Five Instagram Accounts I Love

Despite its faults, and the changes, I'm still in love with this little app. I've connected with a wonderful range of people and communities on there and I always look forward to seeing what is happening in their beautiful photographs. This morning my own account ticked over to 7000 followers. I know if you aren't into social media or fussed about followers you can be thinking, yeah - whatever.

However. I think I've always been quite honest in that I'm intentionally building a social media platform. I think it's important, as a writer, that I have a following, that I have people out there in the world who genuinely enjoy my writing and what I have to say. Not only does this build my confidence, which then allows me to be braver with my writing, but I'm hoping it'll make me more attractive to publishers.

Perhaps, most importantly, though, it allows me to chat and connect with other people, in what can be a solitary profession.

Because of this I wanted to highlight some of my favourites on instagram. I think these accounts reflect my tastes brilliantly.

1.Penguin in the post

Verity has such a gorgeous account. I look forward to seeing her beautiful books every day.

2. Niki at the Cottage

I've been following Niki for ages and ages. Not only are Niki's photos beautiful but she is perhaps one of the most supportive people I've met on instagram.

3. My Chaos and Coffee

Look at that pig on the top right. That gorgeous beast is probably one of my most favourite Instagram photos - ever!

4. Alice Draws the Line

I found Alice earlier this year. I became fascinated and mesmerised by her beautiful nature drawings. She sells her work on etsy and I've already purchased two of her notebooks.

5. Wellies and Love

Wellies and love manages to capture everything I love about the countryside.

Who are your favourites?

The start of a major edit

One of the most frustrating parts of being ill with the flu is not being able to write or create. (Or eat, or go outside...but mainly the not writing.) All you can do is lie in bed and think; too weak to read, eyes too tired or sore to watch anything, not wanting to sleep again. You think of everything you want to write. Of ideas for blog posts, for possible vlogs and how to arrange the editorial calendar in your new job. If you're anything like me you sketch it all out in your head, get incredibly excited then frustrated again, and end up not being able to sleep anyway.

So in the last, (ooh, has it really been) five days, of enforced rest, I've been thinking about what my priorities are. Because as well as worrying about my writing I've also been thinking of all the others things I'm not doing whilst lying in bed. Getting the garden ready for winter, cleaning out the chickens, finishing off the bedroom sort-out I was part way through when I was struck down, finding my daughter's piano books I accidentally put in a safe place, making sure my son finishes his homework..

Yes, my brain has not had any rest the poor thing.

And it occurred to me that it was time. Time for me to start editing my novel. I alluded to bad news in this post and, although it isn't catastrophic and could actually work out for the best, it did stop me in my tracks for a while. Because it was related to writing my novel.

But I've had enough of sulking now. The time is right to get on with it because I know I can do this.

In an interview I did with Katy Colins over on Novelicious she mentioned setting herself deadlines gave her the impetus to get things done. I'm absolutely rubbish with self imposed deadlines. So I need another stick or carrot to drive me forward.

That's when I decided to record my writing process. I've fallen in love with making films during the course of this year. So why not record myself writing my book? Who knows, I might even show my face on it and, you know, speak. Though a) I need to get over the flu first and b) need a good foundation to calm my rather weather-beaten face.

Anyway, this is my first mini-film of the very start of a very big structural edit of my novel.

Hibernating with Pear & Ginger Traybake

It's Sunday. I've been sat on my settee since about 3pm this afternoon. The fire is roaring, we've had hot chocolate with squirty cream and next to me is a few leftover slices of pear and ginger traybake. It is utter, utter bliss.

The urge to hibernate is becoming more powerful as I become increasingly aware of the seasons. As we approach Halloween, as the evenings become darker, as we're forced to do less outside, as the rain comes and the wind begins to howl down the chimney, I finally allow myself to relax. On a Sunday I have the need to be in front of the fire early in the afternoon covering my legs with a blanket; surrounding myself with books and notebooks.

Next to me on the table is an assortment of books and magazines reflecting the time of year. Right now it includes books on hygge as well as Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie. I like to tie in my reading with the yearly celebrations. Mind you, I can't do ghost stories. But I adore a classic murder mystery. If I'm lucky there might be a re-run of Miss Marple on the TV, too, based around an old manor house surrounded by trees and the forbidding darkness. (There is always a female fox crying out in murder mysteries, which always gives me the chills.)

The pear and ginger traybake recipe below is a British take on Halloween from Bettys who have asked me what my halloween traditions are. And our halloween traditions are, simply, cosying up as a family. We carve pumpkins, we place them by the fire, we bake, draw the curtains, lock the doors, maybe get out the Monopoly and hibernate. My son has asked to watch a spooky programme on the television this year, too, so that should be fun...

Recipe for Pear & Ginger traybake (ever so slightly adapted from the original by Bettys).

