a distinctive aromatic black truffle and sea salt.

cambrook nuts, nuts, christmas,
The set of 3 gift box includes Cocktail Mix No.2 – a jar of expertly baked & salted traditional mix of nuts, (served at some of London’s best-known cocktail bars!) and Cocktail Mix No.6, which brings together a unique and fantastic mix of flavours, combining salted cashews and macadamias, chilli battered peanuts, smoke seasoned almonds and caramelised sesame peanuts – a guaranteed taste sensation! The final jar is the Baked Cashews & Peanuts with Chilli & Lime, giving your Christmas a zest and spice to savour.

Baked in small batches for big flavours, these gift sets will excite even the most discerning of taste buds and provide the perfect unwrapping for a foodie-lover this Christmas.

The 3 Jar Gift Set is available via the Cambrook Foods website or in Wholefoods, Chatsworth House, Yumbles, NOTHS, All Things Brighton Beautiful, Borough Box, RRP £18.50.
The 2 Jar Gift Set is available via the Cambrook Foods website, Lakeland, Chatsworth House, Yumbles, NOTHS, All Things Brighton Beautiful, Borough Box, RRP £14.00.

Cutting The Cost of Your Home

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Christmas is coming and that means many things but mostly it means our bank accounts are going to take a kicking. It is that expensive time of the year. What better way of ‘making’ money than saving money? A penny saved is a penny earned, as the old saying goes. Every saving helps so here are some ideas on how to save around the house.

Turn your thermostat down. Even turning the thermostat down by one notch saves you lots of money AND it is good for the environment. Win-win.

Change to LED lighting. LED lighting lasts longer than normal lighting. The bulbs last longer and it works out cheaper in the long run. We have some LED panels in our garage and I heartily recommend them. LED lighting is a greener and cheaper alternative to traditional lighting.

Get a draught excluder, or use an old towel. Draught excluders keep the heat in and stop any draughts. Well, obviously, but I always do this. I actually just use an old towel in winter.

Always make sure you are getting the best deal for your bills. There are plenty of sites that will help you switch to a cheaper deal for your bills.

Sell any old stuff you no longer use. It is just taking up space in your home and you do not need it anyway. Declutter while making money with eBay, Depop, or Facebook marketplace. Alternatively, regift items that you received but never used. Much greener and cheaper.

Lastly, remember to keep the Christmas paper and iron it out for next year.

How are you keeping costs down?

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Murder at the Bailey by Henry Milner Book Review

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muder at the baileyThis is a brilliant and believable novel due to the author being one of the UK’s top criminal lawyers. Gorgeously entertaining. A fantastic debut from a new rising star.

A notorious loan shark is shot dead, in broad daylight, right outside the front doors of the Old Bailey. The killer is arrested at the scene and Adrian Stanford is lined up to take on the toughest defence case of his career. Can he steer his client past the no-nonsense Detective Chief Superintendent ‘Iron-Rod’ Stokes, hell-bent on achieving a murder conviction in his last case before retirement? That’s assuming he can keep his client alive in prison long enough for the trial to go ahead. Can his illustrious defence QC, Patrick ‘The Edge’ Gorman, swerve the case past the acerbic judge known to all as Mack the Knife, whose own resolve is being tested to the limit by an adulterous wife? And why is London underworld numero uno Big Jake Davenport showing such a keen interest in the proceedings?

A wickedly eccentric cast of brilliantly drawn characters populate this daring debut from one of Britain’s top criminal defence lawyers. Dripping with sparkling dialogue and delicious wit, Murder at the Bailey is a masterly picaresque romp through the courtrooms, custody suites and London restaurants graced by the cognoscenti.

Murder at the Bailey is available here.

 

Making Space For a New Baby.

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Checking off all the boxes to prepare for the arrival of your new little one is extremely important. Selecting your baby’s name is always a priority but can be a tough choice. A name that has meaning behind it can be special to you and your baby. French names have been known to have a unique meaning behind them and are very popular. Naming your boy or girl with a French baby name is sure to imbue them with innate style, grace and elegance. After you have picked a name, it is time to focus on getting your house in order to prepare for the pending arrival of your new baby.

Buy toy boxes and teach your children to put things in the boxes. The boxes can be stackable and plastic, or a toy chest. Whatever suits you and your life works. I try to put things away by category, all trains in one box etc. This invariably ends up with a few toys mixed up but you can but try.

Regular charity shop trips. I find keeping a charity shop bag or box around helps. Anytime your child grows out of a toy, or moves on to something else, put it in. I also put duplicates in. Sometimes your child will be given the same kind of present. They do not need three tea sets!

If I learnt anything about keeping a tidy house it is to have  good storage options. I recommend using Now Storage self storage. Packing things up and putting them into storage is a great option. Some things cannot be parted with and other things you will need in the future.

Clothes are a special thing. Even when my children grow out of their clothes I find it hard to part with them. I get emotional and have even cried when getting rid of their baby clothes, it is embarrassing to admit. It is important to store clothes properly, otherwise they end up mouldy or moth-ridden. I use vacuum bags. They keep out moisture and insects. Perfect!

What are your storage tips?

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The Final Child By Fran Dorricott Book Review

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I am going to be honest, this book kind of scared me. Thankfully in a good way. I tend to avoid books with serial killers because I am a bit of a softy. But, but…The Final Child. Wowsers. What a book, what a writer. Terrifying, sure, but also vividly written and just so clever. The hook is a brilliant one and is perfectly executed, The tension builds and builds, holding you until the very last page. Fran Dorricott is certainly one to watch. I cannot wait for her next book. The Final Child is a masterclass in psychological crime thriller.

