This fabulous fireplace is in the room the Robert and I are currently sleeping in. I say currently because there is a room that would be better for us as it has more storage space but this room is opposite the children and we want to be near them right now.

Anyway, I was delighted to see this little gem, in perfect condition, as we were taken around the house on one of our viewings.

I’m not sure whether the photos do it justice or not. The colours are muted and pale and I love the size of it. Small, neat and fairly unobtrusive but unmistakeably there!

There are pale duck egg shades in the tiles.

And the corners are beautifully rounded and soft. To the left of it is a built in wardrobe that shall most certainly be staying and to the right of it is a more makeshift creation of a wardrobe that shall be relieved of its post and filled by a set of drawers I have in mind.

There are two things that excite me about this fireplace and the space that surrounds it.

1, The hearth is filled in but when you tap the wood that has been used to block it it is hollow. Robert and I are dying to know what lies behind it. I very much doubt whether we’ll ever develop it enough to have an open fire in this bedroom but I would certainly like anything other than this sheet of plywood covering up the hole.

2, One of the things I made sure I did when we were viewing the property was to check out the quality of the floorboards. As you can see we were left with underlay in this room but no carpet, this is not a problem at all, as I knew that these babies were underneath…….

Look at that!!! You beauties!!!

They are like that in every single room in the house. This means that we have the choice of having carpet, natural floorboards, painted floorboards or stained floorboards in any of the rooms.

That is the sort of thing that makes me disproportionately happy. But then we all know I need to get out more.

I love you and thank you for reading today.

Cherry

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I decorate with a lot of different shades of white. But you already knew that.

I use the white as a background, a canvas, a shell with which to place colour. It’s not a new way of decorating, that’s for sure, I’m not breaking new design ground here, but I do find that the possibilities when decorating in this way are limitless, ageless and open to anything. Whatever the season, holiday, month or occasion.

A question I am often asked, alongside whether my name is my real name (yes, it is), is how, with two small children and a life do I manage to live with so much white and not live in one big stain.

Well, it’s been a process. With trials and errors along the way. I think that you have to learn to live with white in a way that you don’t if you were to live with other, more amenable colours, but having done it and being in the process of doing it again I can say that I love it, I would not have it any other way and I will probably do it until I die. You should probably know all this as we’re just about to start the mother of all makeovers.

Living with white, practical points…….

The Pros
You can see the dirt.

The Cons
You can see the dirt.

I used to be of the opinion that to be able to see the dirt or stains that appear on such light colours was a disaster but my need for lightness in my living space overtook all of these cares and worries. It is worth so much more to me to be able to live the way I want to aesthetically, physically, spiritually and emotionally and the colours and light in my home are such a big part of this, that keeping the space smudge free became a moot point.

It was a choice I made. And I came around to the opinion that the dirt is going to be there whether you can see it or not, it’ll still need dealing with. So I’d rather have it staring me in the face, daring me to tackle it than festering for as long as I can bear to ignore it should my eyes not actually be able to spot it the moment it happens.

There are of course some really practical ways of living with white -

• I have white sofas and chairs. Some from Ikea (the largest selling sofa in the world, the Ektorp) and some from Sofa.com. All but one of these chairs and sofas have washable slipcovers. When they get grubby or marked they are whipped off and washed. I do this about twice a year unless Robert falls asleep with a glass of red wine in his hand.
• I have a wooden table that I painted white. I used two coats of white emulsion and a spray to apply the paint. If I had wanted to preserve the paint, with no chips or markings, I would have applied a couple of coats of clear matt varnish after painting. But I didn’t. I wanted it to have a slightly beaten up look about it. It is the table in my kitchen, my children sit at it, they eat at it, they climb on to it and they draw at it. I couldn’t be precious about this particular table. I have inherited a new wooden table with the house. I intend to do something very similar but a bit more elegant with this table. I shall keep you posted and will upload the makeover when it’s all done.
• Paintwork. There are certain areas of paintwork that I like to try and keep scuff free and in good condition. Skirting boards, I find, as everybody does especially if they are near to an exterior door of some kind, that they get dusty, grimy and lose their lustre incredibly quickly. In the past I have always opted for matt paintwork but nowadays, due to how easy it is to keep clean and the fact that the paints are mainly water based, I opt for gloss every time. They are wipe clean and I often do it with the other side of a baby wipe having cleaned my kids up after a meal.
  The same applies to windowsills unless the space I’m decorating is in need of something a touch more rustic. Then I’ll replace a windowsill with a much deeper piece of wood and use a much ‘shabbier’ painting technique. But this will often be left for spaces such as kitchen windowsills or even outside spaces.
• Carpets. Of course this is a tricky one. But I should say that I have lived with light carpets and I’ve lived with dark carpets (in fact I have some dark carpets in the new house) and the dark ones show just as much dirt and traffic evidence as the light ones. For instance, I have a cat, she has light fur and I can tell EXACTLY where she has been from one moment to the next as most of her coat is showing up good and proper on those dark carpets. As are all the other specks, flecks and rubbish that are traipsed thorough daily. If you’re going to opt for lighter carpets my advice would certainly be to opt for something with some warmth to the shade as you’ll find that there are often flecks within those carpets that hide a multitude of sine and also, if your budget can stretch, choose one with a knotted effect. Not only are they far more comfy but they too help with hiding day to day grit that may not be tackled the moment it happens.

Robert and I have spoken a lot about the flooring in this new house. There is an area that we’d like to have dark wood boards in place. This is a bit of a departure for us but with the rest of the room being so light it can cope with it. There are also rooms that I would like to have white gloss boards in. But I’ll have to put aside about 6 months in order to tackle that project correctly so I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

I haven’t tackled every single aspect of living with an abundance of white today, just some of the main basics. But I’ve been doing it for a while now and I love it. It is a state of mind for me as well as a decorative choice. It’s a nod to the bright sunlight of California, a place I love so much and a wink towards the fabulous Danish style of decorating that companies such as Greengate do so well.

