Let It Snow by Sue Moorcroft

Trundling through a whitening landscape the minibus coped without missing a beat and the singing began again, this time their favourite: "Let it snow". Lily joined in. It was good to open up her throat with a jolly winter song and wash away any lingering bad feelings... The white flakes danced and tumbled around them, magically creating fluffy blankets on fields and roofs.

Festive book releases at this time of the year are plentiful, how to decide what to pick?
It depends on what you enjoy the most. I do love a good mix of Christmas crime and Christmas romance (not at the same time, I hasten to add).
I enjoy looking at the jolly festive covers, often glittery and colourful, or creepy and atmospheric, depending on the genre.
For my Christmas reading, I bought two romance and three crime paperbacks.

Let It Snow by Sue Moorcroft is a heart-warming read, and a perfect escape from the seasonal panic. It's a story of secrets revealed, family bonds being tested and a romance unfolding along the travel adventures.

Lily Cortez is very protective of her family. She grew up with two mothers - Roma (a freelance photographer) and Patsie (a lawyer), and her sister Zinnia. For many years they were a tight unit, and couldn't have been closer.
But a secret from the past makes a big crack in the unit.
As it happens, Lily's father, who she knew nothing about, just died - she wasn't a one-night stand as Lily was made to believe. Her mother had an affair with a married man, who never knew she was only in the relationship to get pregnant.

Lily is in a turmoil. She feels betrayed. "It's just tough to find my father and lose him in the same instant". Determined to find out more about her late father, Lily discovers she has two half-brothers, one of them the landlord of The Three Fishes pub in a village called Middledip.

Fast forward two years, and Lily is working at The Three Fishes, keeping her identity from Tubb, her half-brother, who left the pub for Switzerland to be closer to his family as well as recuperate from the heart attack. His health doesn't allow him to work, and the pub is left in hands of a newcomer, Isaac.

Handsome Isaac lost his own restaurant, through not his own fault.
His highfalutin girlfriend who left him after his business collapsed, suddenly re-appears in his life and asks him to look after their dog Doggo. Isaac, who missed their dog more than he missed his ex, immediately agrees. Isaac is drawn to Lily, but he has a conduct code not to get involved with his co-workers. Yet Lily is uber-attractive.

Lily is planning to go to Switzerland for Christmas with her singing group the Middletones. Lily's part-time job at the pub is supporting her other ambition, to be an exhibition designer. She has designed the stands for British Country Foods at the Christmas food show in Switzerland. The Middletones are going over to sing at the events and "lend an air of Britishness to things".

Everything is set. That is until Lily's immature and rather unpleasant sister Zinnia storms into The Three Fishes, raging at some imagined crimes committed by Lily. In the ensuing argument, an accident happens which takes Lily to A&E. The worst part is - the trip to Switzerland is now looking doomed. Lily cannot drive the bus with the singing group across Europe.

And who comes to the rescue but Isaac?!

It's a festive book, so you rather expect it to have a warm romance. Along the main love story, there are several sub-plots and different love developments (from teenagers to mature lovers).

Sue Moorcoft has a talent of creating a background scene in a sentence or two. An atmospheric landscape is sketched out of a few precise lines.
It was the same with the sea scenes in A Summer to Remember (set in Norfolk), when you could immediately smell the sea and hear the waves.

She conjures up the snowy landscapes of Switzerland with a few masterful strokes, like:
"They drove towards black-and-white peaks that wore clouds around their heads like scarves." (such a poetic description)

"...pausing to catch his breath, shading his eyes to look back over the snow plain punctuated with lines of dark jagged conifers, snowy peaks rising up behind. they were so clear that Lily felt as if she could reach out and touch them..." (a vivid scene which reminded me of our very long winter in Massachussetts, on the border with Vermont)

"She thought of the snow in Switzerland on the day they'd left, filling the air as if it couldn't wait to erase all the colour in the world." (and again, so true, like the snowdrifts of Russia, this immense whiteness which erases all the other colours)

It so happened that I was reading this book, when I felt quite low. I've mentioned already on my blog that for family reasons, we are spending the coming Christmas, split in pairs. I will stay at home with our elder son, while my younger child will travel to Italy with his father to stay at the grandparents' house. It feels me with gloom and even despair. This book allowed me to escape in a world of snowy romance. It is like a big warm hug in a time of sadness.

