My Favourite Call the Midwife Characters

Right, ooh I so excited to write this post! See I started watch CTM this year after my parents had seen it and I love it.
It's all so very lovely and friendly. Well, I mean some of the topics aren't lovely, that's the East End for you but the characters....oh the characters are so jolly good! They are what I have come to you to talk about.

I am not putting them in any particular order, because I can't rank them like that, I love them all!


Barbara Gilbert

I'm only up to Season 4 currently and she has only just arrived in S4 but I love her. She's well-meaning, works hard, and very sweet. She's the kind of person I would love to hang out with and just have a good conversation.
I love how she rides to and from the hospital twice a day to get milk from the mother and bring it to her baby in Episode 1, S4. She shows a lot of dedication and Sister Evangelina notices it.
I am already shipping her and Tom because I know that they get married. Tom is still besotted with Trixie but they just don't really fit like I think Barbara and Tom would. Her father is a clergyman or something like that so she would understand Tom's dedication to his duties, Trixie doesn't.

Sister Evangelina

Sister Evangelina is hilarious. It's normally her vs. someone else. In S4 it's Nurse Crane. She is a very get-on-with-it kind of person. Don't just stand back and watch, get in there an do it. You know what I mean?
But she is lovable and kind too. She has a strict rule that men should not be in the delivery room which does get broken sometimes.
She doesn't admit weakness very much either. When she was sick she didn't tell anyone. She didn't want to leave her job or slack.
I wouldn't mess around with her either!


Shelagh Turner

Darling Shelagh! (pronounced She-la)
I love her character. She is always trying to do the right thing and longs for a baby. Well, in S4 the Turner's adopt a darling little girl, Angela. I love the scene were Mr & Mrs Turner meet their new daughter. So sweet!
I think she looks best when her hair is down and wavy. And the glasses she's wearing above are so much better than the ones she wears when she's a nun.
Shelagh is a great mother too. Caring, loving, and hardworking.
I also quite like her accent!


Trixie Franklin

Trixie comes across as a silly, flirty, person. But she has a serious and passionate side too.
I can't help but love her. She always wants to have fun and is good at her job. She genuinely care about her patients and longs for romance.
She is a bit like Edith Crawley in that respect. Getting mixed up with the wrong guys. By wrong guys I don't mean bad, just not right for her.
Edith found happiness so I 'm sure Trixie will too. I only just finished S4 and she is in a pretty sorry state at the end of that so I really want her to find happiness and healing.
She wears pretty cute stuff too. There are a few dresses I don't like as much but most of hers are pretty s'well!


Those are the main ones I thought I would talk about but here a few others which I love too.

Chummy(Camilla Noakes), Fred, Jenny Lee(only she left in S4), Tom Hereward, and Peter Noakes.

And all the babies!

Who are your favourites?

Summer Bucket list 2017 // 2018

Summer is my favourite season! Then Autumn, but I'm not thinking about that now. Now it's time for sunshine and summer breezes.
These are some thing I would like to do in this season!

• Swim in the sea. We didn't really do this last summer. Normally it was too cold and we live more in land so it's about an hours drive to a beach. 
• Lie on the grass and read. I know pretty simple but we have a really nice tree that has good shade so it is perfect to sit under.
• Eat lots of icy things. 
• Go berry picking. Waking up early, wet grass, sneaking berries as you go and earning a few dollars!
• Ride on my bike.
• Put flowers in my hair/make a flower crown
• Make my own sorbet. I love sorbet because it is lighter and more refreshing than ice cream.
• Watch a sunrise and photograph it.
• Toast marshmallows over a fire outdoors.
• Pick flowers on the side of the road if I can find some.
• Do a foot bath and pedicure.
• Cook a perfect BBQ. Last time I did this I burnt the patties a bit so I want to skip the burning part this time!
• Eat outside as often as possible. I love eating outside. We have a lovely tree which is perfect for sitting under in the shade.
• Go to new river spots. Rivers are really nice to swim in because the water isn't salty (I hate that about the sea. Yuck!) and I just like them better. The only problem is the mosquitoes that eat you alive. Ugh, Mosquitoes!
• Build a sand man instead of a snowman.
• Have lots of iced tea and coffee.
• Try grilled fruit kebabs.
• Harvest produce from our garden.
• Read the Christy Miller Volumes I own.
• Decorate my room all summery.

What do you like to do in the summer? What are you doing now in the winter(for the readers on the other side of the world)?

