Because of you I am by Sandy Hogarth: reviewed by Annie Clarke

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Because of You I Am is not only Alice’s story, but a fabulous title.

Now, a title is tricky. It has to identify the genre, and spark the browser’s curiosity – all in tandem with the jacket. 

So, look at the title again. Complex, surely a thriller, but a straight forward Jason Statham type, or psychological? With the help of the jacket  would you say psychological? Then you’d be correct.

Alice grows up with her mother, Eileen, and her part-time father, Tom, who she adores. Tom has another family and a wartime secret. When we first meet Alice she is a eleven year old hunting rabbits with  Tom, and is already different – she is the only kid in The Street to go to the Grammar.

Then calamity, because at the age of 14 Alice,and her mother, are abandoned by Tom. Two years later Alice, driven by the need to find him, and the Beatles,  leaves her northern hamlet for London. 

Lost and alone she embraces 60s London: the drugs, the squats and a boyfriend. Twenty one years later, she meets Jake Oldfield, the man who makes her real. She finds love, at last, with him and and their son, Adam, born in 1985. Alice is 37.

Adam is an odd boy, brilliant in some areas, backward in others and obsessed with the stars.

He is accidentally killed outside the school. Rosamund Beresford, a successful barrister, is the driver of the car. It is something that ruins Alice’s relationship with Jake because Alice blames herself, but why?

This accident is  pivotal,  in Alice’s relationship, and her fragile psyche.  What path will she take now? How can she ever find her way back to peace? 

A compelling drama about guilt, revenge and  perhaps redemption? So yes, definitely a pyschological thriller and one that lives up to its title. Bravo …

eBook. Troubador. £3.99.  And Amazon.

Recommended PB price £8,99. Pre-orders on Amazon £7.91. It is also available from the Book Depository. It’s available US and other countries.

Heroes at large … by Margaret Graham

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As you know, Frost Magazine has been on the hunt for local heroes and have struck gold  near Northallerton, which is close to Thirsk:  the Rounton Coffee Roasters.

Rounton Coffee Roasters is an independent coffee roastery based in Yorkshire, providing coffees, equipment and training to customers across the UK

Recently, at Chez Graham, we seemed to be devouring far too much coffee, and were almost swinging from the lights with the ‘hit’ of it all. So ordered decaff beans, chemical free, from a nearby  small coffee roasters, Rounton Coffee. The beans arrived quickly, and have an  extraordinarily good flavour. We now mix the beans with our existing full frontal beans and grind them up together. Calm has descended.

I was intrigued to see that the sparkling water decaf beans, with a hint of chocolate, nuts and toffee, were made the clean way, with no chemicals. It made me want to know more about Rounton Coffee, and to thank them for their delivery service.

I found more than I bargained for when poking and prying to find out more for Frost Magazine. Not only is Rounton Coffee an ethical and forward thinking  Roastery, the two guys who created the firm, found a practical way to show their appreciation  of the NHS at this fraught time, above and beyond clapping.

With my mind very much on VE Day and all that our parents and grand-parents did all those  years ago we are witnessing the herculean effort  of our  beloved and heroic NHS as they strive to save lives, 24/7.  Conscious of this Dave Beattie and David Burton, the two doyens who run the business gave thought to how they could help. Well, for goodness sake, CAFFEINE of course. What better way to restore some well being.

Dave and David therefore pledged back in March, before lock down to give free coffee to NHS staff from their two shops in Middlesbrough.

They set to work, with the support of Drew Rowley of React Nutrition, providing free coffee to NHS staff, from their shops. But then, lock down was upon us all. So a re-think was required. But what ..?

Ah ha: got it. What about giving the NHS  staff at Middlesbrough’s James Cook University Hospital a bit of a perk up. So the guys donated a grinder, a brewer and a selection of coffees which would help to provide  a brew.

The next step was to decide what else they could do. Before long another care package made its way to the Friary Community Hospital in Richmond.

Now on a roll, Rounton  Coffee reached out to Falcon Coffees, who are responsible for the sourcing and importing of the majority of the coffees that  Rounton Coffee roasts. Falcon’s Mike Riley, a long-time friend of Rounton Coffee, suggested that they could put together a blend for the NHS, comprised of green coffee donated by Falcon.

