Parragon Book Buddies - Wakey Wakey Big Brown Bear

This month's arrival, courtesy of Parragon's Book Buddies, is Wakey Wakey Big Brown Bear, by Tracey Corderoy, and illustrated by Rachel Swirles.  (And I just have to say what brilliant names they both are!  It's not important, but it's true)

Autumn is fun for the animals of the forest, except for Big Brown Bear, who sleeps through it all until springtime, and misses out on all the excitement.  His friends try to wake him up to make sure he doesn't miss out on any of the seasonal fun in this lovely bedtime book, perfect as the nights are drawing in.

This is a great book to share, there's loads to talk about, with the autumn and winter, what children enjoy and dislike, why some animals hibernate, the changing of the seasons, and the way Big Brown Bear's friends try to make sure he gets to enjoy the autumn and winter without missing out on his precious sleep.  Squeaky was absolutely FULL of questions for me, though not always the easiest to answer at bedtime, admittedly.

Not exactly a happy model this month.

I quite like the idea of hibernating, if I'm honest, and I wouldn't be all that upset to miss out on the puddles or the snow that Big Brown Bear is so eager to experience.  I can kind of see where he's coming from about the crunchy autumn leaves though, they're my favourite part of this time of year, aside from the excuse to wrap up in big jumpers & scarves, and judging by the pile of fallen leaves, conkers, acorns & general discarded bits of tree in the corner of our living room, I'd say Squeaky feels much the same.

Wakey Wakey Big Brown Bear has jumped way up the list of current bedtime reading requests, and is a great seasonal read.

Wakey Wakey Big Brown Bear is available from Amazon and other retailers.

Disclosure: I was provided with the above book free of charge for the purpose of this review. I was not told what to write and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme and will not receive reward for their use.

Souper Mr Pumpkin Soup

Now that we've carved our first EVER pumpkin, and even stuck a tealight in him for a little while, we're left with the challenge of finding something to do with a large gourd that we've never cooked with before.  I know if I was American, or had any great culinary skills, I could make pumpkin pie, but not without some serious help.  So I opted for a failsafe idea.  Soup.

I love homemade soup, it's my favourite thing about autumn.  Tomato, cauliflower, broccoli & stilton, mushrooms, nothing is safe from my evil glare & stick blender!  So I decided to turn Mr Pumpkin into Mr Pumpkin Soup, with the help of my beloved slow cooker.

Mr Pumpkin

Ingredients

Half a medium sized (carving style) pumpkin. Preferably the non-carved half! 

One onion

1 litre stock (veg or chicken, up to you)

Two big pinches dried thyme

Large “end of a teaspoon” of dried cumin

Method

Peel the pumpkin & chop into matchbox sized chunks.

Dice the onion

Put all the ingredients into a slow cooker for 1 hour on high, then switch off & attack with a stick blender to turn the pumpkin chunks into soupiness.

Turn slow cooker back on low, and stir occasionally until you’re ready to serve.

Add a swirl of crème fraiche & serve with crusty bread.

(N.B. If you haven't got a slow cooker, it'll work just as well in a saucepan on the hob, and probably cook a bit quicker, but you'll need to stir it more often to avoid burnt bits at the bottom)

Mr Pumpkin Soup

This made about 2 1/2 litres of soup, so if you're not planning to feed an entire army, you might want to reduce the measures slightly.  But it freezes well, and reheats well.  Above it's pictures in my new favourite thing, my Sistema Soup-to-go microwave soup mug. Perfect for carrying to work.  Small things please this small mind.

Hugo Frosch Hot Water Bottles

You can tell it's heading into autumn.  The leaves are turning golden & red, the nights are drawing in, I've had to turn the headlights on in my car on the way home from work, and I've resorted to a hot water bottle in bed.  I love a good hot water bottle, I think it comes from 8 years living in the wild of Wet Yorkshire (yes, that was deliberate!). So when the chance came to review the Hugo Frosch range of German hot water bottles, I was a happy woman indeed.

My last hot water bottle became a casualty of last year's house move, when it met with a tragic accident, the details of which are too distressing for hot water bottle lovers to face, even now.  RIP Walter the Water Bottle.  I hadn't found a suitable replacement for Walter, until Hugo Frosch came to my rescue, and sent me not only a replacement for Walter, but a friend as well!

I received a traditional hot water bottle in a knitted cover, and a small heart-shaped bottle in a red velour cover, which Squeaky immediately claimed as her own.  The small one is a transparent red bottle, and oddly smells slightly of strawberries. I'm sure it's not my imagination,  I sniffed the other bottle & that smells like every other hot water bottle, so I can't be making it up, can I?

Why a German hot water bottle, I hear you wonder to yourself, what's so special about it?  They are actually a bit different to the normal bottles I've bought in the past, with a rubber washer on the cap.  These have a longer stopper, and a rubber screw in be neck, rather than metal.  I have a feeling, though can't be sure, that this is likely to make them longer lasting, as there's no risk of water damage to the metal parts, or the rubber washer wearing out.  The cap is just a little bit different, and I noticed it.

The bottles are good quality, and the covers soft and comfortable, conducting plenty of heat to your feet (or wherever else you put your hot water bottle, dear reader), without being uncomfortably hot. They retain heat well, and were still slightly warmer than room temperature by morning, rather than being a stone cold weight in the bottom of the bed.  The bottles are also recyclable, something I'd never really thought possible in a hot water bottle, and have a 2 year leak-proof guarantee.  Hugo Frosch also make an eco hot water bottle, with no plasticisers or PVC, making them a sustainable option for the future.  I don't quite understand how they work, but I'd love to find out.

Squeaky and I are loving our new hot water bottles, she cuddles hers at every opportunity, and I have to admit that mine is on my lap right now as I'm typing - it's getting decidedly chilly here, but I'm determined not to put the heating on just yet.

A selection of Hugo Frosch hot water bottles is now available in the UK from Amazon

Disclosure: I was provided with the hot water bottles as detailed above free of charge for the purposes of this review.  I was not told what to write and all opinions are my own.  All links are provided for convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme and will not receive reward for their use.