Ingredients

• 200g butter, softened
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g dark soft brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cardamom pods, seeds removed and crushed
• 1 cm stem ginger, grated
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 pears, ripe, cut into 1cm squares
• 2 eggs
• 120mls milk
• 200g self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• (To decorate) 50g white chocolate

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees fan.
2. Prepare a 20-25cm baking tin, at least 3cm deep, by lining with baking parchment.
3. In a bowl mix the butter, sugars, vanilla and cardamom.
4. Add the grated and ground ginger, plus the diced pears.
5. Stir in the eggs and milk then the flour and baking powder.
6. Once well combined spread out in the baking tin and place in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
7. It is done once golden and if it springs back when you press it lightly with your finger.
8. Allow to cool slightly then remove from the tin and place on a wire cooling rack.
9. Melt the chocolate (either in the microwave or over a pan of hot water) and create a spider's web on top.
10. Cut into squares and serve.

This blog post and recipe is in conjunction with Bettys and their British Take on Halloween campaign. As ever, though, all words, thoughts and pictures are my own.

My Stories || The Field Maple

After the first winter of living in this house I knew a windbreak of trees was absolutely necessary. For months a breath-sucking, bone-tingling north/north-easterly wind had sped over the farmer's field and hit our house, along with the chicken area, at full force. It was soul-sappingly bitter.

Spring broke through for a while. We were joyous. I love winter, but after months of that wind, a cold wind that had started in late autumn, I was ready to feel some spring sunshine on my face. Underneath bright blue skies we introduced some new chickens to our flock. They were about fifteen weeks old. Ready for the outside world. Ready for their forever home.

But then winter decided it hadn't finished with us. That aggressive wind came back. And sadly one of those new chickens was just not hardy enough.

Needs must. I started to research trees. I knew absolutely nothing about them. I could probably point out a horse chestnut but that was my limit. What I did know, however, was that I wanted a tree with leaves that transformed from green to red to yellow throughout the autumn months, before falling gently to the ground.

After some reading about the subject I also knew I wanted a mixture of evergreen and deciduous with the majority of the trees we planted to be native to the UK.

The Field Maple has leaves that turn red. It is also the UK's only native maple.

I bought many trees in my first tree project purchase. And the Field Maple was one of them. It now stands proudly at the bottom of the field, in direct eye line from the house. The leaves are just changing from green to red.

***

My Chicken Story Stories is snippets of my thoughts as I pull together the first draft of my memoir.

Bookish-Love: October

Oh there is nothing more lovely than sitting down on your favourite settee, pulling a cosy blanket around your shoulders (making sure you're feet aren't poking out) and reading a book in the flickering fire light. October, for me, has been all about books. Writing one, reading them, and writing about them. Novelicious.com, a website I've written for for a number of years about books and food, is coming back, after a few months offline, with me as editor. I am overjoyed and very excited.

So, with busy days at my computer, in the evenings I'm trying to spend a bit of time reading for the complete pleasure of it. Of being cosy, of being with my family, and immersing myself in the words of someone else.

So these are my October reads. Some I'm reading cover to cover. Some I'm dipping in and out of.

A Poem for Every Night of The Year - I received this as a birthday gift. From the front cover, to opening it and hearing that crack of the spine, to reading yesterday's poem last night for my birthday to my husband and children. I am in love.

Midwinter by Fiona Melrose - this has been sent to me by the publisher for review on the Novelicious website. It is utterly gorgeous. The cover, the feel, and the premise. It is about Suffolk farmers:  father and son, Landyn and Vale, who struggle with guilt, blame and lost opportunities.

My Life in Houses by Margaret Forster - I wrote about this in my September newsletter. Then, funnily enough, it arrived as a birthday present. It looks at the meaning of home through the houses the author has lived in.

The Book of Hygge by Louisa Thomsen Brits - this is a beautiful book that looks at the simple pleasures in life. I keep dipping in and out of this one.

Hygge by Charlotte Abrahams - again a gorgeous hardback book. I received this one from the publisher and am finding it fascinating. The author is weaving in the Danish art and history of hygge with her own attempts to embrace it.

Norwegian Wood by Lars Mytting - who'd have thought a book about chopping and stacking wood could become a bestseller? I was loading up our woodstore at the weekend which made me think about this book, which I bought for my husband last Christmas. With a slightly sore back, and a few bashed fingers, I sipped my coffee and recovered, immersing myself in the words. It's a stunner.

Autumn: An anthology by Melissa Harrison - again this is one I'm dipping in and out of. It is a lovely anthology of autumnal prose and poetry.  It is one of four. The winter one is being published soon.

Rhapsody in Green by Charlotte Mendelson - I am simply adoring this beautiful book. With gorgeous illustrations on the outside and in, this is the story of how Charlotte created a garden in six square metres of grotty urban soil. Can I just say I bought this on the strength of the cover alone. But the inside is just as stunning.

For more book recommendations, links to inspiring or interesting articles, and lots more, subscribe to my monthly newsletter. The October newsletter will arrive on Sunday 16th October.

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