Tag Archives: biography

3 Hour Dad by Adam T Hourlution

I have received a free e-copy of the book 3 Hour Dad: Reading is Believing by Adam T Hourlution to review. To find out more about the author, you may visit his website.

3 Hour Dad by Adam T Hourlution

Here is the book blurb.

What would you do if you were suddenly told you were going to be a mum or dad without any notice? How would you react? What thoughts would go through your head? You haven’t prepared to be a parent, you’ve not made any arrangements and nobody in your family is aware.

Now imagine that not even the mum-to-be knew that she had been hiding a little person inside her tummy the entire time.

One day Adam, just your average, typical guy receives a call from his mother-in-law (to be !) summoning him to the hospital following his girlfriend being rushed in with suspected appendicitis only to discover that she is in fact having contractions and has been admitted to the labour ward.

This heart-warming and true story invites readers to step into Adam’s shoes and experience what it is like to be a 3 Hour Dad.

Adam is woken in the night by a phone call from his girlfriend’s mum. She tells him that Lyndsay has gone to hospital with suspected appendicitis but is in fact in labour. This is a huge shock, as neither Adam nor Lindsay herself even knew she was pregnant, no bump or symptoms at all. They hadn’t even been trying to conceive and Lindsay was on the pill and had been abseiling the previous weekend.

Adam rushes to the hospital and finds Lindsay in denial. But 3 hours after the bombshell news, their baby daughter is born weighing 8lb, 3 oz. They have nothing prepared for this unexpected baby, so new grandparents will hit the shops as soon as they open.

Just imagine putting yourself in either Adam’s or Lindsay’s shoes. No time to come to terms with your changing status. They weren’t even living together. Adam shares the story from his perspective, a male who had never even held a baby in his life before.

Also it was heartwarming to note that Adam has decided to donate a proportion of sales to a random act of kindness fund that is used to surprise others.

3 Hour Dad is available on Amazon, currently priced at £3.83 in Kindle format. A truly lovely tale. Highly recommended.

Here is an extract from the beginning of the book.

Intro

I was destined to be a rock star! I had songs written, I was ready to record, I just needed to find my band mates and we would be ready to go! Until this great adventure was to begin, my main aim was to complete my vintage Star Wars collection; and to book as many cheeky breaks (dirty weekends if you will!) and holidays with my girlfriend.

It was 11th May 2015. Just another typical weekday evening spent alone in my home, focused on winning that all important eBay auction and securing Greedo, the last Star Wars figure I needed to complete the set. I had a dedicated guitar room, a blossoming relationship with the love of my life and hours of laptop time every night………well I did until the phone rang.

Chapter One – May The Force Be With You

I remember it as if it was yesterday. In fact I often still find myself drifting off into day dream mode where I re-live the moment. It was a normal working day; I had been in a meeting out of town and, although not too far away, I was not going to get back until at least 7.30pm. I was actually supposed to have been staying overnight in a hotel about 200 miles away but those arrangements had been changed. Although my girlfriend worked locally and was in the process of moving in, she didn’t fancy coming back to an empty house and so went home to her Mum’s straight from work.

I hadn’t heard from her since her lunch hour which wasn’t out of the ordinary. I knew she was planning to cook a spag bol for her Mum and catch up on the soaps. I had a pizza ready to throw into the oven and a mixed fruit Kopperberg chilling in the fridge, which I had been looking forward to all day. As soon as I walked through the front door I turned on the oven, powered up the laptop and eagerly logged into eBay, loading the bidding screen for the auction which I knew had only a few hours left.

I would say I am one of those people who are blessed with a high metabolism; I can lose weight easily but really struggle to put it on. Well at least that was my justification for consuming the entire pizza even though I had to eat it with Daddies sauce because the supermarket had run out of my usual brand of brown sauce. One episode of the Vampire diaries later and after the perfect cup of tea, I was climbing into bed with my laptop ready to fight it out in the virtual battlefield for that elusive figure. I had already decided that I was going to win this particular auction and stopped paying attention to other listings of the same figure. I don’t know why I was drawn to this particular listing but I was literally in touching distance of claiming my victory.