But shall I tell you what I love most about living with white and decorating and building a home around a very light palette?

It makes me feel good.
It helps me to live in the light on dark, gloomy and rainy days.
It brightens my morning to come down to a light and bright kitchen when the the sun has already been up for many hours.
Our homes should work for us in any way possible. We pay enough for them, we spend an inordinate amount of time in them and, most importantly, we need to feel good as often as is possible in them.

I want to feel good in my home so that others can enjoy it with me. And I help this process along by keeping it light, bright and simple. It’s a choice.

And that is how I live with white.

I love you and thank you so very much for reading today.

Cherry x

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Good Morning!

I hope you all had a really great weekend and are feeling refreshed and ready to go.

I’m able to tell you about a project very dear to my heart today.

My first EBook.

Easy Jubilee, published next Thursday, 24th May, will be available to download from all major online retailers. Amazon, iBookstore, Waterstones etc, costs only £1.99 and will be available internationally!

It contains everything you need to help you to throw a beautiful Jubilee celebration for your friends and family – from how to create and decorate delicious Jubilee-themed cupcakes, to making gorgeous homemade deluxe bunting that you can make and keep forever or gift to someone, and organising games and activities to entertain the children throughout the day. With easy-to-follow steps and huge amounts of beautiful photographs, I want to show you that party planning can be inspiring, adventurous and most of all, simple. There will also be a link to my webshop that will enable you to purchase one of my own downloadable designs for the very first time.

I’ve also just been told that I can tell you about two more EBooks, easy Halloween and easy Christmas that are to be published in September and October respectively.

My book is out later this year.

Even if you aren’t celebrating the Jubilee I hope that you still love the Ebook. It can be tailored to fit any Spring or Summer gathering and all of the crafts and recipes can be tailored to fit your own personal occasion.

Wow, I was nervous about announcing this. Not because I don’t think you’ll love it but because these projects become like mini children for a while. You go through entire processes with each of them – from being protective of them, getting frustrated with them, wanting to take a wee break from them, and then missing them when they are not there. EBooks don’t poo on you or wipe neon snot on you as you’re all dressed up and ready to go out but in many other aspects they are quite similar.

Ahhhhhhhhhh, I can exhale. It’s done, I can’t change it, I can only hope that you enjoy reading it as much as the team and I enjoyed putting it together.

Jeez, if I’m like this with an Ebook I may be almost catatonic when it comes to my proper book. But that’s what Vodka is for, no?

I love you and thank you for reading. I’ll publish links to the EBook as soon as it’s all live and ready to purchase next Thursday.

Cherry x

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Last weekend, when the rain stopped for about 42.5 minutes, we all trundled out in to the garden to get some of my fruit trees in to the ground. They had been in large pots and trugs for almost a month and if they were to have any chance at all of making it then we needed to get them in to the ground. The spot Robert and I chose for the trees was down towards the bottom of the garden. An unassuming space but one with a great deal of potential.

I see a path, outdoor lights and two eating areas that, although will take a while to take shape, will be worth it in the end. I’m sure of that.

I also have to confess to a rather romantic feeling towards orchards, even orchards of only four trees as this one is. But we’ll have to wait a while until we are able to picnic in the shade of the Cherry tree as it is currently quite small.

We had four trees to get in to the ground. A Cherry, an Apple, a Pear and a Plum. I shall go in to much more detail on each of the trees another time as each one has specific needs if you are to get the best performance from them but today I’ll show you how we manged to get them in to the ground in between torrential rain and the kids jumping in to the holes we had dug for the trees.

Oh, and in between the kids jumping in to the wheelbarrow and insisting on a ride, obvs!

My Victoria Plum had manged to pick up a passenger in the form of a sucker which we think was Damson and coming from the rootstock it was grafted on to. It was removed rather swiftly with secateurs so as not to cause any damage.

Truly and Daisy were breaking in the swings that had been left behind by the previous owners. I have to say these swings rock and I felt almost travel sick having been on them for a nano second myself.

A

t a certain point the wheelbarrow was given over wholly to the transportation of children.

But it was worth it. I’d rather lug those trees around by hand and brute force than miss the opportunity to see the kids having a great time with their Dad.

Once the trees had been brought down from the terrace up at the top of the garden we played about with the positioning of them. Leaving the tallest at the back, making sure they will have enough room to grow and thrive as well as enough sunlight and moisture. This is an experiment to a certain extent and there are some other trees towards the far edge of the garden that may need to be cut back a bit. But we’ll keep a close eye on it.

I’ve moaned non-stop about the rain but I have to admit it made the ground almost silky soft and digging the holes for the trees was tremendously easy.

It also felt very good to be outside and getting on with something so physical. It’s what Spring and Summer in the garden is all about surely!

Well that and drinking Pimms under the gazebo but that’s for just before lunch and just after supper.

This was the afternoon so we dug up the ground.

Robert had some help from my sister’s twins.

And then our twins jumped in to check that he had dug his hole correctly. They are quite exacting, the four of them.

By the end of the day the trees were in the ground. They are not varieties that will grow very tall and the Victoria Plum at the front is more of a shrub. But I’m excited to see how they do.

Can you see the small square pond to the right of the picture? This is going to go as it serves no real purpose there and Ned has already tried to walk on water. Luckily there was a wire grid over the top but if we’re going to have a pond I want to have a proper one. A safe one and one that we can all enjoy. This isn’t that.

I’ll keep you updated on the progress of our orchard of four trees. I’ll also break down the planting and care of the trees included. I’ve gone for a classic orchard selection that will keep us in crumbles, jam and jellies for many years to come.

I love you and thank you so much for reading today.