I'm not a dog person (we always had cats when I was growing up), but you cannot but fall in love with Doggo, who's boisterous, silly and endearing.

Evocative snowy landscapes, a beautiful romance story, second chances, tasty food galore and an adorable dog - Let It Snow by Sue Moorcroft is a marvellous festive read.

Cosy up with a book this Christmas - pull the duvet tight around you, get a cup of something hot, be it tea or cocoa, maybe a box of your favourite chocolates by your side, and enjoy a festive story!

Winter Warmers & Festive Degustabox

It's the most wonderful hectic time of the year. The posties work hard, carrying parcels and packets, and Degustabox subscribers welcome the latest box of surprises.

This monthly food and drink subscription box is an excellent way to discover products which have only just appeared in the shops, or those which might have been around for a while, but you haven't had a chance to try them yet.
Thanks to Degustabox, I have found new favourites to add to our shopping list, including some products which I probably wouldn't have tried otherwise.

Each time the monthly box arrives, it's a total surprise. You get a good selection of foods and drinks. If you haven't tried Degustabox subscription box yet and would like to have a go, I have a whopping £7 off discount from your first box (and you can unsubscribe any time) - just use a code 8EVI8 when you place an order.

What did we receive in the Winter Warmers & Festive Degustabox? Let's have a look.

While it doesn't scream Christmas to me, there are a few things which could be pronounced winter warmers and festive, including snacks which could be served as nibbles at the parties.

Real Handful Blackcurrant Blast/Strawberry Stomp Fruit, Nut & Seed Trail Mix (£2) is a blend of dried fruit, nuts and seeds, infused with natural flavours.
Subscribers receive one of two flavours.
Strawberry mix included a blend of strawberry infused raisins, almonds, dried strawberries, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and jumbo flame raisins.
Top up a bowl of hot porridge, or just snack, watching the TV.

Eddie and I made a quick job of it, he ate most of the dried fruit, while I enjoyed almonds and seeds.

Blackcurrant Blast is a mix of dried blackcurrants, almonds, apple infused raisins, sunflower seeds, dried sliced apple and jumbo flame raisins.
Both blends are a good source of protein and fibre.

POP crunchy peanut bar with dark chocolate (£1.49) is a lovely treat for fans of peanuts. Peanuts are super healthy (unless you're allergic to nuts, of course), are kinder on the planet and a good source of protein. This bar contains 40% less sugar than similar brands.
Nutritional information: 6.6g sugar and 209kcl per 40g bar.
We received a Peanut bar, but you can also find it in Coconut, and Raisin & Dark chocolate flavours.

Cheeky Monkey Peanut Butter Puffs (£2.29) are organic, gluten free vegan snacks made with peanut butter and corn. They are so moreish, that even your non-vegan guests or family members will be reaching for a bowl of these snacks for more.
Other credentials worth mentioning - they are GMO free, kosher certified, soy free, a source of protein, not fried and have no milk or casein and no added sugar, and they are truly tasty.

I might have eaten most of the bag myself.

Mr Lees Noodles (£2.50) are gluten free rice noodles, made with premium ingredients. Subscribers will receive one of the flavours, while the bloggers get two for reviewing. Each pot is an easy and quick meal for one, or add them to a stir fry and share with your family.
These noodles are crafted to authentic recipes.

For example, Mr Lees Noodles Coconut Chicken Laksa is a cup of fragrant chicken curry rice noodles with coconut, cauliflower, green beans and turmeric.
Nutritional information: no palm oil, 274 kcal, low sugar, gluten free.
Mr Lees Noodles come in recyclable containers (plastic and card sleeve separately).