Can I write Mini Stories? ~ 5 Mini Stories

Mini Story 1

Annie looked down at her shiny black shoes in their box. She sighed and smiled. They were the shoes she had worn on that beautiful night. The night she had seen him, danced with him and sat outside looking at the stars with him. Michael loved the stars. He pointed out the Ursa Major. 

Annie slipped on the shoes, did up the tiny gold buckle, set her feet on the floor and smoothed down the silky white fabric on her dress. Tonight. Tonight she would be dancing with Michael again, like she had many times. But this time it would be different. By tonight she would be Mrs Annie Michael Lockhart.


Mini Story 2

The wind stung Emma's eyes as tears welled up and threatened to spill over. She let them go. They had been bottled up inside her for the funeral, she could let them out now. Why? Why had it happened? Her brother David, had been a great guy, he had never caused harm to anyone. But on that fateful night it had been him that lost his life. When Emma heard the news she felt as if someone had just ripped a limb of her. She had run to the swing under the willow tree behind their house hidden from view. She knew it was wrong but she wished the drunken man had died instead of her brother, her best friend. 

Mini Story 3

Michaela studied her reflection in her bedroom mirror. The face that looked back at her was just as it always was. Her eyes were coffee brown, like they always were. Brown, like her mother's eyes and her grandmother's. Ever since Michaela had seen a photo of a lady with blue eyes in a magazine, she had wanted blue eyes. "Blue is so much more romantic" she had moaned to her Mother.
Her Mother had just told not to say such silly things and finish her school essay. Now as Michaela adjusted her hair one last time, she heard a small voice. "I made your eyes the way they are, Michaela. You are beautiful".
Michaela stepped back from the mirror. A smile formed on her lips. "Yes Lord, You're right. Thank you!"


Mini Story 4

 I stepped onto the train just in time. I wished I had not put on my woollen stockings. The train was stuffy and there people in every cubicle. I walked through two coaches before I found a free seat. As I walked along the smoke filled corridors I peered into each box and examined their inhabitants. A dark-haired man with a handsome suit and a newspaper on his lap, a nanny with a giant purple plume coming out of her hat and two rambunctious children climbing about her, a couple sitting quietly and reading books, a young lady with a pair of spectacles perched on her nose working intently on her sewing with an older woman who was watching the landscape go by outside. Ah, there's an empty one. I settled into my seat and wondered where each of these people were headed. We all had something in common there. We were headed somewhere. 


Short Story 5

"Excuse me, are you lost?"
I looked up and saw a middle aged woman wearing a flowery patterned apron coming towards me.
"Oh um, well sort of, I'm try to find number 13 Warbler Lane." I explained, fumbling with my umbrella. The rain had gotten worse since I had boarded the bus at 10:15 this morning. "Yes, yes I know where that is but first please come out of the rain and have some tea" I willingly followed her to a small quaint cottage just around the hedge where I'd been standing.
Inside I took a deep breath and the scent of tea, lavender and melted butter wafted up my nose. 
"I was just making a batch of pancakes if you'd care to join me?" The woman set a steaming plate of pancakes on the table."They look extremely like the pancakes my mother used to make" I exclaimed. 
"Really now? I used to make them on rainy days like this for my daughter Jenny". The woman had her back to me while she made the tea.
"That's funny, my name is Jenny. My mother made the best pancakes in the world. She moved away when I was 9. Because of her illness, she had to move in with her sister. I had no father so I was taken in by some good friends. Now I've come to these parts to find her." I trailed off.
"How far away is Warbler Lane from here ma'am?" I asked as she put two teacups and a china teapot on the table in front of me.
She stayed quiet and sat down next to me. The only sounds were of the tea being poured and clock ticking away somewhere in the house.
Suddenly she spoke, "You're already here, dear. This is 13 Warbler Lane and I...I am your mother."

Oops, that one was quite long!

I hope you liked those and please tell me if there is anything wrong with them. It is my first attempt at writing short stories so let me know what you think and if you would like more.

Which one was your favourite?

~Hannah

The Christmas Tag

Oh, how I love all things Christmassy! So of course I had to find out if there was a Christmas tag. 


1. What is your favourite Christmas movie?
Hmmmmm.......I don't have a favourite but there are a few I quite like. Little Women 1994, A Royal Christmas, Christmas Oranges, and When Calls The Heart Christmas are all nice. I know there are more but I literally can't think of them.

2. Have you ever had a white Christmas?
I am very sad to say that, no, I have never had I white Christmas. Where I live it's summertime in December.

3. Where do you usually spend your holiday?
At my house or we used to do have Christmas celebrations and my grandparents house.

