Love Across the Decades

In his new collection of short, romantic stories, writer Steven Baker (who we just met, you will remember!) has produced an entirely different work to his novel that your review has just written about.

Love Across the Decades covers five different love stories that cover, as the title indicates, different love stories from periods including The Great Depression, The Second World War, the post Second World War era, the 1960s and then, almost, but not quite, up to the modern times with an excursion into the 1990s.

But these are no Mills and Boon style fantasy romances. These are romances that deal with a whole host of human issues and human emotions.

How a family are tested to breaking point by the utterly unexpected and totally devastating loss of a young child, love at first sight, pregnancy, a man who found romance late in life, very late in life, in fact!

And we learn of the difference between a peccadillo and an armadillo.

We learn of the crushing isolation of being single whilst being at a certain age and all this whilst trying to pull at a dance.

And how even if the location of a marriage proposal is not, of itself, especially romantic, that by some magic, the location is, somehow, rendered romantic. Such as a bus, for example.

Yet how such a proposal may engender a spark of envy in the heart of someone who is less fortunate.

All Human emotion is here. Even the odd glimpse of canine emotion, too.

This book is a romance, yet it is unusual as it is real life, lived by ordinary people who just happen to fall in love. Or not, in some cases.

It's published by The Book Guild and is available for purchase at our very own book and gift shop which you will find here >>> https://goo.gl/qPctIy

Battling Spirits and Kindly Hearts

Battling Spirits and Kindly Hearts is a new novel from author Steven Baker.

It tells the story of young Londoner Michael Forbes. His was a typical East End childhood. Poverty, hardship  but lots of love. And, with his parents, Frank and Honeysuckle, the annual event that many Cockney families looked forward to, the hop picking holiday in the garden of England, Kent.

But the year was 1939 and with the advent of war life would change for the Forbes family and for all of their neighbours, too.

Upon the outbreak of war his parents took the decision that Michael should be evacuated.

But his planned evacuation was no 60 mile journey to the countryside by bus or train. The evacuation of Michael was a journey of nearly 11,000 miles. For he was to be evacuated to live with his aunt in Melbourne, Australia.

We follow Michael through his life as he copes with the loneliness that he is faced with as he is separated from his parents, and how he learns to cope with living in an utterly different environment so many miles from home.

The book also looks at Michael in his later life as he looks back on his life, remembering all the people who he met along the way and thinking especially of those who helped him to develop into the adult that he grew into.

It is an extremely compelling novel with a narrative that grips the reader.

It is published by The Book Guild and will make an excellent Christmas gift for the lover of well-written modern fiction.

It costs £8.99 and is available for purchase from our very own book and gift shop here>>> https://goo.gl/qPctIy

And so to Aldi!

It's the pre-Christmas season, and so it's time to get yourself to Aldi.

I have to admit that my wife and I made a slight error after we got back from our Aldi Christmas shop.

Well, you know how it is, you get the Christmas drink in and you sort of accidentally (yeah, really!) open a bottle of the Aldi Californian Merlot, enjoy a few glasses each and then, you'll use chicken breast fillets from Aldi, naturally, use some of the rich, delicious wine to produce a chicken chasseur that is so tasty that it almost makes your cry.

All served up with the rest of Merlot and some of the rice you bought from Aldi.

However, the rest of what you bought is safe (odd how it's usually the Merlot that's at risk of accidental consumption!)  and the pantry and the fridge is now stuffed full of glace cherries, dried mixed fruit, icing sugar, caster sugar, granulated sugar, at least three types of flour, butter and vegetable shortening.

This week we are scheduled to start on the Christmas cake and the Christmas pudding. (HINT: You forgot the Aldi rum and brandy! Pop back into town to visit Aldi to pick up the rum and brandy tomorrow, after work!) 