Mr Lees Noodles Zen Garden Vegetables is a vegan meal of miso rice noodles with asparagus, green beans, spinach and ginger. It comes at 208kcal per cup.

Available from Asda Free From and Holland & Barrett. Use code DEGUSTABOX20 for 20% off on www.mrleesnoodles.com/uk

Rebel Kitchen Dairy Free Organic Chocolate Hazelnut Mylk (£1.60) is a creamy 100% dairy free, plant-based drink. Ingredients include date nectar, coconut cream, hazelnut, cacao, cashew, Himalayan salt.
Nutritional information: no refined sugar, no emulsifiers or stabilisers, gluten free, organic, 73kcal per 100ml.

Subscribers who opted for an alcohol box option, would receive a bottle of Woodstar (£4). It's a crafted low alcohol drink, produced to replace wine. Crafted using acai berries and other fruit, botanicals and a touch of cocoa, it's only 1% ABV.
Available from Fortnum & Mason and Sainsbury's (from January).

Double Dutch premium mixers - Cucumber & Watermelon/Cranberry & Ginger Tonic Water (75p per can or £4.15 for a pack of 8 cans) - will be handy for seasonal parties, as a tonic part of cocktails, or even drinking on their own.
We received two flavours, with the calorie count of 21 and 33kcal each.
Ingredients include: carbonated water, sugar, natural flavourings, quinine or citric acid.
Double Dutch are an award winning range of all natural premium tonics, founded by Dutch twins Joyce and Raissa de Haas. The name of the brand sounded familiar, I did a quick search on my blog, and found that we had indeed one of the Double Dutch premium soft drinks in Degustabox over two years ago.

Cranberry & Ginger Tonic Water was perfect with a rhubarb gin.

Food Thoughts Cacao Melts (£2.99) are fine dark chocolate discs, made from the best single origin Colombian Fino de Aroma bean varieties, known for their exquisite and intense flavour.
This product is found in the non-alcohol version of the box.
These chocolate discs are perfect for baking, melting, drizzling and decorating.
To give you an idea on what to do with cacao melts, how about delicious Mini Baileys Chocolate Tarts (recipe found on their website, just click on the link).

Used by chefs in professional kitchens these fine dark chocolate discs are shaped so they can be heated and melted quickly, easily and consistently.
The velvet sheen finish and clean snap make them ideal for many chocolate recipes.

This product is gluten free, nut free, suitable for vegetarians, GMO free, Kosher.
Ingredients include Cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, emulsifier (soy lecithin), natural vanilla flavour.

Pure Leaf Matcha Ginger/Mint (£8.99, subscribers will receive 1 of 3 flavours) offer an easy way of making a cup of matcha, as it comes in proportioned, individually wrapped sachets.
I confess I'm not a big fan of matcha, and find it too earthy to my taste. Adding an extra flavour to it, makes it much more palatable for me.

The colour is this intense green of the pond algae (the photo doesn't do it justice). Flavoured matcha is a good option, as it's supposed to be very healthy.

Duerr's Half Sugar Seville Orange Marmalade (fine cut) offers the classic taste of the marmalade, with a reduced sugar content.

Total sugar content is 31g and 30g fruit per 100g.
Lovely spread on hot toast, or inside a croissant, it also works as an ingredient in baking. In fact, I baked a ricotta cake with marmalade just yesterday, and it proved to be a very tasty cake.

Disclosure: We receive a monthly food box for the purposes of reviewing.

Ricotta cake with marmalade

We woke up yesterday morning to a strangely nippy house. When I went down to the kitchen, I realised our boiler was flashing the F28 code, which means it's broken. 

Trying to get to the British Gas customer service is a feat in itself, everything is annoyingly automated, and you cannot get to talk to a real person. The earliest we could book for someone to come and look at the boiler was Tuesday. 

My husband kept calling, and finally managed to get hold of someone. They promised to come today.