 

A stunning psychological thriller from the author of After the Eclipse, for readers of Ruth Ware and S.K. Tremeyne.

He won’t forget her…

Erin and her brother Alex were the last children abducted by ‘the Father’, a serial killer who only ever took pairs of siblings. She escaped, but her brother was never seen again. Traumatised, Erin couldn’t remember anything about her ordeal, and the Father was never caught.

Eighteen years later, Erin has done her best to put the past behind her. But then she meets Harriet. Harriet’s young cousins were the Father’s first victims and, haunted by their deaths, she is writing a book about the disappearances and is desperate for an interview with the only survivor. At first, Erin wants nothing to do with her. But then she starts receiving sinister gifts, her house is broken into, and she can’t shake the feeling that she’s being watched. After all these years, Erin believed that the Father was gone, but now she begins to wonder if he was only waiting…

A tense and emotive thriller, The Final Child is a powerful tale of a survivor being forced to confront her painful past.

The Final Child By Fran Dorricott is available here.

The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly Book Review

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The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly Book Review

I always get excited when a new Michael Connolly book arrives. I also love the characters Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch. As a team they are brilliant and so interesting. The Dark Hours is a tightly-wound thriller which reaches an explosive and satisfying ending. Another triumph for Michael Connolly.

A brazen and methodical killer strikes on New Year’s Eve and LAPD Detective Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch must join forces to find justice for the victim in a city scarred by fear and social unrest, in the new thriller from the #1 Sunday Times bestseller Michael Connelly.

There’s chaos in Hollywood at the end of the New Year’s Eve countdown. Working her graveyard shift, LAPD Detective Renée Ballard waits out the traditional rain of lead as hundreds of revellers shoot their guns into the air. Only minutes after midnight, Ballard is called to a scene where a hardworking auto shop owner has been fatally hit by a bullet in the middle of a crowded street party.

Ballard quickly concludes that the deadly bullet could not have fallen from the sky and that it is linked to another unsolved murder – a case at one time worked by Detective Harry Bosch. At the same time, Ballard hunts a fiendish pair of serial rapists, the Midnight Men, who have been terrorizing women and leaving no trace.

Determined to solve both cases, Ballard feels like she is constantly running uphill in a police department indelibly changed by the pandemic and recent social unrest. It is a department so hampered by inertia and low morale that Ballard must go outside to the one detective she can count on: Harry Bosch. But as the two inexorable detectives work together to find out where old and new cases intersect, they must constantly look over their shoulders. The brutal predators they are tracking are ready to kill to keep their secrets hidden.

The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly is available here.

 

Christmas Gift Guide 2021: Top Picks

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The Polar Express Gift Set is the perfect gift. Brand new for 2021, it  includes a mini-hardback version of Chris Van Allsburg’s enduring Christmas classic (made into a move in 2004 starring Tom Hanks), plus a writing set for children to send their letter to Santa, write thank you notes after Christmas or even write their own future Christmas classic – PLUS – a gorgeous tree decoration based on the sleigh bell from the book – and if you didn’t know already, only those who truly believe in the magic of Christmas will hear the bell ring!

We loved this. It is so cute and clever. It brings the full experience for total Christmas joy. A must-buy.

Available from Waterstones and Amazon.co.uk

Next Up is…

BiGDUG’s LiTTLEDUG Workstation.

toys, gifts, Christmas, presents.

This is a brilliant toy for children. It will keep them entertained for ages. It is well-made and great to help with development.

BiGDUG, the world-famous storage expert, has brought back – by popular demand – the LittleDUG Workstation. Just in time for Christmas, the LittleDUG Workstation is the ideal gift for all budding engineers, DIY gurus, decorators and builders, so they can get stuck in to DIY just like the adults.

 

The workstation comes with a mini tool set, including a spanner, socket spanner, hammer, screwdriver, pliers and a vice. With over 60 pieces included in the bundle, the BiGDUG LittleDUG Workstation will be sure to keep the busiest of hands full this festive season.

Suitable for Children aged from three years, the toy workstation is just £19.99 and is great to develop fine motor skills too.

Available here.

Next up is something for the adults. We LOVE this gin. 

Why not give a truly spirited gift this Christmas, with a beautiful bottle of Single Estate Spirit from Ramsbury?

Single Estate simply means that the complete process from field to bottle takes place on the Ramsbury Estate in Wiltshire. It sows, grows and distils the primary ingredients itself. Operating a true grain to glass approach, everything from the estate is used in the production. Making its offering among the most sustainable spirits sold in the UK.

The award-winning spirits will be a sure-fire winner for Christmas gifting for friends and family that enjoy a premium pour.

gin. christmasRamsbury Single

Estate Gin £33.50, 700ml, 40% ABV

A crisp, full-bodied London Dry Gin combined with quince grown on the estate, classic juniper, citrus, woody angelica and spicy cinnamon.

The result is a London Dry Gin with a modern twist, complex but balanced. Enjoy in Ramsbury’s signature G&T, with a slice of green apple and a slice of lime.

Awards: SIP Platinum Award 2021 and SIP Consumer Choice Award 2021

www.ramsbury.com

For the perfect stocking filler: we love this apron with pockets from CookSmart. It is adorable and well-made.