Have a great weekend.

Cherry x

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You can hear me rustling about in the background as my twins make mischief. Both Robert and I have entire GALLERIES of both Ned and Nye taking copious amounts of pictures of their foreheads but this is the first time they shot their own video.

Good on them!!

If you have any videos like this or something even funnier involving your kids feel free to upload them on to my Facebook page. I’d love to see them.

I have announced the Higgledy Garden giveaway winner. You can find out if you were the lucky recipient of all those seeds by clicking right here!

I love you and thank you for reading.

Cherry x

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Thank you so much for all of your wonderful flower comments to yesterday’s giveaway. They have inspired me even more than I thought possible and as soon as the weather turns I shall be transforming our patch in to a wonderland. In fact I may not be seen until September or October so if this blog goes quiet I can be found in the garden. Do pop by for a glass of lemonade if you’re passing.

Today I have a craft project for you.

I have some lovely local shops nearby and they sell freshly baked bread.  I do not have a reusable shopper that I think is deep enough for a baguette so I designed this one! It carries two baguettes and has a strap that is long enough to sling over my shoulder. There’s not much worse than a fresh loaf falling out in to the gutter or for the top half to be broken off as some oaf rushes by without seeing your bread sticking out the top of your trolly.

Enjoy it. It’s a simple and pretty project and one that will be with you forever. The best kind of project in my humble opinion.

You will need:

• Fabric for the front (top section) and back of the bag – 50cm x 110cm
• Fabric for the handle, flap and front (bottom section) of the bag – 50cm x 110cm
• Fabric for the inside lining of the bag – 100cm x 100cm
• Embroidery Thread
• Sewing Machine
• Thread in complementary colour to your main outer fabric
• Tape Measure
• Long ruler
• Pencil
• Pins
• Needle
• Scissors
• Iron

Making the main body of the bag

Cut out the pieces of fabric for the baguette bag as follows:

Back piece of fabric – 30cm (W) x 69cm (L)

Lining for the back piece of fabric – 30cm (W) x 69cm (L)

Front bottom piece of fabric – 30cm (W) x 15cm (L)

Front top piece of fabric– 30cm (W) x 43cm (L)

Lining for the front piece – 30cm by 55cm.

Start by making the front section of the bag. Place the front top and front bottom pieces of fabric together face-to-face then pin the two 30cm sides together, leaving a 1.5cm hem. Machine the sides together.

Now place the front panel of fabric face to face with the front panel lining and pin along the two (longer) sides and the top side, leaving the bottom side open for the time being. Machine the three sides together. For neatness, cut off any excess fabric from the corners and then turn the fabric out the correct way.

Next, take the bag’s back piece of fabric and the lining and place them face-to-face; pin together the two (longer) sides only, leaving the top and bottom open, and then sew. Once sewn, turn the correct way and iron flat.

To join the back piece and front piece of the bag together, place the fabrics face-to-face and in line from the bottom of the bag. Pin the two long sides and the bottom side into place and then sew 0.5cm from the edge. For neatness, cut any excess fabric from the corners and turn the correct way and iron flat.

Making the flap & the handle

For the bag flap, cut out 2 pieces of fabric at 30cm x 28cm, one from the exterior bag fabric and one from the lining fabric. Place the fabric pieces face-to-face and then stitch the two sides and the bottom side, leaving the topside open. Turn back the correct way.

To make the handle, cut a piece of fabric 8cm by 65cm. Fold in half face to face, pin and then sew 0.5cm from the edge, leave the two ends open. Turn the correct way and iron flat.

To attach the handle and the flap to the bag, start by placing the two raw edges of the handle at either side, and in line with, the top of the bag.

Next, place the flap (face side down) on top of the handles, so that the handles become sandwiched together between the flap and the back of the bag.

Pin all three layers into place and then sew 1cm from the edge and fold back the right way.

Once all the layers are sewn together, it is advisable to sew an additional rectangular box the length of the top of the bag to reinforce the handle and flap. Start 0.5cm from the top edge and sew 1cm down

Adding details

Why not add some decorative details to the bag. I decided to add some cross-stitch on the front of the bag along the section where the two pieces of fabric meet. I also cut out two hearts and sewed them on to the front of the bag by hand using embroidery thread.

Have a great day. If you do decide to make this bag then please feel free to post your pictures on to my Facebook page or Tweet me the results. Links are below.

I love you and thank you so much for reading.

Cherry

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The winner is  Beth, and her response is below. Beth, please email info@cherrymenlove.com with your address and I shall post the seeds out (assuming you’re in the EU)

Beth says:
May 8, 2012 at 1:34 pm
My favourite tree is Cherry Blossom Tree…it reminds me of my childhood home, we had the most beautiful Cherry Blossom in the garden and I loved when it dropped its confetti leaves.Xx

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HELLO!!!!

What an excellent weekend we just had. Yes, it rained, yes, it was cold too, but it was the weekend and as I get older I realise that there a few things better than the weekend in this very complex world in which we live.

An anti climax after the weekend is hideous, is it not? So I want to keep the good weekend vibe alive here by presenting you with a giveaway on this fine Tuesday morning. And what a giveaway it is. It is a giveaway that plays right in to the hands of a romantic dream I have of one day buying a field, sowing seeds in the soil of that filed and standing back to watch the field fill itself with the joy of flowers simply waiting to be cut. I shall then sell these flowers at the roadside and watch as folk who have just purchased my wares drive off in to the West Sussex countryside pleased with their precious bunches of blooms.

Is this dream possible? Has anyone, anywhere, ever succeeded in doing this?

Yes.

Higgledy has.