Well, it's almost 5pm, and no sight of any engineer. And now that my husband called them again to ask what time the engineer might be coming, apparently they didn't book us in at all.
And the house in the meantime is getting colder and colder. I know that people live in igloos and all that, but it's a pain not to have the heating or hot water. The floor is church-cold on the ground floor, I can feel my feet turning into icicles, and that's me earing two pairs of socks and slippers.

I've been having endless cups of tea and coffee to keep myself warm, ironing (did a lot of ironing today), and baking too.

Yesterday's bake was a variation of the ricotta cake recipe given to me by my husband's aunt Giuseppina. It's a classic Italian cake, which is very tasty.

I had a jar of Duerr's Half Sugar Seville Orange marmalade from the latest Degustabox. My guys prefer jams to marmalade, and I don't eat it that often either. I decided to use some of the marmalade in the ricotta cake, and it worked really well.

Ricotta cake with marmalade
Ingredients:
zest of 1 lemon
3 medium eggs
180g caster sugar
3tbsp marmalade (+ 2tbsp for drizzle) (optional)
200g ricotta
300g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
50g Italian mixed peel (optional)
2tbsp lemon juice

Zest an orange in a medium sized mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs with caster sugar and marmalade. Add the ricotta, sift in the flour and baking powder. Leave about 1tbsp of flour, and dust it over the peel, then add the peel to the cake batter.
The cake batter is quite thick. Spoon it into a well-oiled bundt cake tin. Place the tin in the oven preheated to 180C. Bake for about 45 minutes. Check readiness with a wooden toothpick.
Once the cake is cooked, take it out of the tin. Mix 2tbsp marmalade with 2tbps lemon juice and spread over the cake.
Eat warm, or cold. It tastes good, with a cup of tea or coffee.

If you're not a fan of peel, swap it for raisins or pine nuts. A few years ago, I baked this cake with the addition of a savoury note from Grana Padano.

Photo diary: week 50, project 365

What a week it was: for the country on the whole, and for our family. Dashed hopes, stress and disbelief. I also realised that I must be living in a big bubble as on social media, among friends and people I follow, most people did not vote for the party which won.
As the Tories showed very clearly their attitude to people with disabilities, I worry for our son's future. He will be 18 next spring, and the future is bleak.

I understand that my blog readers come from all walks of life, and while I appreciate your views might differ from mine, please allow me to feel sad.

Rather than that, everything around seems to be set on Christmas. My photos reflect that as well.

Last Sunday Eddie finished the last pages of his Tudor project, and in the evening we decorated the Christmas tree. Ours is an artificial one, from John Lewis, which I got for reviewing about five years ago, if not longer than that. I miss the smell of a live tree, so bought a big pine tree branch to put in a vase in the hall.

We don't have a theme or colour scheme for our tree, it's full of memories of the Christmases and new year's eves past, and every toy tells a story. We were hanging toys, and saying This toy is from when Mummy was a baby, This one was bought when Sasha was born, This one is a gift from a friend who's no longer with us... We also have quite a few decorations, which my boys made in the nursery and school, like this clay Christmas tree.

On Monday I spotted people started posting their Top Nine for 2019, and of course, I had to check which images of mine were counted as Top Nine. As every year, I'm slightly miffed with the choices, as they are mostly not what I would consider my personal favourites. I mean, that selfie in a Harry Potter pinny was posted as a joke, why on earth was it deemed worthy of top nine?!

I liked the contrast of the red holly berries against the wet black railing in town.

One of the Christmas tree decorations from my childhood. I look at it, and think of my late Dad, my little brother, Mum decorating the tree with walnuts in silver wrappers... And I want to go back, just for five minutes, and feel the magic again, when everything seemed possible.

The austerity policies brought the closure of many shops in town. Debenhams is closing down next month, and it already looks like a ghost shop, with the naked mannequins.

I managed to dig out one box with Christmas lights in the attic, but cannot find another one, with twinkling lights. As I was trying to take a photo of our Christmas tree, Eddie kept jumping in front of me, laughing his socks off.

