Cracking my spine.

No, not literally (as if!)

I mean "Wreck this Journal."

 If, like me, you've been living under a rock, you may not be aware of this book.  Let me enlighten you...  Wreck this Journal by Keri Smith is a bit of a novelty in that it encourages creativity and thinking outside the box, using (often) bizarre suggestions to fill and destroy pages within the actual book.  You are only limited by your own imagination, and what you aim to be left with is your own unique journal, essentially a "work of art."

 One of the first tasks (and one I personally hate doing) is to crack the spine of the book.  Here goes....

Ouch!  OK, so it may have been painful at first, but actually it was quite liberating.  Talk about living life on the wild side!  I just realised on the back cover that at some point, I'm going to have to mail this journal to myself.... oh boy (sigh).

I think this book is meant to appeal to all ages, but I think teens may enjoy this the most.  Either way, at £6.47 on Amazon, I think it would make a cool stocking-filler for Christmas.  I'm quite looking forward to seeing how my journal shapes out.  I may even get Little H to contribute some of his Crayola handiwork...

Recipe for roasted butternut squash and chorizo soup

This is what autumn/winter means for me, food-wise.  Deep bowls of nourishing, warming, tasty soup.  This particular one with roasted butternut squash and chorizo is so good that even Mr H, who hates soup (?), is a complete convert.  It's quite a thick soup, so it's a good one to have as a meal in itself with crusty bread (or bacon butty if you're feeling extra greedy).  You could use pumpkin instead of squash, I suppose; it's a good way of using any leftover pumpkin if you've carved any Hallowe'en lanterns!  We like to have a bit of fiery kick to our food, so I've listed the ingredients as I would make it, but please feel free to adjust the dried chillies/chipotle paste to taste.

This recipe probably has about 6 generous greedy portions.

Ingredients:-

1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 2 or 3-inch chunks
250g of chorizo, peeled and roughly sliced
4 fat cloves of garlic, crushed
1 large onion (red or white), roughly chopped
2 cans of borlotti beans (pinto or butter beans would work also)
approx 2 cups (1/2 litre) of chicken stock
olive oil
a good pinch of dried crushed chillies
salt to taste
1/2 jar of chipotle chilli & smoked paprika paste (really handy and delicious ingredient for soups/chilli con carne- you can get this in Tesco in the World Food aisle, but if you can't find it, then you could use smoked paprika/add in extra crushed chillies instead)

Method:-

• Heat the oven to Gas Mark 6 (200 deg C, 400 deg F)
• Add the squash to a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil, and toss so all the pieces are covered.
• Sprinkle on the crushed chillies, and half the crushed garlic, salt to taste.
• Roast in the oven for about 40 mins, or until the squash is tender.

• Next, in a large pot, brown the chopped chorizo.  (No need to add extra oil, as the heat will render the tasty paprika-infused oils from the chorizo, and this should be enough to fry off the remaining ingredients.)
• Add the onion and remaining garlic and fry until softened.
• Add the chipotle paste and stir until the onion/garlic is coated. 
• Add the roasted squash, stock, and beans.  Stir then cover and leave to simmer on a low heat for about 30-40mins.
• I then check for seasoning (I don't usually need to add any extra salt as the paste would already be salted, and no need for extra ground pepper!)
• Blitz the mixture in the pot using a hand-held blender to your desired consistency, or you could leave to cool and use a food processor (be careful!).  You could even just serve as it is: chunky and hearty.

This is my favourite soup in the whole world, and I like to enjoy it slobbed in front of the TV.  Try it.  I guarantee, you will never buy ready-made soups again!

My Top 5 Horror Movies

Every now and then, especially at this time of year, I like to watch a good scary movie.  Not the gory, blood-thirsty slasher movies.  I'm talking about the edge-of-your-seat, peep-between-your-fingers, keep-looking-over-your-shoulder, afraid-to-go-upstairs-on-your-own type of movie.

Mr H thinks I'm a crazy, sad fool, but I think that it's only human nature; deep down, we all like a good scare every once in a while.

So here are the Top 5 movies that are guaranteed to scare me s**tless (pardon my French) this Hallowe'en.

