Do you feel your mood changing with the seasons? I certainly do! Here's my top winter wellness tips for keeping you smiling when summer feels so far away.

Five winter wellness tips to beat the changing seasons blahness

Do you feel your mood changing with the seasons? I certainly do! Here's my top winter wellness tips for keeping you smiling when summer feels so far away.

Do you feel your mood changing with the seasons? I certainly do! Here’s my top winter wellness tips for keeping you smiling when summer feels so far away.

When you sit and have time to think, actually take a moment out of the world and frantic energy all around. At what point do you yearn for more? More than the idyllic life of freedom – from work, chores, bills and responsibility.

Given my current state, I’d say that that point is 6 days and 13.5 hours. I’m scribbling this post in my notebook, in our hotel’s reading room, in Thailand. There’s no WiFi in here, I’ve engrossed myself in my creepy book that I’ve had to take a step away from it before it spooks me completely, and I’m wondering at the rain and wishing I’d brought my laptop with me… I’d get SO much work done!

Putting the Range Rover through its paces on the historical Jungle Trail at the Land Rover Experience, Solihull - it's more than the school run deserves!

Turning left into 40 with Land Rover Experience, Solihull

Putting the Range Rover through its paces on the historical Jungle Trial at the Land Rover Experience, Solihull - it's more than the school run deserves!

There’s nothing like a younger sibling to remind you about how old you’re getting or have become. So when my pretty awesome baby brother booked me a Land Rover Experience taster session for my 40th birthday, there might have been a few tears in my eyes; for finally joining the 4-0 club, the thoughtfulness of his gift and the reminder that he’s still several years behind me with the rest of his 30’s to look forward too!

Having read A Discovery of Witches way back and being entranced by the love story shrouded in the mystery of witchcraft and magic, when I was invited to attend an advanced screening of Sky One's new series and a private tour of the new Spellbound exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum; how could I not go!

Bewitched in Oxford… Deborah Harkness’ A Discovery of Witches advanced screening

Having read A Discovery of Witches way back and being entranced by the love story shrouded in the mystery of witchcraft and magic, when I was invited to attend an advanced screening of Sky One's new series and a private tour of the new Spellbound exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum; how could I not go!

Summer’s gone and we are officially in autumn which means a windy chill whips around the house, the leaves are crunchy under my feet, evening’s are spent curled up on the sofa with a good drama and Halloween is just around the corner! But this year, it’s not all ghosts and ghouls, enter the realms of the lives of witches, vampires and daemons with Sky One’s new 8 part mini-series, A Discovery of Witches, adapted from the first book of Deborah Harkness’ All Souls Trilogy.

Crumbs and Corkscrews - Il Gallo d'Oro, Madeira

Il Gallo d’Oro, Madeira

Crumbs and Corkscrews - Il Gallo d'Oro, Madeira

As I write this my stomach is somewhere in my throat as the airplane bounces through the skies above the Atlantic and we’ve just experienced the most horrific take-off I’ve ever had the erm… pleasure of experiencing in my 30-something years of flying; and I’ve flown some pretty nasty flights. The ‘shaky’ announcement at Funchal airport that the Lufthansa flight that was due to land just before we left was diverted 400km south to Tenerife because of the horrendous weather on Madeira, probably induced my only, and only slightly, flight-panic attack. I hate heights but love flying; this is all wrong! So feeling a little queasy I’ve decided to write about food, because thats what you do, right, when your stomach’s flipping around all over the place?

You wouldn’t think it, but we do get chance to get away every once in a while… Admittedly they tend to be at least 12 months apart but it does happen. In fact this year we’ve been spoilt and managed to get away to Cornwall to stay with friends, and also amidst a chaotic work schedule jet off for a week to Madeira.

Crumbs & Corkscrews - Raymond Blanc and Kenwood at Le Manoir

Return to Le Manoir – An Evening with Raymond Blanc

Crumbs & Corkscrews - Raymond Blanc and Kenwood at Le Manoir

There are things in life that I dream of doing, some of those dreams may even come true, but some of them I’m resigned to the fact that they are just that ‘dreams’. But every once in a while, something magical happens and one of those dreams has the chance to become reality!

So when an email from the fabulous people at John Lewis and Kenwood landed in my inbox inviting me to the launch of the new Kenwood Chef Sense at Le Manoir, I couldn’t keep my phone still in my shaking hands long enough to read it properly. A few shakes later, I’d managed to take note of the date and time and speed walk across the office to make sure I could book the time off work.

Last year I’d packed myself off for a birthday treat and joined some fantastic people at The Raymond Blanc Cookery school for the day-long Patisserie course. I fell in love with the hotel, the people, the food, the atmosphere… well everything; and I’d been dreaming of going back ever since. So off I set to join a small and select group of lovely ladies; Penny, Caroline, Tara and Becky!