Isn’t it just the perfect weather to indulge yourself and curl up on the sofa with a saga? The wind is howling away outside, rattling at the widows and what better way to spend the dark evenings than with a book to transport you to other times, other places. Here are three that might just be what you’re looking for:

 The Tuppenny Child by Glenda Young

‘She’s not worth more than tuppence, that child!’

Those are the words that haunt seventeen-year-old Sadie Linthorpe. Orphaned when her parents die of the Spanish Flu, Sadie is taken in by Freda McIntyre and her son Mick. Neglected and abused Sadie finds herself pregnant. Sadie is distraught when the child is forcibly taken from her at birth and sold on by the grandmother. The only clue that Sadie has to her whereabouts is that she has been taken to Ryhope. What marks the child out is a small port wine birthmark that resembles a ladybird.

And so the search for her child begins.

But when a visitor from her past appears – one who could jeopardise the life she’s beginning to build and ruin her chances of finding her beloved child for ever.

Another heart-warming saga from the author of Belle of the Backstreets. Warm-hearted characters on every page and a fine attention to period detail sweep you away with Sadie as she sets out to find her child.

Headline Paperback £6.99. Also available in ebook and audio.

The Girls from Greenway by Elizabeth Woodcraft

 Angie Smith lives in Greenway, Chelmsford with her elder sister Doreen, her mother, and her drunk, violent father. Life is dull and boring and Angie dreams of bigger and better things.

Out shopping on Christmas Eve, Angie goes into a boutique and there meets the owner, Gene Battini, a charming older man who sweeps her off her feet. Unfortunately, Gene is married – and to complicate matters, Doreen is falling for Gene too.

As life at home goes from bad to worse the girls have to decide whether their choices will force them apart – or bring them closer than ever.

An evocative and nostalgic saga set in the 60s that brings to life the music and fashion of the time. Can you remember the Mods and Rockers, the Ban the Bomb marches?  If so you’ll really enjoy this trip back in time.

Zaffre Paperback £6.99. Also available in eBook and audio

The Orphans of Bell Lane by Ruthie Lewis

London 1860s
When Rosa and her younger sister, Gracie are orphaned, they vow to stick together. Life is hard and people are cruel in the workhouse and Rosa does her best to protect Gracie from the dangers and bullies that confront them.

So when Grace is suddenly faced with a world without Rosa, she is forced to make difficult decisions. Can she walk away from everything she has built to protect the children Rosa has left behind?

Returning to the gang-ruled streets of south-east London, Grace is determined to build a better future for herself and for the children of Bell Lane – no matter what the cost.

The first book in the new The Ragged School series. A powerful story of triumph over adversity.

Zaffre Paperback £7.99. Also available in eBook

As a self-confessed foodie I thoroughly enjoy attending the local food and drink festival that are held in my local high street twice a year once in May and again October. Hundreds of sellers from around the country line the streets with their divine food and drinks, many offering samples of their products. Many sellers appear year after year but more often than not they have new products to try.

It is free event to attend and fun for all the family, there is face painting, cook school even punch and Judy along with bustlers who fill the aromatic air with their musical skills. The organisers keep prices low for producers so that smaller businesses and artisans can trade as well as more established producers.

The festivals encourage buyers to support smaller businesses by buying local, with the festivals situated in the high street local shops also benefit from the increase of footfall.

I have many favourite producers that I buy from time after time and these some include;

Leaf and petal loose tea

Hullabaloos natural lemonade

Cocoa’s handmade chocolate

Hudnott’s spirits.

Many of the vendors are extremely knowledgeable of their product and happily advise what to eat or drink them with as well as offering samples of what they sell. Whilst I visited the Hudnott’s stand I sampled every single spirit that was on offer and this was no big ask for the lovely lady behind the stall and she was most amused when I then explained how I couldn’t possibly just choose one to buy, so stepped away with three bottles.

The Eat: Food and drink festivals visit several towns throughout the West country including Nailsea, Minehead, Portishead, Taunton, Weston Super Mare and of course Burnham on sea. Every festival attracts ample amounts of visitors and is a great day out.

As a frequent visitor I advise that you take a strong a sturdy backpack, wear comfortable shoes and don’t be afraid to try new things.

Freeze wrapping paper

In the spirit of Christmas, Michael Rowan discovers some gifts that really do go on giving, thanks to Arthouse Unlimited a charity that presents the artistic talents of adults with learning and physical difficulties, needing varying levels of support; and where 100% of the retail revenue goes towards supporting the charity helping it to grow and evolve.  

Sometimes the stars align and a great idea is born. This could not be truer than in the case of Arthouse Unlimited

This is the brainchild of Becky Sheraidah, herself an artist who was keen to enable social inclusion for those susceptible to exclusion from the arts.

Arthouse Unlimited is a group of artists working alongside people with disability to produce a range of products ideal for Christmas gifts; stocking fillers or a gift at any time of the year.

Artist Elanor Sinden

Be quite clear these pieces are truly art and represent good value for money.

Best of all not only will you have the knowledge that you have bought an interesting gift but you will also be supporting a great initiative.

cards

I am loving the Lady Muck Range which includes Body Scrub with Bergamot and Lavender and retails for £20.00. Or try the Angels of the Deep with the life affirming motto ‘You’re splendid’ and who amongst us doesn’t need to be told that once in a while? This is a smooth scent with natural balmy, heady notes of Lavender and an airy citrus overtone.