The components of the blend were familiar to Rounton: 2 bags from Pedro Gabarra Teixiera (the man behind their Brazilian coffees and who has, with his family gone on to win the title of Brazil’s most sustainable farm, awarded as part of the ‘Fazenda Sustentável’ awards.

 

And 2 bags from Mustefa Abakeno (whose Ethiopian beans Rounton Coffee think the best they have experienced from that region). Falcon’s generous donation meant that they could  now roast enough to make around 20,000 cups of coffee, right on the NHS front line. There was only one choice for the name – Nightingale Coffee.

Now the guys are busy roasting, grinding and distributing as much Nightingale Coffee out as they possibly can.  They’ll be sending it out to local NHS sites like Northallerton’s Friarage Hospital, as well as places like Harrogate’s Nightingale Hospital.

They are currently deciding how to tackle the logistics of their mission. If you can think of any NHS sites that would appreciate some Nightingale Coffee, they’d love to hear from you. Likewise, if you think you might be able to help provide some insight or help in further supporting the NHS, let them know.

As David and Dave said, ‘We are a relatively small team, who will always try to do more than we can physically manage, but that won’t stop us from trying.’  I bet it won’t.

Frost Magazine will be returning to Rounton Coffee in a week or so to explore just how they came to set up in the first place,  and  taking a look at their products, which include some interesting teas.

All in all Rounton Coffee is a place of delights, run and supported by heroes.

Contact them at: info@rountoncoffee.co.uk

Or learn more here.   Details of: React Nutrition   Details of Falcon Coffees

Images courtesy of Rounton Coffee

 

A Ration Book Wedding: review by Natalie Jayne Peeke – West Country Correspondent

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Love, strength, family, friends, grit and determination. All are vital components which will ensure that Great Britain  will not be defeated in the darkest days of the Blitz.

Beautiful Francesca Fabriono is doing her bit for the war in a factory in East London as is Charlie Brogan, who has recently married a woman of questionable reputation before being shipped out to North Africa with the Eighth Army.

When Francesca starts a new job she meets a handsome Count …

I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that the remarkable story is told from several different larger than life characters rather than one point of view. Fullerton gives nothing away and you can not read this amazing book and claim that it is predictable.

A Ration Book Wedding has clearly been well researched and this is reflected. It is so well written that it could be either read as a sequel to the other Ration book stories or as a stand alone book.

World War two books are an absolute favourite of mine as no two are ever the same and are so fascinating, each offering their own little insight into the worst war this country has ever known.

Perfect for fans of Annie Clarke, Milly  Adams and Kristina Hannah.

If you only read one book this year, make sure this is it.

Available in pb, and  eBook

Bird Summons: Light, Lyrical Lockdown Reading

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I’m almost ashamed to say that I had never heard of the multi-award-winning author Leila Aboulela. Bird Summons – her fifth novel – can be described as both Scottish and Muslim fiction; and yet, as a Scottish Muslim who loves to read, she had not been on my radar at all.

What a treat I had in store.

Bird Summons hinges upon a simple enough premise. Three beautifully, realistically flawed Arab-Scottish women embark upon a journey – a pilgrimage, of sorts – to the remote Highlands, ostensibly to visit the grave of Lady Evelyn Cobbold: “the first British woman to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca, to educate themselves about the history of Islam in Britain, to integrate better by following the example of those who were of this soil and of their faith”.

Ostensibly is a good word. Bird Summons is so much than first presents itself. What begins as a nuanced bildungsroman of three immigrant women spanning their forties, thirties and twenties – Salma, Moni and Iman – soon becomes something much more. Into this blend Aboulela seamlessly incorporates ancient folklore stemming from the storytelling traditions of Scotland, India and the Arab world, creating something altogether more enchanting and thoroughly unique. As the threads of the three friends’ lives began to unravel, it was this new thread of allegory and parable that heightened the intrigue for me.

Be prepared: what starts as a story pleasantly grounded in realism, becomes increasingly, thoroughly and enjoyably weird. And yet it never jars. Aboulela makes it easy to embrace the fantastical.

Bird Summons also reads as a sort of love letter to Scotland, and the Highlands in particular. Aboulela’s sympathetic descriptions of the physical landscape her characters traverse certainly evoked a nostalgic, somewhat patriotic twinge for my homeland.