Meet Higgledy Garden, AKA Benjamin Raynard. Ben grows traditional annual flowers in a paddock in Cambridgeshire. They are grown without the use of any chemicals and and he sells them online in his web shop as well as in a few shops local to him. Ben tells me that all of the flowers are grown from the best seed stock available to man and produce outstandingly beautiful plants. And if his fans and customers are anything to go by then you’ll be able to take him at his word. Not only that but Ben writes on his blog, tweets all the time and gives away growing info that he should be charging a fortune for!!!!!

Ben describes Higgledy as “Sustainable flower growing to save the world and impress girls.”

Nuff said really!

So what have Ben and I cooked up to bestow on you today?Well I have, in my grubby gardening mitts, the complete Higgledy collection!

Yep, today is your chance to win The Higgledy Garden Collection of Seeds For A Cut Flower Patch.

And this is what is included -

*Amaranthus

*Ammi Majus

*Dahlia. ‘Coltness’

*Calendula. ‘Art Shades’

*Zinnia. ‘Dahlia Flower’

*Zinnia. ‘Mammoth’

*Cornflowers. ‘Blue Ball’

*Ricinus. ‘Impala’

*Scabiosa. ‘Crown’

*Rudbeckia. ‘Marmalade’

*Bells of Ireland

*Gypsophilia. ‘Covent Garden’

*Helianthus. ‘Earthwalker’

*Larkspur. Giant Imperials. ‘Crown Blend Mix’.

*Lupin ‘Pages’

*Phlox. ‘Grandiflora’

*Cornflowers. ‘Black Ball’

*Nigella. Love in the mist. ‘Persian Jewels’

*Cosmos. ‘Sensation’

*Candytuft. Crown Mix

Have you seen a better collection? I’m a bit jealous because I am not allowed to enter this giveaway but you can enter as many times as you like. And PLEASE don’t worry if you are not a ‘gardener’. I am not a ‘gardener’ but I love to be in the garden and grow things and I believe there is a difference. I don’t want anyone to be put off.

Besides, Ben has made this really easy for you, to point where if you were to drop a sealed packet of seeds it would bio degrade completely within twelve weeks so all you’ll be left with are the flowers.

Rather cool, Ben, rather cool.

So, what do have to do to be in with a chance of winning this collection?

Well, I’d like to know what plant, flower, herb or tree you love the best. Leave your answer as a comment below and you are automatically entered.

Unfortunately I can only post seeds within the EU but if you are from another part of the world and you leave a comment you will automatically be entered in to my next giveaway which is coming soon so everyone is included.

It is not too late to get your garden growing for this year. Remember that we often enjoy warm days right in to October which is a whole five months away so get your thinking caps on and enter as many times as you like. I’ll announce the winner before the end of the week.

Have a fabulous day, check out Ben’s website and I look forward to hearing your thoughts. I promise if you were to get your hands on these seeds, grow beautiful flowers from them and see what it is that you are able to create in whatever space or pots you have then you will addicted to growing and gardening forever more. The gardening bug will get you and it is a glorious bug to have I promise.

I love you,

Cherry x

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Here are some of the things we were meant to be doing, should be doing, would like to be doing….

Building a fence. We’re quite good at building fences as you can see here!

Having a barbeque. Nope, not going to happen. I’m still in thermals.

Going to the beach. It’s a long weekend after all. Nope, not going to happen. I’m still in thermals.

Lying in the sun. Nope, not going to happen. I’m still in thermals.

You get the picture.

What we will be doing however is finding space for these fellas.

Residing here, at the side of the house, are my fruit trees, some herbs, sedum, verbena, sweet williams, roses, salvia, blueberries, gooseberries, red currants, white currants, hibiscus, clematis, hydrangea’s, peonies, bay, honeysuckle, fuschia and more but they were behind me when I took this shot (!)

I feel a bit overwhelmed.

Perhaps if I change the picture to a softer black and white palette it will seem less like I shall be planting out until 2022….

Let’s see……

Nope, didn’t make a jot of difference. See you in 2022.

But before you go tell me what YOU’RE doing this weekend? I’ve just heard on the radio that SNOW is forecast and I’d love to hear from you as I weep, silently, in to my sandwich.

I love you and thank you so much for reading today.

Cherry x

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Anyway, back to the garden.

I knew, in January, that there was a Hawthorn of sorts growing here.

What I didn’t know was that it would look like this around the time we moved in. There were several Hawthorn trees at the last house and they have a wonderful shape and very distinctive trunks. The blossom on those was white in colour and I loved them. This deep pink however leaves me standing in awe. It’s quite spectacular.

I think that the exact variety is Hawthorn Crataegus Laevigata ‘Paul’s Scarlet’. They are extremely hardy trees and will produce copious amounts of berries in the autumn that will stand the birds in pretty good stead and will also allow me to make some great Haw jelly that I have never attempted before but is apparently a great alternative to Cranberry Jelly.

It was Friday afternoon, almost two weeks ago, Robert was at work and it was my job to pick the keys up from the estate agents. The twins were at my mum-in-law’s and Jodie came with me. After pulling in to the empty drive, I whooped and hollered a lot, shed a wee tear, hugged my sister, screamed a small amount and then saw the Hawthorn. It was the perfect backdrop to my ‘Just Got the Keys to the New House’ photo that everyone has taken. God bless the iPhone.

I then took this one and sent it to Robert at his desk with a note saying “Hello from our new neighbours”

William Morris said “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” I think the same about the garden however what I may love another may loathe. Personally I have taken a long time to come around to the Hosta but I believe that this new garden may see some with a variegated leaf  to sit alongside two Hakuro Nishiki, Salix. One of which I planted in about seven minutes flat when the sun came out a couple of days ago.

I have a feeling that this garden is the garden of a lifetime. But I never want to forget that first time I drove up with the keys to the house in my sweaty palm and saw the vibrant pink of that Hawthorn. Thank you to whoever planted it all those years ago. You have made me a very happy gardener.

I love you and thank you for reading today. I’m certainly getting my blogging groove back and loving every single second.