My wife may possibly, time willing, be baking her prize winning Aldi cake, her Anni's Vodka Cherry Baked Well Cake.

http://thatsfoodanddrink.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/annis-vodka-cherry-baked-well-cake.html

Actually, we might modify this recipe with the addition of some marzipan and white sugared icing and transform it into a new and utterly delicious Christmas Cake. Though we might need to add vodka to our shopping list. I'll have to check with my wife. Though we could make it a truly unique Chirstmas cake with the switching of vodka for run or brandy? Let's see what happens!

And no doubt we could also add mince pies to the list of purchases, too?

But I don't want you to run away with the idea that Aldi is only about the highest quality festive foods at prices that other supermarkets last charged 15 years ago!

Heavens to Betsy, no! There's so much more to aldi than that!

There's a bewildering array of  Christmas gifts for everyone from the tiniest tot to the most venerable great uncle, great aunt or great grandparent! 

Toys, tools, radios, techno gadgets, car accessories, homeware and much, much more!

There's even special gift packs of the finest Single Malt Scotches (complete with a highly informative and beautifully illustrated miniature guide to the whiskies of Scotland.) 

And don't forget the special  Commemorative Team GB Champagne at just under a tenner a bottle at a stunning £9.99!

There's a fantastic range of wines, beers, spirits. Plus there are special Christmas hampers, some of which are only available on line at  https://www.aldi.co.uk.

Three Kings of Coconut from Cocofina

Top-rated British coconut brand Cocofina has announced the launch of a trio of organic coconut products.

They come in a very special and inviting gift pack, and it is just in time for Christmas!

It's described as "The quintessential tempting treat for all lovers of the remarkable
palm tree."

And it's the absolutely perfect present for the hard-to-buy for family member or friend this Christmas.

It's ideal for vegans and for those who have to be careful about what they eat, have to watch their GI intake, or who just love good, natural foods.

This gift pack is packed with organic coconut oil, nectar and butter which come in 350ml jars neatly packaged in a smart label revealing box.

Cocofina Organic Coconut Oil (350ml) is cold pressed, virgin, unrefined and accredited by
the Soil Association UK.

It has a pleasantly light texture, sweet aroma and subtle, nutty taste due to the unique processing method.

It has a multitude of uses in cooking and baking and can be used as a natural moisturiser or hair conditioner, too! (EDITOR: Wow! Talk about versatile?)

Cocofina Organic Coconut Nectar (350ml) is produced by painstakingly concentrating the
sap of the coconut blossom.

The nectar is a more naturally produced alternative to regular, refined sugar and is perfect in tea, coffee or as an ingredient for cooking and baking with. It has a floral aroma, sweet taste and a rich texture.

Cocofina Organic Coconut Butter (335g) is produced by grinding the white coconut meat and
contains nothing other than 100% organic coconut.

It's ideal for spreading and baking, it has a high lauric acid content, smooth texture, nutty aroma, and creamy taste and has naturally antiviral and antibacterial properties.

Also, and this is very good news, the nectar has a low GI and is a great honey alternative for Vegans, while the butter is high in fibre, dairy and gluten free.

It can be dissolved in hot water and then filtered through muslin cloth to produce your very own coconut milk, added as a thickener to your favourite curry, to rice to make coconut rice or drizzled warm over food.

The organic coconut oil is a perfect Vegan alternative to butter and can also be used for oil pulling, as a makeup remover, lip balm, massage or baby oil, after tanning or to soothe eczema.

Price? A nifty £19.99.

Cocofina gift packs are available in store from Lakeland, As Nature Intended and online at
www.cocofina.com.

Cocofina products are also available at our own gift shop, here>>> https://goo.gl/m5aVoo.

Cotswold Gin is a very different type of Gin

Although describing itself as a London Dry Gin, there is so much more to Cotswold London Dry Gin than one might expect.

Yes, it is a traditional, clear as crystal London Dry Gin.

But there is so much more to it than that.

My wife said: "I am a lover of the traditional London Dry Gin style of gin. It was the first type of gin I was introduced ot as a young person, so it will always hold a special place in my heart.

"When I heard about Cotswold London Dry Gin I was intrigued as to what the difference was."

We tried it one afternoon and were both enamoured of this new. yet quintessentially English gin.