4. What is your favourite Christmas song?
I love O Holy Night! Angels We Have Heard On High and any Michael Buble Christmas songs are great too.

5. Do you open any Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve?
Yes. Christmas Eve is when we give all the presents. We get them early!

6. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Rudolf, Dasher, Prancer, Vixen, Dancer, Blizten..... I don't know the rest. Santa isn't a big part of our Christmas celebrations.

7. What holiday traditions are you looking forward to most this year?
Singing carols(because I am going to try play the guitar while we sing), eating the ham( we cover it in mustard and wrap it up in dough so it has a bready covering), giving presents, and everything really!

8. Is your Christmas tree real or fake?
We have always had a real one. Last year we were late it looking for one so used a fake one. This year I really want to try and get a real, piney, good-smelling tree, but if we can't then at least we have a back up fake tree. Still not the same though!

9. What is your all-time favourite holiday food/sweet treat?
Candy canes, Brunsli, our ham, any of the cookies, and any of the chocolate! Is it cheating to have multiple answers?

10. Be honest: do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better?
Both. This is a totally honest answer. Maybe I like receiving a little more but I do really like making Christmas gifts and watching the reactions as they get opened.

11. What is the best gift you've ever received?
Our whole family got a Nespresso coffee machine last year. That was pretty cool. I can't really say. All of my gifts have been nice! 

12. What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?
Anywhere were it snows! Switzerland or England probably. We have relatives in both countries!

13. Are you a pro-present wrapper, or do you fail miserably?
I'd say I'm pretty good at wrapping presents. Not a pro but good enough!

14. Most memorable holiday moment?
I have many memorable holiday moments. From making cookies with my Mother, decorating the tree, sitting around in our grandparents garden eating yummy things to opening my presents and looking at out grandparents tree.

15. What made you realise the truth about Santa?
I never believed in Santa. We were taught the real reason for Christmas from the start. 

16. Do you make New Years resolutions? Do you stick to them?
I haven't stuck to any of the resolutions/goals I made for this year. But I am hopeful for next year!

17. What makes the holidays special for you?
The fact that the whole family is together and has a lovely time together. I love that. It is a very special time of year and who better to spend it with than your own dear family!
Also the thing we are celebrating. Jesus' entrance into the world. 

Hope you enjoyed reading my answers to The Christmas Tag!

I tag:
Ruth at Amongst Spring Blossoms
Elanor at Musings of a Jane Austen Wannabe
Natasha at Simple Things

An Amish Match ~ Book Review ~ My First Book Review On Here!

You may have noticed that my posting patterns have changed lately. Usually I post on Monday and Friday, but lately I've just had so many post ideas that I just want to churn them out!
So for the next few weeks you may see me posting on other days as well. Hopefully you don't get sick of me then!
Now on with the review......

Oh, this book made me so happy!

"With a baby on the way, a toddler son to care for and a run-down farm, Amish widow Rebekah Burkholder is worried for her family's future. So when a kind, hardworking Amish widower with three children proposes marriage for sensible reasons, Rebekah accepts.
She'll oversee Joshua Stoltzfus's household, be a loving mother to his children and try to reach his rebellious teenager.
Joshua will make a wonderful father to her young son and the little one soon to be born.
But as Rebekah unexpectedly falls for her new husband, dare she hope that Joshua will reopen his heart to love, too?"

I really loved this heartwarming read. There were great moments with the whole family and I loved how loving they all were. The Stoltzfus family is the kind of family I would love to hang out with.

Rebekah is such a loving, wise and strong woman. She is great with the kids and really helps Joshua and his teenage son Timothy repair their shaky relationship.
Joshua is so kind and caring towards his family, he works hard but spends time with them as well.

My favourite quote form this book is the description Jo Ann Brown gives of Rebekah.
"Her freckles looked as if someone had blown cinnamon across her nose and high cheekbones."
Isn't that so cute? I just love that description of freckles.
I like that the lady on the front has red hair like Rebekah is supposed to. Sometimes covers have a person with blond hair when the character actually has black hair or something like that and it bugs me!
The ending was great and after I finished I had to hug the book.
I do recommend this book if you want something short but sweet. It was quite clean, mentioning a few kisses that were not detailed.

What more can I say? Overall I just loved this book!
Let me know if you pick it up and read it!

~ Hannah

3 Yummy Scrummy Christmas Treats That We Make Every Christmas

Via Pinterest

Who doesn't love biting into a delicious cinnamon-y gingerbread, a sweet sugary shortbread or a rich, fruity Christmas cake?

Today I am going to share 3 traditional Swiss Christmas recipes. These are ones we make every year and they are so yummy.