We popped into the Game shop today, just to have a look at what new Funko Pop toys they had, and I saw this Lego Friends set. I'm definitely not buying it. Eddie's never watched Friends, and doesn't care much for this set. But I thought it would make a great gift for someone who loves Friends.

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A Portrait of Death (The Versipellis Mystery series: Book One) by Rhen Garland #BlogTour

"As she stood in the hallway by the sitting room door, she became aware that the noise had changed slightly; before it had sounded muffled but standing here in the hall she could now hear it clearly. It sounded like the high keening of a child crying..."

The first pages of A Portrait of Death by Rhen Garland grab you immediately and draw you into an unspeakable brutal murder scene, taking place in a mansion in New York in 1889. The gore details and the eerie unsettling atmosphere are positively Gothic.

A portrait of death is the 1st book in the Versipellis Mystery series, which could be described as a Victorian murder mystery with the elements of paranormal/supernatural. The endorsement on the back cover presents it as "Jack the Ripper meets Highlander!"

After the barbaric murder in the opening chapter, we meet a mysterious dark demonic figure, with powers of transformation into their victim's persona.

Fast forward another 8 years, and we find ourselves at Marmis Hall, situated in a quiet English village Marmis Parva. Lord and Lady Marmis treat a selection of friends to a weekend house party.

"The weekend was to be a front as they say, a perfectly harmless party involving bridge, opera and feasting that would operate as a cover for the real purpose of the weekend, that of a meeting between the government and certain others to discuss the possibility of another war in South Africa. The guests were carefully chosen to create a safe environment in which the parliamentarians could mingle in safety without hindrance to their true purpose".

On the very first evening of the weekend party, two men are butchered by a bloodthirsty maniac. And a young man, the younger brother of the master of the house, comes back from the dead. He was presumed dead for the last two years. He spent two years of imprisonment in South Africa, and arrives home under the cover of the night, bringing with him proof of treason and names of three traitors.

Detective Chief Inspector Elliott Caine and his sidekick Detective Sergeant Abernathy Thorne are formally requested by a highly placed government official to go to Marmis Hall to investigate the murders. Their long-awaited holiday would have to wait.

Elliott V Caine was young for CID officer of his position. "Those who spoke in his defence argued that his abilities and successes on the job were justification enough to push his repeated and swift promotions, while those who disapproved listed his maverick behaviour, his refusal to follow the necessary protocol... and his unnerving habit of breaking even the most hardened criminal down to dust... in some cases literally".

Caine and Thorne arrive to Marmis Hall, but the savage murders continue. It seems the killer is taunting them.
The list of the traitors' names acquires a new addition - that of Versipellis - scribbled in a different ink. Caine is well aware of the identity of Versipellis.
"Versipellis, or rather a codename seems to have been around in various forms for well over three hundred years, he is an independent operative, an information gatherer who has worked for the British government and occasionally the Americans".

Time is ticking, Caine and Thorne have to catch the sadistic killer and find the traitor amongst them. The murders at Marmis Hall are connected to the murder committed a decade earlier in New York.
Caine's past comes to haunt him. Will he be able to stay clear-headed and not let his obsessions cloud his investigation?

When you're reading this book, you might want to make sure all the doors are locked. The murder scenes are not for faint-hearted. It is a gripping, atmospheric murder mystery, full of bold twists and turns which will keep you guessing 'til the final pages.

While the murder mystery is satisfactorily solved, the supernatural aspect hasn't been explained much. I presume we will find out more in the next books in the series.

A Portrait of Death is a sharp-edged, menacing gothic tale, a well-plotted page-turner.

This post is part of the blog tour, you can follow it on the following blog stops:

Author Bio:
Rhen Garland lives in Somerset, England, with her folk-singing, book-illustrating husband, approximately 4000 books, and equal number of ancient movies, and a large flock of stuffed sheep.
She enjoys the countryside, peace, and Prosecco and the works of Ngaio Marsh, Glady Mitchell, John Dickson Carr/Carter Dickson, Agatha Christie and Terry Pratchett.
"I watch far too many old school murder mystery films, TV series, and 1980s action movies for it to be considered healthy."