Cherry x

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This is our new kitchen. It no longer looks like this, this open and empty, there are quite a few boxes in here now.

When I first walked in to this kitchen it was the light that I loved the most. And the view from the sink (sheep), and the fact that I could imagine hosting at least forty Christmases here, and the fact that I know  it will look dreamy in the heat of the Summer and cosy when lit by fairy lights in the Winter, and also because it just may be big enough to host events and classes here but that may be a long way off. Some dreams you just have to wait for.

Of course I also see a makeover in my future, but it’s not urgent, it’ll be an organic process and one that I want Robert and I to enjoy not get super pressured by. We need to focus on making memories and putting strong roots down and if the whole process takes place in the shadow of stress and timing issues then that won’t happen.

These doors remind me, in a very small scaled down version, of ……

..these doors. Except not as huge, and not in the Hamptons, and I’ve told Jack & Diane that they’re not to come down in their pj’s anymore as it frightens the kids!

This is one of my all time favourite movie houses and I know a lot of you love it too. So I’m pleased that the house we intend to be in for a very long time has the same square shape and can carry off a look that will definitely be a nod in the direction of Hamptons Chic but with a whole lot more thrown in. I mean, I live in the English countryside and that has its own unique and timeless aesthetic so I certainly won’t be ignoring that completely.

But the problem we faced upon moving in was the fact that our fridge was too tall to fit in to the area it needed to go in. Which is why Robert had to remove two cupboards to make room for it. He started off by diligently unscrewing every screw he could find which seemed to be holding the cupboards in place. We spoke about reusing the cupboards elsewhere. And then it became very clear that they were held in place by special powers and very, very strong glue. So the claw hammer came out. And Robert had an awfully good time getting a wee bit of stress out.

I carried on unpacking.

And Ned devoured his first Tunnocks Teacake.

Ned won’t be having another teacake until he can clean his face and the furniture up afterwards himself.

And at the end of the day the fridge fitted, which was the point of the exercise.

OK, so the fridge, although it is fine height-wise it is a little baggy for this space. But you see I have a special attachment to this fridge. It is the first fridge that Robert and I bought together and we spent HOURS in John Lewis deciding on it as it was a major investment for us. It is plain, white, spacious inside and makes a noise that reminds me that I am home. So until that fridge is carried out in a box it won’t be going anywhere. I’ll probably pull it over to one side and slide my white wooden kitchen steps down the other side to keep them out of the way.

Did I ever tell you about those white wooden kitchen steps?

I’ll save that one for another time.

I love you and thank you so much for reading today.

Cherry x
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I shall open with the last verse of a hymn

All in the April evening,
April airs were abroad;
I saw the sheep with their lambs,
And thought on the Lamb of God. 

I didn’t actually think of this hymn when I was looking out over the fields that surround the garden, my mother in law drew my attention to it when I showed her the pictures I had taken. But I liked it. It was an April evening and there were sheep, so symbolic at the best of times, on all four sides of the house. It seemed apt and gave me a profound sense of comfort. Something I never got from hymns when forced to sing them as a youngster.

On Saturday evening Robert and I sat down and watched a film. We managed to stay awake through the whole thing which was a minor miracle. About half way through watching it Robert pointed out the sunset we were having. I couldn’t see it from where I was sitting so I jumped up to take a look and within a moment I was outside, in the dead quiet, camera in hand snapping away in that lovely light that you get when dusk is falling. A photographers dream.

Robert stayed put in his chair, calm and smiling but tired, as I jumped up and went outside. I forget that he is still in remission and having to take a great many pills each and every day. He just sort of soldiers on, we refer to that type of person as a good egg.  I married a good egg, a very good egg.

There are a million and one paint shades called Apple Blossom White but I’m not sure anybody has ever managed to capture it properly. Perhaps one day but for now I’ll make do with the fleeting colour the trees provide. It’s very calming, to be outside in the evening, completely alone. My mum tells me that she would watch me dancing around the garden when I was small at this time of day. All alone enjoying the air, the calm, the light and the end of the day. The garden still draws me outside at this time.

It nourishes my soul at a difficult time in my life. It doesn’t cost anything but gives me so much. It allows me to be still.

I’d recommend it to anyone, at anytime, for any reason.

Tell me what you do when you feel an intense desire to be still? Do you run a bath, cook, knit, crochet, meditate, pray, garden, clean, run, walk the dog? Perhaps your answers will enable someone else to find the time and space they need.

I love you, so very much, thank you for reading and responding today.

Robert took a hammer to the kitchen. I’ll show you the results tomorrow.

It’s started.

Cherry x
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But we’re in, and shattered, and grateful and Never. Moving. Again.

The kids were fantastic I have to say. They just got on with it although they haven’t been sleeping very well. But I think that’s to be expected.

We moved the garden across first. All of my plants had been put in to pots and Robert hired the first of many vans (he only had to hire one more and he would have had the entire collection, so we were told by Van Man) and we loaded them up. Plants in pots are funny things to have to move because you can’t put anything on top of them, obviously, so once the van floor is full that’s it I’m afraid, no more can be fitted in. It took a fair few runs to get the pots across let me tell you.

Even if the kids only had their hands touching the wheelbarrow they felt they were involved, we were more than happy with that. Growing up with Robert and I as parents will ensure that they are more often than not fairly busy so they may as well get a head start.

Once the plants were done Robert hired another truck. This time a 7.5 tonne jobby with a tail-lift at the back. We filled this truck twice. Once on Tuesday and once on Wednesday.

During this process we also discovered that certain pieces of furniture would not be going upstairs due to a rather small opening as the stairs curve round. This means that I shall not be having a sofa in the bedroom but it also means that my marriage has remained intact and we are all still friends. Did I tell you that we’re NEVER MOVING AGAIN?