So first up, Spitzbuben (sch-pits-bu-ben) or Scallywags.

Via Google Images

Spitzbuben are a shortbread-type cookie with a layer of jam sandwiched in between and dusted with icing sugar. Traditionally these cookies had three jam-filled holes to look like the face of a cheeky boy or scallywag, hence the name.

250g or 1 1/4 cups butter
                                          Stir the butter in a bowl until smooth.
125g or 1 cup icing sugar or granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla sugar ( vanilla extract and sugar)
pinch of salt
                                         add these ingredients to the butter, then mix until the mixture is pale

1 egg white
                                        beat lightly and add to the mixture
350g or 3 cups flour
                                       fold the flour in and mix until it holds together as a dough, cover the bowl                                             and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
Take the dough out of the fridge about 30 minutes before rolling it out. Put a portion of dough between two sheets of baking paper.
Now you will need two 'cookies for each cookie. One for the bottom with no hole through it and one with a hole cut in the centre. It doesn't matter what shape cookie cutter you use for the middle. A small circle, heart or moon shapes have worked for us.
Put the cookies on a baking tray lined with baking paper, chill for about 15 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 200 C / 400 F / Gas Mk 6 and bake for 6-8 minutes.

To assemble, spread a layer of jam (raspberry jam is best but any jam will do) onto the bottom halves of the cookies and place the tops gently on top. You should end up with a cookie jam sandwich. Dust with icing sugar.

Moving on to the Brunsli! My favourite ones!

Via Google Images

Brunsli, a speciality of Basel (where my Mother lived in Basel till her family moved to New Zealand), are chocolaty confections often described as Swiss brownies. Almonds, sugar, and chocolate are ground fine and bound together with egg whites to create a satisfyingly chewy texture, while cinnamon and cloves impart an unmistakable flavour of old-fashioned Christmas cheer.

150g or 3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt 
250g or 2 3/4 cups ground almonds
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 knife point of ground cloves
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp flour
                                               mix all these dry ingredients together in a bowl
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
                                               add in and mix until blended
100g or 1/2 cup crumbled dark chocolate
                                               melt in a bain-marie stirring continuously
2 tsp Kirsch or Schnapps 
                                              add the Kirsch, or whatever you are using, to the chocolate, then mix                                                   with the other ingredients to form a dough.

Roll the dough out. Cut out the cookies in any shapes you have. Dip the cookie cutter in a bowl filled with icing sugar occasionally to be able to remove the cookies easily. We normally do Christmas trees and stars. Place all of them on a lined baking tray and leave out to dry for 5-6 hours or overnight.
Bake for 4-6 minutes at 250 C / 475 F / Gas Mk 9.

Lastly, Leckerli (lack-er-ly)....

Via Google Images

Leckerli were originally created by local spice merchants in Basel, Switzerland, over 700 years ago and is available all year round.

200g or 1 cup sugar
pinch of salt
4 eggs
                                mix in a bowl until it looks pale
2 tsp ground ginger 
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp mace
zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
60g or 1/2 cup chopped candied orange peel
60g 0r 1/2 cup chopped candied lemon peel
250g or 2 3/4 cups ground hazelnuts
60g 0r 1/4 cup butter, melted
                                leave the butter to cool slightly, then add and mix all the ingredients together
250g or 1 3/4 cups flour
                                fold in the flour until the dough comes together

Spread the mixture about 1 cm high on a baking tray covered with baking paper.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 C / 350 F / Gas Mk 4.

To make the the icing:
150g or 1 1/4 cups icing sugar
1 tbsp Kirsch or lemon juice
2 tbsp water
                              mix well, then spread on the Leckerli straight from the oven
                              scatter some chopped candied orange peel over the wet icing
                              cut into small squares. these will keep well and taste even better after 1-2 days.


I hope you enjoyed that. Let me know if you try making any of them!

Christmas is coming and It's the most wonderful time of the year!!!!!

You may be thinking "what....it's not Christmas yet and it's only November". But I think that it is just the right time to start thinking about it.
I think that it is the most wonderful time of the year, better even than my birthday!

I am having no trouble in getting into the Christmas mood.
I just love it so much!!

This post is just an excuse to show you all the pretty, glittery, Christmassy, pictures I found on Pinterest!

With Christmas around the corner everybody will start bustling around getting ready. I have started decorating(post coming about that) and making Christmas gifts. I always make my Christmas presents because it's easier. I don't have any money to use so I am really making them on a tight budget. I kind of spent all my money on books!
It's actually quite hard to think of ideas to make so I'll share a few ones that hopefully will spark some creativity in you if you are thinking of making some gifts.