Social Media Links:
https://www.facebook.com/RhenGarlandMysteries
https://www.instagram.com/rhen_garland
You can follow Rhen Garland on Twitter as @RhenWitch

Many thanks to Rhen Garland and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book!

Life of Spice American Rub Collection (review + giveaway E: 2 January 2020)

It's cold outside, and the countdown to Christmas is on. Are you trying to think of a gift for someone who enjoys food and cooking? Take a look below for some Christmas gifts inspiration?

Just the other day I was telling you about The Italian Collection from Life of Spice.
Today's foodie gift suggestion is an American Rub Collection.

Life of Spice has an inspiring range of products to please any foodie. They produce premium gourmet rubs and spices which are stored in attractive aluminium tins.
Produced in small batches using the freshest dried herbs and spices, their versatile range offers a variety of delicious flavours.
Excellent with steaks, fish or vegetables, all Life of Spice products are vegetarian and vegan friendly, include no artificial preservatives or E-numbers.
Their produce comes in environmentally friendly aluminium tins that are fully recyclable.

You can also keep these tins to store any dried herbs (from your own garden, or when you buy a big bunch and let them dry) or spices if you buy them in bigger packets from the world  cuisine isles. I love tins, so these tins won't go in the recycling bin, once the spice blends are finished.

Life of Spice American Rub Collection Gift Set lets you add amazing flavours and zing to just about anything. Fantastic for summer outdoors cooking, these spice blends and rubs will enhance winter comfort food as well.

Memphis Belle is an authentic Tennesse Barbecue Rub to provide a Southern taste sensation.
Ingredients: paprika, demerara sugar, sea salt, sugar, mustard, celery seeds, pepper, onion, garlic, chipotle and rice flour.

Kansas City Rib Rub is an authentic Kansas City Barbecue Rub to provide a true taste of the Midwest.
Ingredients: paprika, sea salt, garlic, demerara sugar, mustard, pepper, onion, sugar, Ancho chilli, Cayenne pepper and rice flour.

Much Adobo About Nothing is an authentic Adobo seasoning blend which is perfect as a rub on meats or used in chilli and fajita recipes.
Ingredients: sea salt, paprika, pepper, chipotle powder, oregano, cumin, onion, garlic, demerara sugar and rice flour.

Savannah Gold is an authentic mustard and garlic rub from the Deep South to give a taste of Georgia at its stunning best.
Ingredients: mustard, sea salt, demerara sugar, pepper, garlic, sugar, onion, turmeric and rice flour.

Sweet Home Alabama is a superb Southern spice rub that offers rich smoky heat and fragrant herbs.
Ingredients: paprika, sea salt, garlic, smoked paprika, onion, sugar, pepper, Cayenne pepper, Ancho chilli, oregano, basil, sage, mustard and rice flour.

By now, I have tried all of the above in different dishes (pescatarian + vegetarian).
Roast vegetables and fruit - like sweet peppers, onion, courgettes, tomatoes and grapes - with Sweet Home Alabama spice rub acquired that slightly smoky flavour and were delicious.

Sweet potato and tomato soup worked well with a warm note of Memphis Belle, with it combination of paprika, demerara, and celery among other ingredients.

I cooked it last week for dinner. I had a very big sweet potato, which I cubed and cooked in salted boiling water until the sweet potato was soft. Add the spice and pour in the contents of a plain tinned tomato soup. Mash the sweet potatoes with the fork. Serve with a dash of cream and sprinkle some crunchy roasted corns and peas on top (optional).

Savannah Gold was perfect for a roast sea bass.

Warm squash salad with wild mushrooms, tomatoes, artichokes, cheese, rocket and cashew nuts was another tasty dinner meal. Roast the cubed squash with Kansas City rib rub, then toss together with the other ingredients.

