It was an exceptionally gorgeous weekend here up North, so when a friend came up for a weekend visit we thought a day trip to Stirling would be in order. We hiked up Dumyat and had a brief wander in Stirling city, before resting our feet for a quick cream tea. The best tea place … Continue reading Darnley Coffee House (Stirling)
‘I can’t do magic, sir’, Christopher said. 'So can’t a lot of people. Some are born that way,’ Dr. Pawson bawled. 'Do better than that, Chant. Show me. Don’t do some magic and let me see.’ Yes yes yes! Here, at the end of February, we have made it to my absolute favourite Diana Wynne … Continue reading The Lives of Christopher Chant – Chrestomanci 4
It's unbelievable but true. Dear reader, I kid you not. The weather here has been really nice lately! The sun was out all day and it was not too wet for once, which combined with my new job makes me giddy for spring time! To prematurely celebrate spring (which will probably actually take another half … Continue reading Mimi’s Picnic Parlour (Edinburgh)
The note said: SOMEONE IN THIS CLASS IS A WITCH. Wooh! It's week 3 of our Chrestomanci series, and we are back in school, baby! A lot of the Chrestomanci stories are school stories, and I would say the best of them are. This one is the schooliest of the novels though, as … Continue reading Witch Week – Chrestomanci #3
Ehm, shall we say it's still Monday? Yeah... So anyways, yesterday was a rarely seen lovely day here up the North, and my partner and I decided to go for a trip to Leith (if you're not from Edinburgh, this may just be the best introduction to Leith). We had a wonderful little day trip - … Continue reading Mimi’s Bakehouse (Leith)
Wooh, welcome to the second installment of Chrestomanci month*! So if you follow us on Facebook, or Twitter, or Instagram (we are so modern and down with it), you may have noticed that this post came with its own personal drama. Don't worry though, the creative juices are flowing, and the book is still fresh in my mind! Also … Continue reading The Magicians of Caprona – Chrestomanci #2
As my wallet is slimming down at a whopping, jealousy inducing speed, and I am running out of places to review in Edinburgh, once again I find myself at a place that is not a traditional tea room. Natural Food Kafe on Clerk Street is a small shop specialising in health foods. They opened last … Continue reading Natural Food Kafe (Edinburgh)
Wait, is that Hogwarts? Why yes, yes it is. Welcome to Februari on the blog, where we'll be going through one of the best fantasy quartets ever: Diana Wynne Jones's Chrestomanci series. Diana Wynne Jones was a brilliantly funny, creative and engaging children's fiction writer, and she is definitely not famous enough. This was one talented lady, and … Continue reading Charmed Life – Chrestomanci #1
It's a student/hipster Edinburgh staple - and yes, I know I'm stretching it a lot by going here for a tea review, but with storm Gertrude running amok I felt like comfort and no more than a short walk. So Black Medicine it is! This is, by all accounts, a coffee shop. Don't be tricked … Continue reading Black Medicine (Edinburgh)
Tea & Tales 