1)  The Exorcist (Director's Cut, of course):  I remember when this first came out on video and somehow, we managed to have a copy of this on Betamax (so showing my age right now- if you don't know what Betamax is, ask your folks/grandparents!).  This movie had been banned for some time soon after its theatrical release in the 70's (presumably because of the shocking content for its time), and I remember my parents banning me from ever touching that video, let alone watching it (I was only about 4 or 5 at the time- no brainer!)  Fast forward a decade or so, and my older cousin and I managed to dust off this copy and watch it for the first time.  The images from this film were burned into my memory for days after.  True, the effects are quite dated now, but the fact that the horrors in this story all happen within a seemingly happy home, to an innocent child, still leave me unnerved.  To this day, I will never watch this movie on my own (even the DVD cover gives me the heeby-jeebies).  How's that for a lasting impression?!  This was the first horror movie to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film, and deservedly so.

2)  The Omen (1976 version):  US Ambassador's wife has a stillbirth and unknowingly adopts the Anti-Christ in his place.  One of the original Satan-spawn movies and arguably the best of them all.  Gregory Peck is brilliant as always as Ambassador Robert Thorn, Lee Remick's eyes portray their terror superbly and Harvey Stephens manages to cut a piercing stare as Damien.  Add in a haunting Oscar-winning score, and you've got yourself one scary movie.

3)  The Shining:  I know some Stephen King purists hate the film as there are some deviations from the novel (equally brilliant), but I love it.  Jack Nicholson takes on the job as an off-season caretaker at an isolated hotel that gets snowed in during the long winters.  Joined by his wife and young psychic son Danny, he soon falls under the influence of some supernatural presence and descends into madness...  This film really does convey the isolation and claustrophobia of being trapped.  Memorable scenes include Danny riding around the corridors on his tricycle and stumbling upon the spooky twins (twin girls still freak me out a little!),  Room 237, and of course the famous "Here's Johnny!"

4)  The Blair Witch Project:  This was the original "lost footage" film, and still the best.  Low-budget (take three people into the woods and scare them witless), yet big-grossing.  I remember it being brilliantly marketed with a great website, which somehow blurred the lines between fact and fiction.  This movie, to me, is a great lesson in the power of suggestion; some deliberately blurred shots, or lack of camera-feed with ongoing soundtrack, and just let your over-active imagination fill in the rest.  Genius.

5)  Paranormal Activity:  Again, another low-budget movie that went on to do well on theatrical release.  A couple decide to video the unusual happenings within their home with increasingly disastrous consequences.  It took me five viewings before I could actually watch this movie right to the final scenes at the end (without having to peep from between my fingers).  I could actually feel myself getting more and more tense physically and psychologically with every minute of watching this.  To this day, I cannot sleep with my foot poking out from under the covers...

What will you be watching this Hallowe'en?

Skyn Iceland skincare review

A few weeks ago, I indulged in a little beauty hauling in my local M&S after they revamped their beauty hall.  One of the products I picked up was the Quench Kit for Thirsty Skin (£34) by a skincare brand called Skyn Iceland.  Just so you know, I tend to have fairly boring normal skin with the occasional outbreak at that time of the month, but I do like to use richer products at this time of year.

For those newbies to the brand (myself included), their products are "specifically formulated to treat the effects of stress on facial skin using pure and potent natural ingredients from Iceland."  They are free of parabens, sulphates, mineral oils, phthalates, synthetic fragrance and dyes.  Oh, and they're 100% vegan and cruelty-free.

I always like carefully curated kits like this; I think they're the perfect way to try out a new brand, without the guilt of wasting much product if you end up hating it.  This one was ideal as it contained all you needed to cleanse and moisturise day and night for a month.

In this kit, you'll receive try-me sizes of their Pure Cloud Cleanser, Arctic Hydrating Balm, Oxygen Infusion Night Cream, and their Icelandic Relief Eye Pen, plus one muslin cloth (although this was about the size of a postage stamp!)

Pure Cloud Cleanser:  Doesn't that sound comforting?  This is a gentle, but effective no-frills cream cleanser.  It will easily take off my all my day's makeup (although I cannot attest to waterproof or heavy eye makeup, as I don't do either).  I think its supposed to smell citrus-y, but I reckoned it smelled like cardboard (!)  Once massaged in, you just rinse off with a wet muslin cloth.  I have to say that my skin definitely felt softer after, not tight, and felt clean.  I used this morning and night, and I have to say that this tube only lasted me a fortnight.