Kansas City Rib Rub will add a lovely zingy note to the red cabbage with apples.

As you can see from the recipe suggestions above, The American Rub Collection will work with a variety of recipes - stews, soups, roasts of all kinds, and will add a twist to many a classic recipe.

American Collection will make a lovely Christmas gift for foodies. The box looks stylish, and tins will keep the herb and salt blends fresh for longer.

If you place any order through The Life of Spice, you will receive 1 free tin with each collection ordered using the following code: LOS-NDBLG

Now if you like the sound of this gift set, you have a chance to win it.
Please check the T&Cs at the end of the widget.
Please also note that my blog is only hosting a widget, I am not responsible for selecting a winner, contacting them for address details or sending the prize.

Good luck!

 The Life of Spice Giveaway #13

Photo diary: week 49, project 365

Is it just me, or does a festive season send you in a kind of panic? I still haven't bought any presents for my family, except one, for my mother-in-law.
I'm feeling rather overwhelmed with what's going on right now in my family, and can't feign much enthusiasm for the coming festive season.
If anything, this will be one of the saddest Christmases for me, as we won't be spending it together as a family. My husband is taking Eddie to Italy to spend holidays with his elderly parents, while Sash and I will stay behind. It was a tough decision, and we didn't take it lightly, but due to Sash's anxiety attacks, it's just not safe to travel with him.
So, for the first time in my life, I will be separated from my younger child for several days. He's my ray of sunshine, and keeps me sane on stressful days, cracking jokes and melting my heart with his grin.
I am on the point of an emotional collapse, but have to keep myself together for the sake of my boys. They both need me, strong and supportive.

And now to the weekly round-up of daily photos:
Last Sunday at Costa...

It was a frosty and sunny morning on Monday, when I walked to the Royal Mail depot to pick up a packet. It was a Funko Pop toy ordered at Zavvi at the end of August. That's probably the longest we had to wait for an order to arrive. Never again will I shop at Zavvi.

I've treated myself to Whittards of Chelsea tea advent calendar, which was at half price. Still pricey, if you ask me, as it's 24 tea bags for £12.50, don't think I would want to pay a full price. Though I do love their teas, and buy regularly. On the 3rd day of advent it was Earl Grey tea bag, probably my most favourite tea from their range, which I buy often.

Another cold morning on the Church Green, with a view of St Mary's church in the distance.

I had to go to Sasha's school again this week, to meet the paediatrician. Every time I'm on the bus in Headington, I try to capture the shark on the roof, but the bus goes too fast to take a good shot.

The remaining leaves of the creeper were trembling in the wind.

Today Eddie and I did our grocery shopping, and stopped at the playground on the way home. Then we spent a long time, trying to finish his Tudor project.
Eddie was writing, using several books I got for him, then I had to double check the spelling. Tomorrow he must finish it, as Monday is the deadline for submitting the work.

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Now That's What I Call Christmas Music (Now 100 Hits Christmas & Now 100 Hits Sing-A-Long)

Gifts wrapped, festive menu planned, shopping done, anything else to tick off the list of things to do? What about music? When you're decorating a Christmas tree or planning a party, only Christmas music would do.
Sing your way to a very merry Christmas with Now 100 Hits Christmas and Sing-A-Long!

Now That's What I Call Christmas Music/Now 100 Hits Christmas (RRP £10.99) is the seventh best-selling album of all time in the UK with 4.5 million units sold, isn't that impressive?!
NOW's 100 Hits series is very popular, and their Christmas music selection is one great belter after another.

From golden classics like Bing Crosby's It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, Tony Bennett's Winter Wonderland, Eartha Kitt's Santa Baby, Frank Sinatra's Jingle Bells etc to the best modern festive songs like Justin Bieber's Mistletoe or Pentatonix's version of Mary, Did You Know? this album "will get everyone from Rudolph to Frosty to the big man Father Christmas himself in the festive spirit and counting down the days until 25th December".

