Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan | Book Review

This is a spoiler-free review of Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan.

You will like Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery if you’re looking for a cosy Christmas book with plenty of spirit and a great story that keeps you hooked.

Set in a harsh coastal winter, it’s the perfect book to read under blankets, drinking a warm hot chocolate. There are even recipes at the end.

It has an almost whimsical feel, with exotic characters from across the globe whose lives converge on the small seaside village of Mount Polbearne.

Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery has:

• lavish decorations
• a pet puffin
• freezing cold weather
• wrapped-up villagers
• drama
• secrets
• more Christmas baking than you can imagine
• romance
• reunions
• a Christmas fayre· 

This Christmas chick lit is guaranteed to get you in the festive spirit.

Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweet Shop by Jenny Colgan | Book Review

 

This is a spoiler-free review of Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweet Shop by Jenny Colgan.

You will like Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweet Shop if you’re looking for all the festive feels wrapped up in one cosy novel.

This book is a brilliant Christmas read. It’s bursting with everything you’d want at this time of year including:

• carols
• excited cute kids
• sweets galore
• a puppy
• snow
• family reunions
• romance
• Christmas shopping

It’s perfect for reading while sipping a hot chocolate in the cold dark evenings, wrapped up in a warm blanket.

Autumn vibes

 
I always get a wee notion to blog around this time of year. Something about the nights drawing in, the autumnal colours and of course, the pumpkin spice lattes, makes me feel all cosy and nostalgic. 

In my Autumn is in the air post last year, I was already fully ready to embrace the new season by the beginning of September. This year I'm grateful for a slower transition out of summer because it seemed to go by in a flash. We've had some serious sunshine over the last week (unheard of in Scotland) so I'm dipping my toe into autumn without the darkness and freezing-ness. 

I'm a creature of habit, and many of the exciting things about autumn I mentioned last year still apply. What I'm most loving about autumn right now is:

• pumpkin spice lattes - but this year skinny and decaf - they taste just as good 
• gold glitter nail polish - cos I've finally stopped biting my nails
• autumn makeup - red eyeshadow and Velvet Teddy
• cropped camel jacket - third hand #lovetheplanet
• taking photos of nature and other gems while out running
• burning candles
• chilli con carne for dinner
• pinning to my autumn board on Pinterest
• my new matching white hoodie and joggers - channelling Molly Mae

And now restrictions are mostly lifted, I'm thoroughly enjoying doing fun things again and savouring every second. A real highlight was last weekend when I went to see Chicago. It was the first show back at the Kings Theatre in Glasgow and it was incredible. 

What do you think is the best thing about autumn?

5 easy swaps to be more sustainable

 
It's a sunny Saturday evening and I'm blogging. Ah, feels like 2012 again. 

A lot has moved on since 2012 though.

I've learned how the things I buy (or want to try) affects not only my purse, but the planet too.

As much as possible, I try to be minimalist and:

• don't buy stuff I don't need
• use what I've already got
• repurpose things

However, there's always going to be things I need to do like wash my face. I now try to go for more sustainable options.

I should probably note here, by way of disclaimer, that while I'm definitely eco conscious, I'm no expert. There are plenty of other people much further down the road than me. However, I know there are also a lot of people who are just taking tentative steps towards being more sustainable, or maybe haven't considered it yet. I know because that was me a few years ago. 

Being a bit more eco conscious doesn't have to be a massive lifestyle change though. 

So,  I want to share 5 easy ways you can be more sustainable. 

These are the things that've worked for me and were a painless swap from my earlier planet-damaging alternatives. 

ffs smashes it again... this time with fake tan*

Believe it or not, we're teetering towards summer. I know, blows my mind too. Other than the one day of sun we've had here in Scotland, the rain has been near biblical.

However.

The second I get a sniff of sun I'm diving head first into the fake tan bottles. 

After four months of lockdown, being a wallflower has no appeal. It's go hard or go home.

Glitter nails? Yep.

Pink head to toe? Why not.

Straight to dark tan? Of course.

After how much I loved the body care products from ffs, I jumped at the chance to try their Deluxe Glow Tanning Set.*