Arctic Hydrating Balm with Cryo-Protective Complex:  I think the word "balm" is a little misleading here.  Although this is meant to be deeply moisturising and used in the day, do not think of this as your typical thick greasy ointment.  This actually feels quite light on, but does make my skin feel nourished and prepped for any makeup.  It didn't really have any fragrance to it either, so great if you have sensitive skin or hate strong smells.

Oxygen Infusion Night Cream:  The texture of this is lovely, like Greek yoghurt!  It has quite a fresh floral scent which soon disappears.  I liked to use this after massaging my face with a facial oil for an extra pampering treat, and my skin felt plumped and glowing the next day.  Nice.

Icelandic Relief Eye Pen:  Comes in a click-pen device with a handy applicator-tip.  Does feel cooling going on, but don't think it really did anything noticeable for my dark circles, or fine lines.  Nothing too special about this one really.

All in all, I thought this was a really lovely fuss-free kit, great for travel (especially in winter), and I think my skin has loved me for it.  I think there's something to be said for keeping your skincare regime quite simple.  With the exception of the cleanser, the products have actually lasted me a month (I'm still going on the night and eye creams).  None of the products have caused me to break out in any way.

Would I re-purchase any of the items?  Well, I do now own a full-size of the Arctic Hydrating Balm.  I think it could be used day or night really, plus I've also got their Pure Cloud Cream (couldn't help myself - like the cleanser, it just sounded so comforting and gentle!)

Have you tried any new skincare brands lately?

The most expensive tomato in the world.....? Probably.

I've been meaning to write about this for ages, and with the clocks going back this weekend marking the official end to summer, I figured it's about time.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the most expensive tomato in the world.

Yes, I know it's just a tomato.  I know it's just green and unripe.  But you see, I've been waiting a long time for this tomato.  Why is it the most expensive tomato?  Because Mr H (being the green-fingered bod that he is) decided that he wanted a greenhouse soon after we moved into our home, so he could start to grow our own.

Three years, blood, sweat and tears, and £800+ later, this is what has been harvested from our tomato crop.

This is all that has been harvested from our tomato crop.

Of course, we have had plenty of aubergines, peppers and chillies (and eaten plenty of ratatouille), but I was really looking forward to tasting our first home-grown tomato; I've been told that shop-bought ones just don't taste the same.

With summer at an end, Mr H has harvested all the produce and cleared the greenhouse, ready to start again.  I, on the other hand, have had to look upon this green beauty every day, willing it to ripen and turn a lovely red, so I can enjoy it in the tastiest sandwich: sliced heirloom tomato with green pesto and mayo (not the low-fat rubbish please).  Honestly, it's the simplest sandwich that tastes so fresh and full of flavour.  If you can get your hands on some (ripe) heirloom or beef tomatoes, I highly recommend it...

Apivita Pomegranate Lipcare

Not long ago, I hauled a load of products from the M&S beauty hall.  Apivita was one of the newer brands purchased.  Since 1979, Apivita was one of the first natural cosmetics companies in Greece.  They claim that all their products have at least 80-100% natural ingredient content.

I'm always a sucker for a tinted lip balm, so I chose their Pomegranate Lipcare (other variations include: blackcurrant, propolis, chamomile, pink rose and cocoa butter).  It contains nourishing beeswax and organic olive oil, has a pleasant fruity scent, and leaves a delicate (read: barely there) tint to the lips.

You can barely see the pink tint on the back of my hand (try screwing your eyes up a little!)  And I swatched this really heavily!

Lack of tint aside, this did feel pleasantly moisturising, but staying power was pretty poor: no more than 2-3 hours, at best.  Another sticking point was the hopeless packaging.  It's pretty flimsy, comes open easily in your bag, and the barrel keeps swivelling back down every time I try to pop this on my lips.  (That's why I had to photograph it on its side).

Would I repurchase?  No.

Now, if only Terry de Gunzburg made a tinted Baume de Rose...

Ghostly reads...

I've never been one for trick-or-treating.  For me, Hallowe'en (and October generally) is a time to immerse myself in a good creepy novel.

