Pleasing things

First of all, Happy New Year as this is, officially, my first post of 2012. And to start the new year, I am in frivolous mood (am probably still a little bit drunk from the New Year's Eve party to be honest) - so I thought I would share a little of my conviviality by considering some of the simpler things in life which give me much happiness on a dark and windy January day. It would be easy to grumble and grouse, but I'm not going to take the obvious route. Not today.

Here's what currently makes me happy.

1. My rose-patterned cake stand. We made buns yesterday. Covered them with nutella and sprinkles and arranged them nicely on the cake stand. Infinitely more pleasing than a boring old plate.

2. My union jack dog which my sister have me for Christmas. I think he is supposed to be a doorstop but he's too nice to stand in a draught. He brings a little bit of English-ness into my very Irish life.

3. My new Jo Malone perfume - it smells divine. I feel divine when I wear it.

4. My new Paperchase 2012 diary. Love, love, love filling those blank pages with exciting plans for the year ahead and, yes, I have written in the front '2012, the year I get published'! Are you listening, universe?

5. The very tiny Daily Prophet newspaper and the stained-glass windows in the Lego Howgarts castle (courtesy of Santa). It is a level of teeny, tiny detail which fills me with untold joy.

6. My new 'cat' pen which miaows and lights up bizarre blue eyes when you press the top of its head. Writing by hand is fun again and smacking its head on the table to produce a 'miaow' is a great stress reliever.

7. Left over chocolate orange - yum.

8. Lying in bed listening to the storm outside - surely there is no other feeling which fills you with such a sense of security and comfort.

9. Caitlin Moran's 'How to be a Woman' which I am completely loving and chuckling along to. She is a very funny lady, if a little bit naughty and rude.

10. The King's Speech - watched it for the first time the other night. How I love, love, love period dramas. Fabulous.

11. Florence and the Machine 'Ceremonials' - uplifting, soaring, beautiful music which, as I tweeted this week, makes me want to own a harp and several floaty dresses. Simply gorgeous.

So, that's a pretty good start to the first week of January is it not. Of course, I will now have to go and shout at the kids for wrecking the Hogwarts castle and will regret scoffing all those buns from the cake stand ('start Monday' as Peter Kay would say), but all in all, all is well with 2012 thus far.

And long may it last.

Pleasing things

Happy New Me

So, Christmas is over. We've all eaten our way through too many chocolate oranges and are left feeling, let's just say, a little 'festive' around the middle. Generally, I'm not a fan of the 'post-Christmas/pre-New Year' week - it all seems a little forced and makes me realise how much I love my routine (even though I complain endlessly about that routine when I'm doing it). Also, the Christmas trees look very sad after Christmas, don't you think? Like they're trying really hard to still have a great time, with all their lights and baubles, but just ending up looking a bit tragic. Anyway, I digress....

So, it is with great delight that I realise we've reached New Year's Eve and with just a few more hours of excess to get through (that means you, box of fudge) I can look forward to starting on that detox I've been promising myself since, erm, this time last year and can happily put the gin bottle away for at least a month and not miss it at all (crosses fingers).

I'm also looking forward to a fresh start with my writing in 2012. I have watched several of my friends achieve huge breakthroughs and fantastic writing success in 2011 which has been hugely inspiring (yes, I am talking to you Maria Duffy and Jane Travers). Anyone who has followed me from the start (March 2009 - check it out here if you don't have anything pressing to do) will know that I've loved my blogging journey and have been pursuing my dream of being a published author at the same time. There are various posts around my blog explaining my writing journey (sorry - am a bit too full of stilton to think of a better word at the moment) and am delighted to be in a very happy place at the end of 2011 with a fabulous agent, Sheila Crowley of Curtis Brown, two 'near-miss' novels behind me and a notebook full of fabulous ideas which I just can't wait to get started on.

I also recently started writing a guest blog called 'Carry on Writing' for writing.ie which will follow my writing trials and tribulations during 2012 and I will also be continuing with my book review blog 'Off the Shelf' for hellomagazine.com. Hot off the press, Jane Wenham-Jones has also mentioned me in January's Writing Magazine which is rather exciting and in a lovely pre-Christmas Tweet, Vanessa O'Loughlin at Inkwell Writers mentioned me as 'one to watch in 2012'. Now, if all that doesn't give me the prefect excuse for an extra glass of champagne tonight, I don't know what does.

You may, or may not, also have noticed that I am no longer @hotcrossmum on Twitter, having decided, finally, to be my real self @HazelGaynor. Hot Cross Mum, the blog, will continue to be a place where I muse, rant and ponder all things child/parent related, and other things besides which catch my attention, but as far as my writing career goes, I shall henceforth be known as, well, myself!

So, here's to a fresh start, a blank screen and may the words flow as freely in 2012 as the bubbly will on the last night of 2011.

Cheers to you all and HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Happy New Me

Stowells Light Wine

Ahhhh, Christmas - I love everything about it: the songs, the fairy lights, the feasting and the, ahem, occasional festive tipple. I'm not usually one to fret about the colorific content of the liquid I am about to sip in contented enjoyment, but, let's face it, I turned 40 this year and that taut stomach I used to possess (when I was around the age of 14) just isn't going to make a reappearance anytime soon. So, if there is a wine out there which has lower calories than others, I for one am willing to give it a try.

The new Stowells Light is a low alcohol wine at just 5.5% and contains just 60 calories for a 125ml glass, that's 30% less calories per glass than a typical glass of wine. Great news - especially as this means I can now scoff the entire packet of crisps with a slightly less guilty conscience - hurray to that!

Stowells Light White is made from a blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grapes, and has fresh flavours of melon, pear and apricot. The Shiraz Rose, which I tried, is full of juicy strawberry, raspberry and cherry fruit flavours. Yum to all of the above. Cleverly, even though the wine is low alcohol and low calorie, it doesn't lose any of the flavour and if you like your wine to have a refreshing, fruity taste experience, this could be one for you. There is, of course, a big taste difference from a heavy, full-bodied red, but if you're looking for something lighter - in every sense of the word - I think this could be a big hit.

Clare Griffiths, Marketing Director for Accolade Wines (the people behind the Stowells brand) comments, 'We are very excited to launch Stowells Light. Quality and experience is at the forefront of everything that Stowells does, with a 130 year history as a wine merchant it has a great tradition of innovation. Our research has shown there is significant demand from consumers for low alcohol and low calorie offerings from brands they know and trust. But they are not willing to compromise on taste. We believe we have found a winning solution with Stowells Light'

Stowells Light is available at all ASDA stores nationwide for RRP £5.49.

For more information, visit www.stowellslight.com

Disclaimer

Please remember to drink Stowells Light sensibly.

Stowells Light Wine