This year, NOW has released a cracker of a compilation with more tracks than ever before. Whether you're enjoying a mug of hot chocolate, snuggled on the sofa, or are busy wrapping presents for your family and friends, adding more booze to your Christmas cake or getting the office ready for the big party, NOW has you covered, with 100 Christmas hits to suit all tastes.

Elves from NOW were spotted interviewing the Christmas HQ to find out what they think about this album.

According to Santa, Now 100 Hits Christmas is "cooler than Mrs C's ice lollies".
Mrs Claus said: "Aside from Christmas cheer and spirit, it's the only thing that gets Mr Claus out of bed on these cold mornings (and sherry)."
Rudolph said: "Every year I like to see if I can get some PBs dashing around the world to give the kids their presents - so NOW! Christmas is perfect for the stretching and warm up first thing, the heavy cardio when we're flying, and the warm down when we land back in the North Pole. It's essential listening for such an intense workout!"
Dasher said: "Santa's always jingling his bells to this one".
Santa's Little Helper (second in command) said: "We play this compilation in our workshop every day, there's something for every elf, some of the younger elves prefer to bop around to Justin Bieber's track Mistletoe but I'm a big fan of Nat King Cole and the crooners, it's very relaxing when we're gearing up to the big day".
Santa's Little Helper (anonymous) said: "It's packed full of more bangers than Santa's sack" (Boom-Boom, that's as far as I dare to venture with the risqué jokes).
Frosty the Snowman said: "My favourite is Peter Auty's Walking in the Air, which was actually written about my Great Grandad - The Snowman. It brings back some real memories, that one!".

Bad jokes aside, this album was a trip down the memory lane for me as well.
Boney M and their catchy tune Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord first blazed through our TV screens in the late 1970s. And the hearts of the Soviet people were conquered.
In those days the new year's eve TV schedule was progressing the following way: first it was all the Soviet-style singers, then in the early hours of the night there would be a long slot dedicated to the Soviet bloc performers (Bulgaria, Poland, Czechoslovakia, East Germany etc), and only then when you were half-asleep, around 4-5am, they would show the "Western" music, which of course, was also heavily censored.
Boney M visited Moscow and Leningrad in 1979. This was one of a few rare occasions when the Western group was invited to the Soviet Union officially. Their music blasted at the discos across the country. Boney M became one of the symbols of the Western freedom.
I was only a child then, but I remember the first time I watched Mary's Boy Child on TV, and how much I loved that song. It's still one of my favourite festive tunes.

To keep the party going, there is another 5 CD box set - Now 100 Hits Sing-A-Long.
It has tracks to please all generations and ages, from the classics of the 1970s (Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive, ABBA's Mamma Mia, Blondie's Sunday Girl, etc) to 1980s and 1990s hits of my childhood and youth (Billy Joel's Uptown Girl, Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart, Karma Chameleon by Culture Club, etc) to the latest songs (Justin Timberlake's Can't Stop the feeling, Pharrell Williams' Happy and One Direction's Story of My Life).
You will sing along and dance (a good exercise after all those seasonal calories).

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by one and only Cyndi Lauper never ceases to bring a smile to my face. I've been known to sing along (rather quietly though) in the shops whenever this catchy tune is played. It brings back so many lovely memories, one of them, dancing in the deserted bus stop with a German student who was visiting England, while we were waiting for the bus and feeling quite cold. It's one of those happy memories I keep tucked in my heart and mind. I was young, carefree and enjoying myself.

Listening to Now 100 Hits Christmas and Now 100 Hits Sing-A-Long is made easier with the NOW Music app, where subscribers can access all the NOW compilations plus even more playlists and music for only £4.99 a month with no contract or adverts.
The NOW Music App is the easiest and most enjoyable way to access music on your devices.

These CDs will make a perfect Christmas stocking filler. Santa, take note!

Disclosure: We received two CDs for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are our own.