Special thanks to my childhood best friend for gifting me this novel and introducing me to this ‘new’ canon of work. You always promised you’d take me to Stonehaven, and I consider this a promise fulfilled. When they all converged on Dunnottar castle, I thought of you.

Bird Summons, by Leila Aboulela, was published in 2019 by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. It was a Guardian Best Book of 2019; shortlisted for the Saltire Fiction Book of the Year 2019; and longlisted for the Highland Book prize 2019.

Reviewed by Nadia Tariq

 

Easy Ways To Cook Vegetables. How to Get Your 5-a-Day.

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Getting our 5-a-day is hard. Or at least, I have often found it so. It is easy to grab a piece of fruit but eating vegetables requires more effort. At least that is what it feels like sometimes. Since lockdown it has been harder to get some foods. We have had a weekly delivery of fruit and veg. There are a number of companies that do this.

It has set a challenge to use everything up as I refuse to have food waste. This has always been the case but even more so now. I will be sharing tips on the coming weeks but here is what I am doing at the moment.

Every few days I make a a huge salad or a traybake of roasted vegetables. This does as a lunch for a few days and also a side for supper. It is very easy to do. Sure there is a lot of chopping, and my children are usually trying to get my attention, but because you only have to do it every three days it is not that bad.

Salad potatoes can be boiled for 15 minutes. I add rosemary or parsley to them.
potatoes with herbs, cooking vegetables, how to cook potatoes,

Cauliflower can be boiled in 15 minutes. Carrots take 5 minutes. I add as many herbs and spices to the various vegetables as possible. A lot of  fruit and veg boxes come with a bag of fresh herbs. You might also have some in your cupboard. Five spice anyone?

Aubergine can be roasted for 20 minutes in the oven. I tend to add olive oil and salt and pepper. It tastes delicious. You can also pan fry it. Beetroot is great baked in the oven for 45 minutes. You can even bake it whole. Add olive oil and wrap in foil. I tend to cook things at 180. The roast vegetables can be added to the salad and vice versa. I love adding fruit to veg. Oranges go great with aubergine. It is a lot of work cooking and, lets be honest, tedious, but when you make a lot you only have to do it every three days. That is for a family of four.

Eating raw food is great and retains nutrients. I find raw cabbage tastes amazing and has a satisfying texture. I have a large Mason Cash baking bowl which I make a huge salad in. There was one week where we did not get a fruit and veg box and my husband and I really noticed the difference to our health. A plant based diet is the easiest way to great health.

In the evenings and weekends I write in the kitchen while my husband looks after the kids. I am right near the fridge which is not good, but instead of snacking on unhealthy foods I just dip into my huge bowl of salad. Try it, put all of your favourite fruit and veg in a big bowl and pick at it when you are hungry. It will change your life and your health.

Please share any cooking tips or recipes with me. Lots of love and stay safe, Catherine xx.

 

 

The Unknown Health Benefits of Indoor Plants

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Plants can certainly brighten up your living space, but did you know that they can help improve your health too? There are a multitude of different ways that indoor plants can benefit you, both physically and mentally.

Indoor plants can improve the air quality in your home by breaking down compounds from man-made fibres and absorbing nasty chemicals from the air, essentially acting like a natural air filter. They are also highly effective at balancing humidity levels in the home as plants are capable of harvesting moisture from the air and absorbing it.

Having balanced humidity levels is essential for good overall air quality but it also prevents the growth of mould and mildew which are particularly common in damp spaces like the bathroom.

Houseplants have also been proven to help alleviate stress, resulting in reducing blood pressure, fatigue and even headaches. This combined with their air purifying abilities means that houseplants can help with sleep, as they create a fresh and breathable space. Plus, they also look super stylish and can really brighten up your bedroom.

 

wilko’s guide to helpful houseplants, and how to look after them:

Cactus plants

Cacti help to remove carbon dioxide in the air by absorbing it and then supplying us with fresh oxygen to breathe. They are easy to care for as they require very little watering. Miniature cacti look great on a home office desk – perfect for those who like clean, contemporary living spaces.

Snake plants

Snake plants have a lot of character and resemble the skin of a reptile with long, dark green leaves with colourful yellow edges. They survive with little moisture – perfect for those who forget to give it a water! They’re usually quite large in size so would be perfect sat next to French doors or on a large table top.