1. A coupon booklet. Compile a booklet of little 'coupons' that the person receiving it can use. For example, if you are giving one to your mum, some of the coupons might say: this coupon entitles you to 1 breakfast in bed. Just all things that you are willing to do for with that person.
2. Wall art. Print out anything from a photo to a quote in a pretty font. Frame it and it can be a meaningful gift. Photos are always special. If you are a talented artist you can paint or draw something too.

3. Anything with photos. Absolutely anything!
4. Gift baskets. Pick a theme. And fill a basket/some sort of container with things corresponding with your theme. Examples: Pampering basket, movies night basket, foodie basket, ice cream sundae kit basket or a craft supplies basket.

When a new season rolls around I have to get all the things that go with that season. Like yesterday, I really craved some candy canes. But they didn't have any in the shop yet so I settled for some Candy Cane Hershey Kisses. They are yummy!

I will be taking some photos of my room in all it's Christmas-ness and posting them soon.

Anyway, I wanted to talk about what my family does at Christmas time.
My grandparents on my mother's side are Swiss so we do most of our celebrating on Christmas Eve. Leading up to this day we bake cookies, make presents, listen to Christmas carols, wrap presents, decorate, make more food and get excited!
On the day we arrange the presents under the tree. My grandparents, Nonna (Italian for grandmother) and Grandad, and my Mother's sister Viv and her family and my Mother's brother all come over. We used to have it at Nonna's house but now it's easier to have it at our house. Most of my memories of Christmas are at their house, with her knitted nativity scene, lots of treats and sitting in their nice garden on Christmas Day, still eating!

On Christmas Eve, we gather around the table and eat a delicious dinner. What follows is usually sitting in the lounge where the tree is, singing carols and reading the Christmas story from the Bible, and finally opening and giving the presents.
When I was little, the singing and reading seemed to take forever as I anticipated finding out what was concealed by all the pretty red and green paper.

On a more serious note, this Christmas I wanted to try and keep Christ at the centre of everything.
I saw this on Pinterest and it gave me an idea.

Candy canes are quite cheap so we're going to buy some and tie tags on them that say something similar to the above. Then we'll drop them into the letterboxes on our street.


This is only the beginning of my Christmassy posts so there will be plenty more soon.
I hope this wasn't too boring for you. I feel like I rambled on a bit.

~Hannah

God's Goodness

Good 
morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; pious

God is good. But not just any kind of goodness.
He is always good.
His goodness is perfect.
We can never be that kind of good. We are bad sometimes and make mistakes, we have sin.
So because He is so good we have many reasons to glorify Him.
He is worthy of being praised and honoured.
It is the least we can do after all he has done for us. He tells us to glorify him but not in a selfish proud way as you might think. I mean like I just said, we should want to and there are many reasons why we should.
Reasons like: He is worthy, He made everything, He gives us life, He loves us etc.
So if we acknowledge this we will/should want to glorify Him. Love Him with all our heart, mind and strength.
For example loving Him with our minds means getting rid of thoughts that don't honour Him, that don't glorify Him, and replacing them with things that do.

That might not be easy.

But let me ask you this...

How much are you willing to do for the glory of the Almighty God?

My Life in Books - Tag

My life in books eh? Sounds interesting! Saw this somewhere and decided to do it.
I never know how to write an intro to a tag post so I hope that will do. *slowly walks away* :)


Find a book for each of your initials
H- Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls
J- Jewel of the Thames by Angela Misri
S- Snug by Michael Morpurgo

Count you age along your bookshelf. What book is it?

Sadly not in this pretty edition!

Pick a book set in your country
The main character is a New Zealander but the events of the book are set in other countries.

And this one now that I think of it....

These two are on my list of favourites. I should really re-read them.

Pick a book that represents a destination you'd love to travel to
Any book set in England. England and Ireland are places that I would love to go to.

Pick a book that is your favourite colour

Which book do you have the fondest memories of ?
I have a lot of good memories of my Mum reading us the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
I still need to read them for myself. I am trying to collect them in a certain edition.


Which book did you have the most difficulty reading ?

I did not finish this book. It wasn't bad, it just didn't hold my interest and seemed a bit boring.

Which book in your TBR pile will give you the biggest accomplishment when you finish it?
What a question!
Well, it would definitely be a classic. Maybe this one...

There, that was my life in books!

 I tag:

Amy: shoutame

Naomi: Wonderland Creek

Lindsey: BFCG Channel