I did?

Cool.

As more and more large pieces of furniture appeared at the end of the van I think we all had to dig fairly deep to keep our senses of humor and not raid the drinks cabinet.

Thanks Dad.

Thanks brother-in-law Paul.

Maybe one day you’ll both find it in your hearts to begin speaking to Robert and I again if we promise that we’ll NEVER MOVE HOUSE AGAIN.

Or perhaps not, it seems as Paul was left to move the bookcase by himself.

The kids were with Grandma, doing a recce of the garden. And then it rained biblical style and they had to watch from the window. Normally this would have sent them in to hysterics as they like to be part of the action. But on this occasion they both watched from inside the dry, warm and cosy new house quite contentedly. Funny that!

My dad packed the van like he was playing a giant game of Tetris. I have to say, jokes aside, that it did make it a lot easier to unpack and this level of organisation ensured that to a certain extent we did move with J.O.Y. (Just Organise Yourself)

Although I think Garry, my other brother in law, liked to think he could have perhaps packed it a little better. I’m undecided, I think he and my Dad should have a Pack Off to decide. Man vs Packing, sounds like a GREAT television format to me.

We all got stuck in, however I got stuck. Between a mattress and a banister.

I mentioned that we are never moving again didn’t I?

If you could hear this conversation you would hear a ‘tense’ discussion taking place between Garry and I in which we discussed the merits of moving the mattress upstairs in various different ways. My Dad looked on and chortled, as Dad’s do when they are no longer new parents, exhausted, moving house or thinking that they may just jack the whole lot in and move to Thailand.

The mattress did eventually make its way up the stairs and Garry and I sustained only light injuries, although my head seems to be a slightly different shape due to it getting stuck.

But we did it. We moved in and here starts the rest of our lives.

Makeovers, renovations, garden design, homemaking, crafting, recipes and everything else that goes in to keeping a house and garden.

But before that I am taking a 7.5 tonne truck for a wee drive.

Why?

Because I’m a sexy mother-trucker (and clearly slightly delirious)!

I love you and thank you so much for stopping by. I’ve missed this website more than you’ll ever know. Hopefully that will all change from now onwards.
Which is also my word for today, ONWARDS!

Cherry x
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We exchanged on our new house. We hope to complete on Friday. It’s been a battle to get this house, let me tell you. But it looks like we’re there. I look forward to welcoming you in through the front door.

I look forward to giving it a makeover, extending the porch, laying a new path with my own hands, digging borders and planting them, lighting pumpkin lanterns to sit on the steps and the benches that I’m going to build. I look forward to showing you the space lit up with golden fairy lights at Christmastime and asking you in to the warm to share a virtual hot chocolate with me in front of the fire.

I look at this front door and see the potential and a million makeovers but what I see most of all is a home that is ours. A home that will see our kids grow up. A forever home.

Thank God!

It is a forever home with huge white hydrangea bushes flanking the front door. I’ve always been a sucker for that Cape Cod/Hamptons aesthetic, but you know that, and I shall explore it to the hilt in this house.

I love you and thank you for reading. If we have an internet signal on Friday I’ll Tweet and Facebook as we start to move the first few bits in to the new place. It all begins in earnest next Tuesday and will take a few days.

#bitexcitedifthetruthwereknown

Cherry x

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Lemon meringue, Apple, Peach, Steak and Kidney, all of them types of pies. Pies that I love.

Occasionally, as in the case of my lemon meringue pie for instance, it is necessary to half-bake the pastry that lines the pie case before baking the filling of choice. If you were to line the pie case with pastry and pop it straight in to the oven it would come away from the sides, sometimes crack, change shape and even shrink.  Which is why it needs to be weighted down, to keep the pastry in place and holding its neat pie shape.

And you don’t have to invest in fancy ceramic pie weights if you don’t want to. We’ve all got far too much hiding away in kitchen cupboards as it is so I don’t blame you for a moment. You can just as easily and effectively use dried chickpeas.

I have to admit that although my family get through about three tins of chickpeas a week in various dishes these dried chickpeas have sat in the pantry, unused, for many months.

They’ll now be moved and stored with the rest of my baking equipment and feel useful once again.

I love you and thank you for reading today. A short but hopefully useful post for anyone planning on some weekend baking.

Now, back to packing up the house…….

Cherry x

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So how have I tried to do this?

I employed the use of an acronym.

J.O.Y.
Just Organise Yourself!

This acronym has been around for a while and there are entire blogs dedicated to it. I have tried to use it during this most recent house move because there is a part of me that believes deep down  that the more organised I am the more joy I will have in my life and therefore, the more joy I can pass on to my family, friends and the folk who read this website.

I have not achieved constant calm or serenity during this process, no siree. There have been pockets of time when my attitude has stunk and this has affected those who I have around me. But we move in a week and I think it’s safe to say that the worst is behind us.

I certainly don’t have the moving process wrapped up (sorry, couldn’t help myself) but I have certainly found some ways of doing it that help me keep half my sanity if not all of it. It was also important to Robert and I to keep disruption to a minimum for our kids. They are very young so they won’t even remember this time but if Robert and I had spent the last four months screaming at each other they may remember more than we think they are capable of. Of course even with all the planning in the world Ned has still taken to climbing the towers of boxes that sit in each room and staring down at me, proudly, from the top and Nye is now very good at telling him off. Neither of these situations are ideal, granted, but they will all be forgotten once we close the door on our new home.

Here are a few tips for moving house

• If you have the luxury of having plenty of time before a move, take the opportunity to go through each room and sort through ALL of your things. A month or two before you move decide what you will be taking with you, what will be thrown out and what will be donated to your local charity shop. Anything you are not taking with you, remove from your house before you begin to pack, this will save extra trips to the tip on the day of moving, or worse still, taking unwanted items with you on the day.