Success! With 5 seconds to go my winning bid beat the competition. I quickly paid via PayPal and excitedly selected the delivery address as my home. I was going to be the proud owner of a vintage Greedo figure (plus his original weapon and a free gift!). What a find, what a deal, what a brilliant evening! I didn’t care that he wasn’t free delivery, I didn’t care (nor ask) what the free gift was; I was going to have a complete Star Wars collection!! I had set out for this after all. I had imagined the display cabinet which I would proudly present them in and knew where on the wall it would be fixed. My fantasy of 12 months ago was actually going to manifest itself. Don’t get me wrong it had come at a big price, but these figures were priceless to me and so in that respect they were worth every penny.

As the adrenaline began to wear off, I could feel the long day creeping up on me. I flopped back, pulling off my glasses and pushing the laptop to my partner’s side of the bed. After all, it would ultimately go into hibernation mode and shut itself down; it most definitely deserved a place on the bed! It wasn’t long before I was drifting off and sinking into the calmness of the night. I was still faintly tuned into the fans on my laptop and remember them slowing down until there was complete and utter silence. What bliss.

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Disclosure. This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free. All opinions are my own.

Tunes on a Penny Whistle by Doris Coates

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I have received a free e-copy of the book Tunes on a Penny Whistle: A Derbyshire Childhood by Doris E Coates to review.

Here is the book blurb.

The early 1900s were a period of great hardship for many working-class families, particularly in rural areas. However, they were also times of pride and self-sufficiency, with fun and laughter derived from simple pleasures as well as mutual support and courage when poverty could have become unbearable.

This book is a personal history of a childhood in the village of Eyam – known as the Plague Village – in the Peak District of Derbyshire. Doris recalls how her mother confronted tough living conditions without labour-saving devices and often with little or no money.

She remembers, too, her father, who fought for the right for union representation, worked for self-help groups, and organised political meetings and village entertainments. He was a talented self-taught musician, producing a wide range of music on his Canadian organ and penny whistle. His fighting spirit made him a remarkable and influential character within the village community.

Both humourous and shocking, this description of domestic and community life at the beginning of the twentieth century is illustrated with many contemporary photographs, documents, and line drawings by George Coates, the author’s husband.

This book is a biography originally published in 1983, mainly about the author’s father Harry Dawson, but also all their family life during her childhood. This new edition has been edited by Doris’s son Richard with supplemental information from ancestry databases and also includes plenty of period photos.

Doris was born in 1908 in Eyam, Derbyshire into poverty. The cottage had no plumbed water, gas or electricity. An earth closet at the far end of the garden and baths in front of the living room fire. But the family had a good quality of life despite the lack of facilities and shortage of money. Lots of foraging walks and selling teas to passing ramblers helped.

Eyam was a rural industrial village where shoe making was the main industry. Harry worked long 12 hour shifts, five and a half days a week in the shoe factory, but still found time for newspaper reporting, local temperance and friendly societies, cycling and music. The working conditions were dreadful and the pay appalling with wages at about half the national average. The union didn’t reach Eyam until 1918 when Harry was sacked on suspicion of having joined the union. He hadn’t but soon did. And of course with no income, things became even more difficult for the family. And worse still in 1922 when the shoe factory owners tried to evict the family by putting their rented cottage up for auction. But Harry went into debt and bid 3 times over its value to buy the cottage that his family had lived in for at least 3 generations.

Doris’s grandfather George Dawson was famed for his tune to “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and his musical prowess led to the family being held in high esteem locally even though they had no social status.

And Doris’s mother Margaret spearheaded the campaign to get a district nurse.

School was stressful for Doris aged 8 with physical punishments from the teacher and she was near a nervous breakdown when the school medical inspector intervened on his annual inspection. 2 months off school and then a different teacher improved the situation. He encouraged her to sit the Grammar school scholarship examination, which she passed but there was no transportation and the family couldn’t afford the boarding fees. But even so in 1926, Doris became the first non-Grammar school student to qualify for higher education at Goldsmiths’ College, London. Again money was a problem but was overcome with a loan.

Tunes on a Penny Whistle is available on Amazon, currently priced at £11.95 in paperback and is also available in Kindle format or hardback. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. A fascinating insight into the local and social history of the early twentieth century.

Here is an extract from the book to give you a flavour.

