Seasonal Flavours: Harper's Bizarre

Late last October I found myself wandering around a local craft fair in my home town. The scent as I walked in was amazing. After a leisurely meander, stopping by the Pampered Chef stall, a cupcake counter and some fabulous cross stitching I found out where the scrumptious smells were coming from.

I adore scented candles. But I find most of them disappointing. Never quite living up to the promise of their label or their initial sniff test. I am a huge fan of sweet caramel tones at the moment. Probably a comfort thing as both my mum and gran were bakers, at home and at work.

Made with natural soya wax Victoria, the lovely lady behind Harper's Bizarre, mixes each batch [of candles by hand. If you visit her stall you can also find limited editions that don't make it onto the website.

I'm currently burning Peanut Brittle, and have been since October - giving it a miss in December for a more cinnamon-based candle,  which is an incredibly cozy candle. I am lusting after so many others. On my long list are Cherries Jubilee,  Birthday Cake, Fruit Fairy, Spicy & Homey, Sweet & Musky, Sweet Pea and Cherry Pie. Those would last me a very long time indeed, and new ranges are brought out regularly. Recent additions have been Licorice Alsorts and Parma Violets.

If you are in the East Riding of Yorkshire you can find these vegan beauties at the UpMarket popup shop at Hull's Prospect Centre every Saturday 9-5pm and on the 1st Sunday of the month at Humber Bridge Farmers Market 9-1pm.

Her range is also available online at http://harpersbizarre.org.uk

At £8 per candle, or 3 for £20, each candle has an approximate burn time of 25 hours. Victoria has a fantastic nose and has even perfected a candle which smells like an authentic Jaffa Cake, which even now I still covet.

This is a great product which stays true to it's scent and lasts for ages, with a nice even burn and makes a wonderful gift for that someone special.

Family Friday: Valentine's Day Crispies

Secret Santa

Do you do Secret Santa with your colleagues or friends?

This year my team with a budget of just £5 took on the challenge of purchasing a gift for a random team member drawn from a hat.

On our last shift together in the office we shared the bounty.

I like to think I'm easy to buy for, I have the feeling that the person who bought mine follows my instagram as they bought me my favourite Nivea Lip Butters and a make up bag. Result! 

I won't share what I bought for my person, except I will say I was lucky. At a team outing they shouted what they wanted!

Present Haul

Glimpses of My Family Christmas

Getting Ready For Santa

What are your traditions at Christmas?

As a child, mum and I used to spend Christmas at my grandparents house. So when mum finished work we would dress our tree at home, wrap our gifts then go down to their house. Where we would decorate their tree and wrap some more gifts. Then we'd go to a Christingle service in town.

I would wake up Christmas morning, mum and gran would have already put the turkey in the oven. There would be a selection of cold meats and pickles on the table for breakfast. Pork pie and pate for breakfast how decadent can you get?

My uncle would arrive later and we would all have dinner. Not a lot changed over the years, first my uncle got married, so my aunt, cousin and later 3 cousins would also come for dinner. As we all grew the venue changed to my uncle's house in a nearby village. When I became a teenager I no longer slept at my gran's house and the traditional breakfast changed into bacon sandwiches at home with mum.

One year we even had Christmas in a pub, that one I approved of - even though I was driving.

Then things changed again, mum died. I lived with my mum, Christmas 2001 I got engaged and my now husband moved in. Gran and grandad began to spend Christmas day with my Aunt and Uncle and their great-grandchildren.

Then at Christmas 2005 I was poorly, and pregnant, and on a ward in a hospital in York. My first son was born December 28th. Pretty much against his will. As I recovered he got sicker. Surprisingly not my favourite Christmas in memory, that is still when I got my roller boots.

By 2007 we had 2 baby boys at home and the urge for tradition stuck back in, after years of having turkey curry and turkey and bacon sandwiches for Christmas dinner.

Christmas 2009 was the first one without Grandad. Gran continued to have her lunch with my Aunt and Uncle, I started to do a buffet on Boxing Day for my in laws and my gran.

This year is my first one without my grandparents. The first one where I won't step inside the house I visited every Christmas for 36 years where ever I lived in the country, the first one that the new family living there will spend in that house. I won't be doing a Boxing Day buffet.

However, this year I am taking the boys to see Santa, the boys are going to their first pantomime in York, I have dodged the is Santa real questions and watched some of my favourite Christmas films. I have had my Starbucks Red Cup, taken part in making another Christmas special magazine, and gone to Christingle... it's all about the orange, a candle and the sweets you can burn (okay not the definitive meaning of the Christingle, but it's a selling point for getting some into church). There have been works parties, parties with cubs and scouts, sneaky pub visits and familly get togethers.

All I have left to do (at the time of typing) is the Santa Spruce up. The big clean you do before the big guy in red arrives. If you don't have a tidy house/bedroom/clear floor Santa won't come. It's a health and safety issue don't you know! If he can't see the plate of mince pies on the table how can he eat them?

Happy Christmas Everyone.