• A few weeks before your move, start to pack up any items you know you will not need until after you move. If possible, stack all your packed boxes in a room that is not used that often so your boxes are out of the way. You don’t want to be tripping over boxes in every room with 4 weeks left until the move, after-all, you do still have to live there!

• This time around I have been really economical when it comes to labeling boxes. Opting for labeling them with the room they have come from and not every item they contain I have also only written across the tape that holds the boxes together. I learnt this the hard way last time; when you write all over the boxes it makes them hard to be used for much else and can get confusing if you use them to store other items in further down the line.

• I have a lot of magazines. A great many have been donated or recycled but I still have many more that make up a reference library of sorts and I don’t want to let them go. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine to pull out an old Martha Stewart Living from back in the 90′s and take a long hot bubble bath with only that for company. She and her team were WAY ahead of their time and we haven’t seem a magazine like it since. I digress….
• Pack an ‘essentials’ box, these are the things you will be using right up until you move and will probably want to unpack first. I packed two essentials boxes, one with all my kitchen items such as kettle, tea, mugs, milk, a few plates and cutlery and some food and snacks for the day.  I also included a first aid kit too. The other box contained bathroom and bedroom items such as fresh linen for our beds, soap, towels and toilet paper. If there’s one thing I know for sure it’s that Robert and I will sleep like babies in our new home if the first night has us sleeping on fresh linen, even if it’s on a mattress on the floor. Happy days!

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]]> http://www.cherrymenlove.com/blog/2012/04/moving-with-joy.html/feed 32 http://www.cherrymenlove.com/blog/2012/04/john-lewis-and-i.html http://www.cherrymenlove.com/blog/2012/04/john-lewis-and-i.html#comments Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:54:25 +0000 Cherry Menlove http://www.cherrymenlove.com/?p=21618

John Lewis and I go way back. Our wedding list was held there, we bought a lot of the furniture and appliances for our first house from there. We buy Christmas presents from there, beauty products from there, stationery, food, cooking and baking equipment. I think I may have a little bit of John Lewis running through my blood, such is the amount of time I have spent in their stores over the years.

So when an email landed in my inbox asking me to visit the new John Lewis at Home store before it was opened to the public I almost jumped out of my seat and ran on over to camp outside the door. Little did I know that what I would actually receive would be a private tour of the new store with the manager Claire Dunkason.

I live in West Sussex so to get a John Lewis in my area means I no longer have to schlep for miles for an ‘in- store feel good factor’. And it is this feel good factor that runs through the heart and soul of every store that keeps me and people like me going back again and again. Nothing is too much trouble, you’re never made to feel like you are bothering the staff when you ask them a question, the customer service is brilliant and of course the ‘stuff’ that you can buy there is…well it’s all very, very tempting.

 

Would you like a tour of the new store?

Come with me, I felt like a kid having been shut in FAO Schwartz all night right before Christmas. It was BRILLIANT!

 

It is a large store with a fantastic atrium as you enter. The manager Claire was telling me that she had great plans for this space as the seasons change. We discussed what it would be like at Christmas but I got a little too excited at that point so I’m glad the conversation moved on. Sorry, Claire, Christmas does that to me!

 

 

Now this you’ll love. This is a range called Maritime. I’m an absolute sucker for coastal chic and this does it for me especially as we’re moving to a house fantastically near to a sandy beach!

 

I’d put these on the table if we were having a barbeque at home one hot sultry evening. We have seagulls fly over our house often and I’m sure you’ll agree that they make a sound that transports you to a time and a place in an instant.

 

I have a thing for keys. Do you?

 

Fresh, vibrant new takes on classic designs. LOVE the shade of teal adorning these items. I could see the enamelware kettle on a beach bonfire, boiling away quite happily while we fish for mackerel.

 

Bon-bon jar anyone?

Yes, I thought so.

 

Now these are special, these houses are part of a range called Playnation and I’m more than a bit in love with it.

 

The kitchenware is stunning and useful and practical and I love it…..again!

 

These storage jars have that lovely heritage shade of sage green which I think will making an appearance in my new kitchen so these will certainly match it.

 

And the measuring cups and spoons are to die for.

Thank you so much, Claire, for taking time out of your very busy day to show me around personally. You are very hands on, you have a huge passion for every item that your store carries and this shines through.

As customers we want the department store of old to come back with a vengeance.

We want department stores to be more personal, we want to see the managers walking the shop floors chatting with customers, we want to know that if there is a problem with an item we bought we can bring it back and not be stared at and then slightly abused.

Chichester is a wonderful, wonderful town. Our twins were born in the hospital there and we received care from the nurses and midwives that was extraordinary. So needless to say going to Chichester brings back huge memories.

And now I have another memory. I got to walk around one of my favourite stores, when it was empty and not even open to the public, and savour all the fabulousness that it was busy creating.

I’m extremely lucky.

I love you and thank you so much for reading.

Cherry x

 

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]]> http://www.cherrymenlove.com/blog/2012/04/john-lewis-and-i.html/feed 28 http://www.cherrymenlove.com/home-baking/desserts/2012/04/mini-lime-cheescakes.html http://www.cherrymenlove.com/home-baking/desserts/2012/04/mini-lime-cheescakes.html#comments Mon, 02 Apr 2012 10:21:53 +0000 Cherry Menlove http://www.cherrymenlove.com/?p=21524

I decided last week that although we are moving house, are surrounded by boxes, and ALMOST living out of suitcases, that we needed a treat. We needed something that was ridiculously unhealthy but ridiculously delicious in equal measure. I wanted something that tasted like springtime as it hit my mouth and had us picking up [...]]]> I decided last week that although we are moving house, are surrounded by boxes, and ALMOST living out of suitcases, that we needed a treat. We needed something that was ridiculously unhealthy but ridiculously delicious in equal measure. I wanted something that tasted like springtime as it hit my mouth and had us picking up every last crumb from the plate with a moistened finger.