I admit, I'm a little old-school when it comes to choice.  (For some reason, I couldn't find my copy of Stephen King's "The Shining" but I would definitely have it up there, along with some Edgar Allen Poe.)  There is just something about brilliantly atmospheric writing that leaves you unnerved and prickles the hairs on the back of your neck.  Alas, I haven't actually read "House of Leaves" yet; it's been in my possession for almost a decade, but I've shamefully never got around to reading it.  If anyone has, I'd love to hear what you think.

Do you have any favourite eerie reads?

Oh comely

If it weren't for Gemma from Gemsmaquillage posting about Oh comely magazine (read here), I don't think I would have ever come across this little "gem" (see what I did there?)  Moving on...

I found it quite difficult trying to categorise this magazine which was reflected in the nightmare I had trying to source it at my local WHSmith's.  I eventually found it in the "General Interests" stand, somewhere between National Geographic and Time Magazine; an area usually frequented by Mr H, but not by me.  Oh no, you'll usually find me poring over the likes of Vogue, Red Magazine, and Hello (the latter, when no-one's looking).  I digress...

This is definitely the type of magazine to enjoy over a cup of hot chocolate under a snuggly blanket.  It's a mix of features that seem to be centred around a particular theme.  This issue in particular was all about space, with random quirky features from "how to build your own rocket" and "postcards from outer space", to more thought provoking pieces eg. orbiting round to the dark side of the moon with absolutely no human or radio contact (the latter terrifies me- I don't know how Michael Collins managed it during Apollo 11).

I don't think I've done this magazine enough justice with my last paragraph!  Seriously though, this is a beautifully crafted magazine that you will not only enjoy, but you'll be left with a feel-good warmth inside.  I can honestly say that I have never read a magazine in its entirety from cover to cover before (Mr H can testify to this-too many fashion magazines relegated to the recycling stack after 1 hour), but I have never come across a publication that has piqued my curiosity like this before.  (Mr H can also testify that I am now a crazy loon who randomly spouts out space trivia like a true boffin!)

Issues for Oh comely cost £4 each.  This may sound steep, but when I factor in how much time I spent thumbing through this issue with interest, plus the fact that it comes out every 2 months, I'd say it's worth it.  I even took out a year's subscription (£22- again, another first!) and ordered a back-issue as I couldn't wait until their next one.

If you're feeling a little curious, Oh comely is only available in WHSmith, or you can check out their website here.

If you build it, they will come...

Warning: this post and picture may gross you out!

I like to think of my house as clean, but recently my kitchen has had a fruit fly invasion (Ewww!)

Mr H insists we do our bit to be a little "greener" for the environment, and everything and anything that can be composted needs to go in the compost bin.  I, on the other hand, am completely crap in this department and am quite happy turfing my rubbish in the trash can as required.  Since he is keen on the ol' compost for his gardening, the rule in our house is that he has to empty it regularly in the huge composter at the bottom of our garden, come rain or shine.  However, somebody was a little slack on doing this in the last couple of weeks, and now my kitchen is over-run with fruit flies.  It's like a plague of biblical proportions.

A quick Google search for a solution yielded various methods, but the most common involved a glass, some red wine vinegar and cling film.  You basically pop some vinegar (I found old red wine + malt vinegar worked really well) in a glass, then cover with cling film.  You then poke a couple of holes in the cling film; small enough for the buggers to fly in but not come back out, leave on a clean surface and Hey Presto!

It's like watching a National Geographic version of a drunken orgy!  There are probably around a 100 of them in there, all buzzing and swimming away, getting drunk on wine- no lie.  I can happily say that by having this for the last couple of weeks (plus emptying the compost bins on time), I have managed to smite the plague!  Hurrah!  Glass of wine, anyone?

M&S Beauty Hall

On a recent trip to my local Marks and Spencer's, I was pleasantly surprised to find they had refurbished their beauty section (about time too, some of the major London branches had this re-vamp months ago!)  Apart from the usual M&S range, they had a whole host of other makeup, skincare and haircare brands that were both well-known and some new to me: Bliss, Nuxe, Filorga, Tara Smith, to name but a few.

Clockwise from top left: Skyn Iceland Pure Cloud Cream, Quench Kit, Arctic Hydrating Balm, Pure face oil, Apivita tinted lip balm, Apivita Express Beauty Masks (sorry for poor photo!)