Succulent plants

Succulents are the perfect companion for your home office and are very on-trend with lots of stylish options to choose from. As a rough guideline, water them every 7-14 days in the warmer months and every 3-4 weeks in winter. Make sure to let the soil dry thoroughly between watering and put them near the window for some time to get extra light.

Peace lily

If the name isn’t calming enough then the plant certainly will be. This plant purifies the air and doesn’t need a lot of light. It does however need adequate watering when the soil is dry so does require some attention but remember, too damp and it won’t flourish!

Fresh flowers

If leafy plants aren’t your thing, or you can’t get hold of any, a nice big bunch of fresh flowers in a stylish vase will do the trick. You can even look for pretty foliage and flowers from your own garden – wild flowers and lavender also produce a beautiful smell throughout the home, perfect for creating a calm, relaxed ambience.

Indoor herb garden

If you want to kill two birds with one stone, then an indoor herb garden is just the thing. Not only will the process of growing the herbs purify the air, but the end result should provide you with tasty herbs for dinner! Not to mention, growing your own herbs is a great hobby that can bring the family together. To create your own mini indoor herb garden, all you’ll need is some small plant pots, compost and seeds. Herbs thrive best when soil is moist, but not soggy. A great tip is to use separate pots for each type of herb – this means you can care for each plant individually and top up any that may need more water than others.

Peter Hardie, garden buyer at wilko, said: “Indoor plants and herb gardens are a great way to inject a touch of nature into the home, particularly as they have been proven to benefit our physical and mental health. Not only can we accessorise our homes with trendy plants and pots, we can also create a breathable and non-toxic environment in our homes, just by adding a few plants around the house.

“We recommend choosing pots and planters to suit your interior style, but bold colours and fun prints are really on-trend at the minute, and can be a great way to accentuate mantlepieces, balconies or windowsills.”

 

For more information on wilko’s garden and outdoor living range, please visit wilko.com.

 

 

Read An Extract From Adele Parks New Book Just My Luck

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Just My Luck, Adele Parks, extract , review