Dark Honeycomb Bar

For those of us with a sweet tooth, try the Underwater Handmade Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Crispy Crunch which is handcrafted in the UK by a specialist chocolatier using cocoa beans from the Dominican Republic, this chocolate is an indulgent treat for the taste buds. This chocolate features artwork created by a collaboration of ARTHOUSE Unlimited artists. https://arthouseunlimited.org/shop/underwater-handmade-dark-chocolate-with-sea-salt-and-crispy-crunch/

Organic Plant Wax candles in a fabulous range of scents and an even more fabulous artwork. Price £16.00. https://arthouseunlimited.org/product-category/home-fragrance/candles/

In and of themselves, similar items may be sourced elsewhere, but not so the art work, which is in turn, beautiful, quirky and witty. Guaranteed to be the sort of packaging that you won’t mind hanging around the house until well into the New Year.

Order online at ARTHOUSEUNLIMITED.ORG

If you look carefully at the photograph you will doubtless observe the artfully half opened box displaying six of the eight vegan friendly alcoholic cocktail sweets, but I really wouldn’t want you to think that I had already eaten two, before remembering that I was meant to be photographing them first.

Similarly, the photograph of the sweets with two empty wrappers is purely done for artistic effect, rather than me having tried one, not been able to resist a second.

Before I knew it, I had sampled that first delicious sweet, an Amaretto Sour since you ask, followed by the Prosecco Mandarin Spritz.

The striking red and white candy-striped packaging and pull out black drawer gives this a sophisticated look that makes it a perfect gift or stocking filler and retails at £15.00.

Perfect for brightening those long train journeys and I can imagine them being a very good start to a Hen Party.

Fear not if you are unlikely to find yourself on a train or attending a Hen Party, just curl up in front of the fire watching your favourite film, but make sure that the box of ‘Eat Your Drink’ is within reach.

The sweets consist of smooth jellies sprinkled lightly with sugar and delivering an alcohol kick. These award-winning gummies are made from fresh fruit, herbs and real premium spirits that impart and adult kick of 7% ABV, the equivalent of half a shot per sweet.

The four flavours (two sweets of each) are the Prosecco Mandarin Spritz, Amaretto Sour, Cherry Hibiscus and Bramble Gin and Mocha Espresso Vodka Martini.

Because of my dedication to Frost Magazine I forced myself to sample each flavour and thoroughly enjoyed them all. However, special mention must go to the Mocha Espresso Vodka Martini which manages to balance each flavour so that nothing is overwhelmed by the Vodka.

This is just so cute.  A jolly coloured three-armed octopus-spinner which sticks to the bath tub or tiles and twirls round.  The spinner has a friendly orange octopus body in the centre. There’s a twirly sun which spins within one of the arms, and two happy chappies – pink and green, smiling and winking at you from the other two arms. The happy chappies are hollow and can be filled with water, turned upside down to empty the water, or spun around if your child wants to make a big splash. Of course they can spin the whole toy around too, with water flying even further.

The colours are eye-catching and the friendly faces endearing. This is great to occupy a child from around a year through to pre-school – good simple bath fun.

I love this toy  – maybe a bit too much.

RSP £12.99  Stockists include; Smyths, The Entertainer, Amazon, Independents, Hamleys, Shop Direct and John Lewis

By Dr K Thompson, 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.

It is one of the events that I look forward to every year and have done so since my family moved to the area in 2002. The Bridgwater carnival is a stunning display of many floats strewn with choreographed dancers and hundreds of bright lightbulbs. Each float has its own unique theme, music and dance routines. Themes vary from ‘Frozen’ to Father Christmas and each float has a different theme year after year.

Bystanders will wait for hours just to get a front row seat of the stunning events. Each year around 150,000 people flock to the streets of Bridgwater, Weston Super Mare, Burnham on sea, North Petherton, Shepton Mallet, Wells and Glastonbury to watch in awe and to help raise money for a variety of different charities.

The Bridgwater Carnival first updated in 1881 and was originally lit by lamps; electric lights were first introduced in 1913. Bridgwater carnival now entails of a display of over 40 large vehicles up to 100 feet long, festooned with dancers and up to 22,000 lightbulbs that follows a 2.5-mile route over two to three hours.

The carnival’s purpose is to raise money for local charities from money collection carts in the procession. Between 2003 and 2007, around £115,000  has been raised.

A carnival concert takes place in the weeks leading up to the carnival. At these concerts, carnival clubs perform on stage wearing their costumes and using pieces of scenery taken from their carts. The carnival concert has become a highly popular attraction in recent years, with tickets to see the event in a Bridgwater hall selling out very fast.

The carnival typically visits Burnham on Sea on the first Monday of November following an annual firework display on the seafront the evening prior. It is a event that is enjoyed by families both locally and those that have travelled to watch the carnival.

I can highly recommend it, however I will suggest that you wrap up warm, take lots of spare change and a slither of patience which is made completely worthwhile. Each year the procession is stunning and never ever repetitive.

Do you have a special little person to buy for? Well check out JoJo Maman Bébé. They make beautiful, quality products, which are also eco-friendly.  The baby clothes are delightful beautifully-made, classical designs – I just love that smocking – a touch of the young princes and princess maybe? Many of their lovely toys are made of wood – from sustainable sources. Table Top Kitchens, Doctor Patient Playsets and Plant and Pick Veggie Patch sets stimulate your little one’s imagination and look so attractive.

And if you are looking for children-orientated furniture and accessories – or just stuff for the young at heart, check out the Great Little Trading Company for some lovely beds, bookcases, toy boxes and much more, including some fabulous toys with an old-fashioned, wooden feel, such as the Star Beans Coffee Shop and the Willow Toy Farm.

But what about for you?  Well how about the travel bags from Gate 8?  Different options take into account the cabin-restrictions of major airlines whilst ingenious designs maximise convenience.  For example, the 2-in-1 bag is a single bag when you take it on board, but then splits into a smaller and larger one when needed. The bags can be personalised with embroidered initials, name or logo to make a super gift.

By Dr K Thompson, 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