No Power to the Workers
(Chapter 7 page 93)

So it was that our district nurse arrived in 1917, a crucial time in the life of the village. Self-help and thrift had done something to ameliorate life’s perpetual difficulties, but with wartime strains, long working hours and wages in the factories barely half the national average, morale was low. When the suggestion was made that workers should join a union and fight for their rights, some were apathetic, while others saw this as the only hope of improving their conditions.

Trade unions had strengthened during the war, when there was a great demand for labour to fulfil Government contracts. The National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives (NUBSO) had achieved good conditions for workers in Northampton, Leicester and other large centres. A working week of forty-eight hours was agreed, and with wage increases and bonuses it was possible to earn 45-55s a week (£2.25–£2.75).

By 1917 the union was turning its attention to smaller centres. John Buckle was appointed organiser to recruit members in Eyam and Stoney Middleton, and to try to bring conditions in the factories up to union standards. He met with obdurate resistance from the bosses. Any worker who was suspected to joining the union was sacked instantly.

Seven firms were involved in the dispute. Four, in Stoney Middleton, all made heavy boots for men, pit boots, army boots and carters’ boots. Three factories in Eyam manufactured light shoes for women and children. They were all family firms, and the bosses were what was known as ‘little masters’ who came from the same background as most of their employees, and spoke with the same Derbyshire accent. They had no pretence to culture or education, and treated with suspicion people like my parents who were well read (through self-educated) and who were not afraid to express their opinions.

Context

Chapter 7 describes in detail the working conditions in the shoe factories in Eyam and the neighbouring village, Stoney Middleton. The author’s father, Harry, had worked in one of these for all his working life – 30 years or so.

Through the contemporary notes of the professional union organiser, this chapter describes the ultimately futile fight for union recognition and nationally agreed pay rates. Harry lost his job on suspicion of joining the union (which at that point he had not), and was never able to work again in the village again through what today would be regarded as victimisation.

2018 is the Centenary of the strike in Eyam and Stoney Middleton, and Eyam Museum is promoting events and exhibitions to commemorate it.

About the Authors

Born in Eyam in the Peak District of Derbyshire, Doris E. Coates achieved a successful and varied career as a teacher in both Derbyshire and later in Norfolk. Along with her husband George, she was an active member of her community promoting local groups, enjoyed singing in the local choir and, after retirement, turned her talents to writing. Her son, Richard Coates, now based in Bath enjoyed a happy childhood and grew up appreciating the importance of a strong education. After gaining a scholarship at Oxford University he went on to read Politics, Philosophy and Economics. Later as a management consultant he worked for international companies including Audi, British Airways and Mars in both the UK and oversees and continues to sit on the board of Davos Consultancy. Now retired, and in memory of his mother, Richard has decided to republish her books with fascinating new additions after researching further into his family history.

I’m participating in the book tour and you may like to check out some of the other blog stops on the tour, including my own review of Tuppenny Rice and Treacle, in which I try out the Bible Cake recipe.

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Disclosure. This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free. All opinions are my own.

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Tuppenny Rice and Treacle by Doris Coates

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I have received a free e-copy of the book Tuppenny Rice and Treacle: Cottage Housekeeping 1900-1920 by Doris E Coates to review.

Here is the book blurb.

Feeding a family on a limited budget is always a challenge. Yet even with a budget as low as ten shillings (50p) a week in the early part of the twentieth century, it is remarkable how interesting and varied the menu could be.

This delightful book draws on recipes compiled by Doris’s mother in Derbyshire and mother-in-law in Cumberland, and contains detailed records of weekly expenditure.

It includes numerous recipes for nutritious and filling meals for working men and growing families, taking full advantage of what was available – hearty meat dishes, with lots of root vegetables, puddings and dumplings to fill them out, cakes and buns, sweets and jams, and beverages to go with them (some highly alcoholic!). The recipes work just as well now as then.

It is also full of household and cleaning hints and products, illustrating immense pride in the home, as well as medicines, lotions and potions that would ‘kill or cure’.

This book originally published in 1975, is mainly based on the recipes and notebooks of both Doris’s mother Margaret Dawson and mother-in-law Jane Coates from the period 1900 – 1920. This new edition includes additional material sourced by Doris’s son Richard Coates.