Lexi

Saturday, 20th April

I can’t face going straight home to Jake. I’m not ready to deal with this. I need to try to process it frst. But how? Where do I start? I have no idea. The blankness in my mind terrifes me. I always know what to do. I always have a solution, a way of tackling something, giving it a happy spin. I’m Lexi Greenwood, the woman everyone knows of as the fxer, the smiler (some might even slightly snidely call me a do-gooder). Lexi Greenwood, wife, mother, friend.
You think you know someone. But you don’t know anyone, not really. You never can.
I need a drink. I drive to our local. Sod it, I’ll leave the car at the pub and walk home, pick it up in the morning. I order a glass of red wine, a large one, then I look for a seat tucked away in the corner where I can down my drink alone. It’s Easter weekend, and a rare hot one. The place is packed. As I thread my way through the heaving bar, a number of neighbours raise a glass, gesturing to me to join them; they ask after the kids and Jake. Everyone else in the pub seems celebratory, buoyant. I feel detached. Lost. That’s the thing about living in a small village, you recognise everyone. Sometimes that reassures me, sometimes it’s inconvenient. I politely and apologetically defect their friendly overtures and continue in my search for a solitary spot. Saturday vibes are all around me, but I feel nothing other than stunned, stressed, isolated.You think you know someone.
What does this mean for our group? Our frimily. Friends that are like family. What a joke. Blatantly, we’re not friends anymore. I’ve been trying to hide from the facts for some time, hoping there was a misunderstanding, an explanation; nothing can explain away this.
I told Jake I’d only be a short while; I should text him to say I’ll be longer. I reach for my phone and realise in my haste to leave the house, I haven’t brought it with me. Jake will be wondering where I am; I don’t care. I down my wine. The acidity hits my throat, a shock and a relief at once. Then I go to the bar to order a second.
The local pub is only a ten-minute walk away from our home but by the time I attempt the walk back, the red wine had taken effect. Unfortunately, I am feeling the sort of drunk that nurtures paranoia and fury, rather than a light head or heart. What can I do to right this wrong? I have to do something. I can’t carry on as normal, pretending I know nothing of it. Can I?
As I approach home, I see Jake at the window, peering out.I barely recognise him. He looks taut, tense. On spotting me, he runs to fing open the front door.
‘Lexi, Lexi, quickly come in here,’ he hiss-whispers, clearly agitated. ‘Where have you been? Why didn’t you take your phone? I’ve been calling you. I needed to get hold of you.’
What now? My frst thoughts turn to our son. ‘Is it Logan? Has he hurt himself?’ I ask anxiously. I’m already teetering on the edge; my head quickly goes to a dark place. Split skulls, broken bones. A dash to A&E isn’t unheard of; thirteen-year-old Logan has daredevil tendencies and the sort of mentality that thinks shimmying down a drainpipe is a reasonable way to exit his bedroom in order to go outside and kick a football about. My ffteen-year-old daughter, Emily, rarely causes me a moment’s concern.
‘No, no, he’s fne. Both the kids are in their rooms. It’s… Look, come inside, I can’t tell you out here.’ Jake is practically bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. I can’t read him. My head is too fuzzy with wine and full of rage and disgust. I resent Jake for causing more drama, although he has no idea what shit I’m deal- ing with. I’ve never seen him quite this way before. If I touched him, I might get an electric shock; he oozes a dangerous energy. I follow my husband into the house. He is hurrying, urging me to speed up. I slow down, deliberately obtuse. In the hallway he turns to me, takes a deep breath, runs his hands through his hair but won’t, can’t, meet my eyes. For a crazy moment I think he is about to confess to having an affair. ‘OK, just tell me, did you buy a lottery ticket this week?’ he asks.
‘Yes.’ I have bought a lottery ticket every week of my life for the last ffteen years. Despite all the bother last week, I have stuck to my habit.
Jake takes in another deep breath, sucking all the oxygen from the hallway. ‘OK, and did you—’ he breaks off, fnally drags his eyes to meet mine. I’m not sure what I see in his gaze, an almost painful longing, fear and panic. Yet at the same time there is hope there too. ‘Did you pick the usual numbers?’
‘Yes.’
His jaw is still set tight. ‘You have the ticket?’ ‘Yes.’
‘You’re sure?’
‘Yes, it’s pinned on the noticeboard in the kitchen. Why?
What’s going on?’
‘Fuck.’ Jake lets out a breath that has the power of a storm. He falls back against the hall wall for a second and then he rallies, grabs my hand and pulls me into the room that was designed to be a dining room but has ended up being a sort of study slash dumping ground. A place where the children sometimes do their homework, I tackle paying the household bills, and towering piles of ironing, punctured footballs and old trainers hide out. Jake sits down in front of the computer and starts to quickly open various tabs.
‘I wasn’t sure that we even had a ticket, but when you were late back and the flm I was watching had fnished, I couldn’t resist checking. I don’t know why. Habit, I suppose. And look.’ ‘What?’ I can’t quite work out what he’s on about, it might be the wine, it might be because my head is still full of betrayal and deceit, but I can’t seem to climb into his moment. I turn to the screen. The lottery website. Brash and loud. A clash of bright
colours and fonts. 1, 8, 20, 29, 49, 58. The numbers glare at me from the com- puter. Numbers I am so familiar with. Yet they seem peculiar and unbelievable.
‘I don’t understand. Is this a joke?’
‘No, Lexi. No! It’s for real. We’ve only gone and won the bloody lottery!’

Just My Luck by Adele Parks is published by HQ, HarperCollins in hardback, eBook and audiobook, and is available to buy here.

#OperaHarmony set to release exciting micro-operitas from May via YouTube

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image courtesy of Nick Rutter

Music, perhaps in particular Opera, brings solace  and  realizing this #OperaHarmony has brought together 19 groups, set to release exciting micro-operitas from May via YouTube, reflecting how creativity can still flourish in these uncertain times.

Image courtesy of Nick Rutter
Singers including international sopranos Anne-Sophie Duprels, Rebecca Bottone and Jennifer Clark and bass-baritone Cody Quattlebaum have joined forces with directors Mary Birnbaum and Candace Evans and composers Ken Steen and Joel Rust to bring to life this incredible idea from Ella Marchment.
image courtesy of Nick Rutter
The first micro-operita will be released on Friday 15th May via Youtube.  Settle down, perhaps a glass of wine, a few nibbles, and be transported.