I was particularly intrigued by skincare brand Skyn Iceland, since I was on the lookout for some new products for the autumn/winter season.  Apparently, their products are designed to treat the effects of stress (SOLD!) on the skin using natural ingredients from Iceland, and are free of most nasties (parabens, petroleum, sulfates etc).  I purchased the Quench Kit for Thirsty Skin: a kit of try-me sizes of four of their hero products which would apparently last you a month.  I thought this was a good introduction to the brand.  I also bought full sizes of their Pure Cloud Cream (£41) and Arctic Hydrating Balm (£25).  Hopefully, I'll get to try these out in the coming weeks, and let you know how I got on.

The Anti-Ageing Super Active Overnight Oil (£6) from Pure also found its way into my basket as I find facial oils to be quite effective in the bleak mid-winter.  As its name suggests, it too is free from nasties.

Another brand (skincare again) that caught my eye was APIVITA.  I had never come across this brand before but, according to their website, they were the first natural cosmetics company in Greece.  As a Korres fan, this piqued my interest.  I picked up 2 of their Express Beauty Masks which, starting at £3 for a dual-sachet, was a nice little treat.  I'm also a sucker for tinted lip-balms, so the Pomegranate Lip Care (£5) found it's way in my basket too!

Overall, I was quite impressed by the range of goodies on offer by M&S.  They had even stocked fragrances by Fragonard which took me back to lazy summers in the south of France...  Admittedly not all of the brands are easy on the pocket, but there's something for everyone, and if you're looking for another way to try alternative brands then this is a good place to start (once you've finished browsing for your knickers!)

You can check out the beauty range in M&S here.

5 reasons to love October

With the exception of December (being my birthday month and Christmas), October is my favourite month of the year.  For me it's all about the beautiful warm colours (as opposed to the drab grey in January), the hearty comfort food, and the promise of Christmas slowly approaching (it's OK to think of the latter this early I reckon, as long as you don't shove it down other people's throats!)  Mr Herblog (Mr H), on the other hand, hates it;  he's officially a "summer" person, and the mere thought of clocks going back an hour fills him with dread.

Anyway, if you need convincing, here are my Top 5 reasons to love October (in no particular order):-

1)  Colour:  You've only got to look out of your window.  The trees are filling with the most beautiful shades of rust, amber and gold.  Plus it's great fun kicking through piles of autumn leaves with Little Herblog (Little H).

2)  Long nights:  With an extra hour in bed and the longer nights closing in, there is nothing better than hunkering down under a load of cosy blankets with a good book or movie (man optional) and a glass of merlot.

3)  Pumpkins:  (and butternut squash!)  They're everywhere right now, and taste amazing when roasted with garlic and chilli - even better when turned into a soup (it's a hug in a bowl!)

4)  Hallowe'en:  I like to have a good scare once in a while, although poor DH ends up suffering through some horror flick with me!  Failing that, a good creepy novel always works.

5)  Season 3 of Homeland:  If you're anything like me, chances are you're hopelessly addicted to this.  I can't wait to see what will happen to Brody, although must admit I was a bit bored of the whole Carrie-Brody love thing.  Have set the Sky+ for series link...

Do you love October as much as I do?  What are your 5 reasons why?

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." (A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens)

Earlier this year I suffered a miscarriage.  At 18 weeks' pregnancy.  On our wedding anniversary.

What was supposed to be a happy, joyous day turned out to be one of the worst.  On top of all that, there were complications which led to....well, let's just say it was a close call.  I don't think I have ever seen my husband look so worried and yet relieved to see me again.

During my recovery, I had lots of time to think things through and reassess my priorities.  Like most people, I felt I needed more time to do the things I enjoyed, including more quality time with my Little One.

One of the ideas I had also tinkered around with was starting a blog.  I was initially unsure of how to start, fearful of criticism, not having the technical know-how or commitment to see it through...  Following recent events I decided to bite the bullet and give it a go; if anything, to serve as a distraction.

"Not another Mummy blog!" I hear you cry.

I say, "Why not?"  Just because there were thousands of doctors out there didn't stop me from embarking on a career in medicine.  Why not try my hand at blogging?

So here it is.  My first post.  Thank You for visiting.