Yes, there were the vital floral ingredients of  the traditional London Dry Gin, yet there was definitely something subtly different about Cotswold London Dry Gin.

What on earth was it? It was a pungent difference, but using the world pungent in an entirely positive meaning.

There was an interesting, yet delicate earthiness to this particular type of gin. 

Was there a distinct Cotswold difference? Some herbs or floral essences used in it that are only to be found within the spectacularly beautiful Cotswold region of England, over toward the West of the country?

To be honest, we don't know. But what we do know that the splendid difference was there.

(Actually, the difference is explained on their website and it makes perfect sense!)

What we do know is that the Cotswold Gin Company have taken London Dry Gin and have given it a very welcome and friendly re-make. But not to such an extent that it is unrecognisable. And that takes a considerable amount of skill, knowledge and expertise.  

It is perfect by itself, and it plays well with other drinks and mixers and we can say that this belongs in your Christmas drinks cabinet!

To learn more please or to buy a bottle at £34.95 visit them at https://www.cotswoldsdistillery.com/

More Sherlock Holmes than James Herriot

More Sherlock Holmes than James Herriot is subtitled The Veterinary Detectives.

Written by one such veterinary detective, Roger S. Windsor, the book records the stories of the life of Roger Windsor, from  what he self-describes as a "naive student at vet school" to a junior vet in general practice.

Eventually through a series of twists and turns in his professional life, Roger found himself living and working in Africa, where he ran the Veterinary Investigation Service's laboratory, in Botswana.

The stories he tells are an amazing collection of tales (not tails!) of the vicissitudes and woes of a large variety of animals of just about every type you could imagine and some that your imagination might have had problems getting its head round.

The book starts with his pre-Africa career and covers a wide range of subjects such as the "farmer" who cut the beaks off his birds so badly that they were starving to death, because they couldn't eat.

There were incidents of TB to be dealt with, Mastitis, Foot and Mouth disease and so forth,

Eventually Roger found himself working in Botswana with the Veterinary Investigation Service.

This brought a whole host of very different, or sometime similar, veterinary problems.

For example on the back cover of the book are two very handsome looking vultures, something not seen by a vet in the UK!

Dealing with feline enteritis is distressing, but dealing with feline enteritis in a big cat orphanage brought about somewhat unique problems and epidemics in herds were a particular worry.

I is illustrated with a number of high quality images which help tell the story in a charming and delightful way.

This is a remarkable book and will make an ideal  Christmas present for anyone even mildly interested in animal care.

The book is published by The book Guild at £9.99 and it is available for purchase at our very own book store >>> https://goo.gl/qPctIy.

Actual Reality

We have all heard of Virtual Reality, but what of Actual Reality?

Cat Mantra has spent his working life as a journalist and as a performer, with such luminaries as the Ants, of Adam and the Ants fame, in his more recent history.

But in his debut novel he peers into the near future.

Josh Mantra and his faithful digital companion Tate travel through time and space as they fight evil foes and save the innocent from disastrous outcomes.

Join them as the zip back and forth, from the old Wild West to black holes in the midst of a distant star system.

Josh is a typical boy of his age, 12, and he has the typical life. School, his mates, his family and, of course, video games.

But on his birthday he receives a present from his dad, a very special gift it was. An Actual Reality crystal that had the power and capability to project the holder to anywhen and anywhere.

However, this is not a toy for Josh. It is a tool that he will need in his new role with the IDF, the Inter-Dimensional Federation.

Because it has been determined that only Josh is capable of taking over from his very own father in the business of taking on a variety of life-saving missions and tasks throughout the entire multiverse!

But first he must undergo comprehensive tests and training.

And then? He is out there for real, on his first mission!

This is a fantastic Sci-Fi/fantasy romp and it is aimed at children aged 12 to 14. And probably their parents, too, who might get a sneaky read if they are lucky!

It is published by The Book Guild at £7.99 and it will make an ideal stocking filler present.

You can purchase it at our very own book and gift emporium, via the portal which is this way >>>
https://goo.gl/qPctIy.