The notebooks would have included household accounts and money saving tips. And the recipes weren’t all food, they also encompassed how to make your own medicines and cleaning materials. It was very difficult for Margaret to balance the £1 budget and if she overspent one fortnight, she would have to cut back the following, as there was a family horror of debt. She supplemented the income with paying guests, teas for ramblers and piecework for the shoe factory, although this only earned 9d per dozen.

However her accounts for several years show no record of purchase of boots, shoes, major items of clothing or toiletries. Items like tinned fruit were beyond their means, but however short of money, she still had to fill the store cupboard for the winter, so there are recipes for preserves, pickles and bottled fruit. All such a fascinating insight.

Then recipes for cheap cuts of meat – rook pie for instance. Followed by substantial filling puddings, some were regional specialities like Coniston Pudding and Felixstowe Tart. And the interesting names of others like High Church Pudding and Duchess of Sutherland Pudding. Of course not missing out teatime favourites, again many are regional like Northumberland Griddle Cakes and Sledmere Gingerbread.

And I loved the fact that the teetotal family were of the opinion that potent homemade drinks were innocuous, so we see the likes of Nettle Beer and Cowslip Wine.

At least the author warns us not to try the cough mixture recipes, as I see ingredients like laudanum. And I love the household tips like how to test the heat of the oven.

Tuppenny Rice and Treacle is available on Amazon, currently priced at £11.95 in paperback and is also available in Kindle format or hardback. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. A wonderful glimpse into the early twentieth century household accounts, with plenty of recipes to browse.

And I’ve been busy trying out the Bible Cake recipe. This is not just a recipe, but a puzzle too, with the ingredients all being listed as Bible references.

Bible Cake

This ‘puzzle recipe’ has been known in the North of England at least from the turn of the century.

½ lb Judges 5, verse 25 (last clause)
½ lb Jeremiah 6, verse 203. 1 tbsp 1 Samuel 14, verse 25
3 of Jeremiah 17, verse 11
½ lb 1 Samuel 30, verse 12
½ lb Nahum 3, verse 12 (chopped)
2 oz Numbers 17, verse 8 (blanched and chopped)
1 lb 1 Kings 4, verse 22
season to taste with 2 Chronicles 9, verse 9
a pinch of Leviticus 2, verse 13
1 tsp Amos 4, verse 5
1 tbsp Judges 4, verse 19

Note: leaven means baking powder.

Beat Nos 1, 2 and 3 to a cream; add 4 one at a time, still beating; then 5, 6 and 7, and beat again; add 8, 9, 10 and 11 having previously mixed them, and lastly No 12. Bake in a slow oven for one and a half hours.

Here is the solution to the puzzle:

She brought forth butter in a lordly dish – ½ lb butter
The sweet cane from a far country (sugar) – ½ lb sugar
There was honey upon the ground – 1 tbsp honey
As the partridge sitteth on eggs and hatcheth them not – 3 eggs
And they gave him a piece of cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins – ½ lb raisins
All thy strongholds shall be like fig trees with first-ripe figs – ½ lb figs (chopped)
The rod of Aaron… yielded almonds – 2 oz almonds (chopped)
Soloman’s provision was… thirty measures of fine flour – 1 lb flour
Spices in great abundance – Season with spices to taste
Thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt – Pinch salt
A sacrifice with leaven (yeast) – 1 tsp baking powder
And she opened a bottle of milk – 3 tbsp milk

This made a very large quantity of mixture, so I had to split it across 2 tins, as I didn’t have a large enough tin. I followed the quantities stipulated exactly and was quite surprised how stiff the mixture was for a cake, more like the consistency of rock buns. Also I had to guess what temperature a slow oven would be. I opted for 160 degree in my fan oven but with hindsight, this may have been too high. I ended up covering the cakes with greaseproof paper after 45 minutes to avoid the outside over-cooking and took them out of the oven at 65 minutes compared to the expected 90 minutes.

However the resulting cakes were delicious. But surely ingredients like figs would have been difficult to source in Margaret’s time, so I imagine this would have been a cake for a special occasion in those days.

About the Authors

I’m kicking off the book tour and you may like to check out some of the other blog stops on the tour. I’ll be back on January 29th with my review of Tunes on a Penny Whistle.

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Disclosure. This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free. All opinions are my own.

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