I settled on Mini Lime Cheesecakes and that is what I have for you today.

INGREDIENTS

50g butter, unsalted

150g Digestive biscuits, crushed

50g ground almonds

225g reduced fat cream cheese, I used Philadelphia

1 can condensed milk – 397g

100ml fresh lime juice, squeezed from approx 4 limes

300ml whipping cream

Zest of one lime for decorating

Equipment: 12 hole cake tin, 12 paper case cases, 12 wax discs the same size as the base of the cake cases (used in jam making) or parchment paper cut to size, piping bag with small nozzle attachment.

To make the cheesecakes

Line the bottom of the cake cases with the wax discs or parchment paper and pop in to the holes in the tin.

Melt the butter over a low heat.

Put the digestive biscuits into a large clean bowl and use the end of a rolling pin to crumble the digestive biscuits into crumbs, add the ground almonds and mix together.

Pour the melted butter into the bowl and mix until combined.

Divide the digestive mix evenly between the cupcake cases (1cm in thickness) and use the back of teaspoon to pack the mixture down firmly.

In a bowl of a free standing mixer, add the cream cheese and the condensed milk; mix together using the paddle attachment for approximately 30 seconds on a medium speed.

Add the lime juice to the bowl and mix on a slow speed for a further 15-20 seconds until the mixture is combined.

Add 150ml of the whipping cream to the mixing bowl and mix for one-and-a-half to two minutes until the mixture just starts to thicken.

Spoon the cheesecake topping evenly into the 12 cupcakes cases, using the back of the spoon to flatten down tops as neatly as possible.

Put the cheesecakes in the freezer for around two-and-a-half to three hours.

For the decoration

Just before removing the cheesecakes from the from the freezer, pour the rest of the whipping cream into the bowl of a free standing mixer and use the whisk attachment to whip the cream, this should take around 2-3 minutes on a high speed.

Transfer the whipped cream into the piping bag.

Remove the cheesecakes from the freezer and carefully remove the outer cake case and the wax disk. Put the mini cheesecakes onto a plate or cake-stand and pipe cream all the way around the top outer edge of each cheesecake.

Top with some lime zest and serve with a fork.

Tip: Theses cheesecakes can be made ahead of time and frozen until they are ready to serve.

I hope you love these as much as my family and I did. They are great for an Easter lunch or even a picnic if you can keep them cool. You could even pop four in to a box and give them away, making a lovely change from a chocolate Easter Egg.

Have a wonderful day. I love you and thank you so much for reading.

Cherry x
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How’s it going?

It seems like AGES since I last posted, it has been ages, and I miss you guys A LOT.

My kids got the awful sickness bug that has apparently been going around. We’ve had long nights of bed changing, pyjama changing, hand holding as they slept and waking up at the first sound of retching as their hot bodies sat up in bed beside us.Well, I say ‘us’ Robert was edged out in to the next room to make room for the twins but he appeared bleary eyed in the doorway whenever the throwing up started again.

It scares you when their cheeks are that red and hot. And a person, albeit a very small person, who usually has a great deal to say for herself just lays there all day asleep or staring out of the window.

My son kept hold of Thomas at all times. A tank engine is a good friend when you’re not feeling too great.

There were times in the week when they perked up a bit. At those times I dropped what I was doing and we went outside. The kids only lasted about ten minutes before getting tired and falling asleep again but it was worth it.

I never thought I’d have children. It wasn’t on my radar. And then I met Robert. I loved him so much I wanted more of him and seeing as it’s impossible for him to multiply like a Mogwai in water we had to have babies.

Little did I know, when I was in my ‘I don’t think I’d make a great mum’ stage, how much joy I would get from just looking out and seeing something that made my son so freaking excited (in this case a tractor heading towards us). He squealed when he saw it coming over the horizon and the squeals got louder and louder as it approached.

Kids are reductive in the BEST sense of the word. They dispense with all things extraneous and reduce life to what it should be from time to time, simply joyful.

And they allow me to take that journey with them.

We need each other.

My kids need Robert and I to show them the way, keep them safe and make decisions for them at this time in their young lives.

And we need them to remind us that it doesn’t have to be that complicated, that we don’t need all this STUFF to make us happy and we observe from them how to live in the now.

I’ll never forget the last week as they have never been THAT ill.

I’ll remember how their hands felt as they held on to mine in the middle of the night, hot, small and soft. And how their breathing was so deep and gentle.

I’ve got some updates about the book, this website and just stuff in general. So I’ll post all of that anon. But I wanted to check in today to say “hi” and “thank you”.

Have a wonderful start to the week. I love you and thank you for reading.

Cherry x
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My poor garden. The minute Spring hits and it bursts in to life again I have to put everything in to pots and move them to a new home.As you can see the moving process has started in earnest.

Over the weekend we were all out in the garden for a bit in the afternoon. My kids are officially going stir crazy after the Winter and so it was worth it to me to have them outside and getting worn out and wet while playing with the hose than inside and cross.

Nye decided to water the plants that had been potted up and this is the current expression that she uses about 543,897 times a day right now. The reason for it this time was that she had run out of water and I was taking some pictures so I didn’t stop IMMEDIATELY and top her up. There’s a monastery up the road from us, I’m running away this evening and joining them until my kids are four years old. If you need me that is where I shall be.

I’m finding it a bit hard to pack up, I’ll be honest. It’s not that I’m not utterly delighted with where we a re going but even after having only been here a year I feel we will be leaving an awful lot behind. By that I mean memories. Some good, some bad. But that’s life. I think whoever gets this place will be very lucky. We have been very lucky to have had it for this length of time. I like houses that serve the inhabitants and this has done that on many occasions.

Right about now I wish we had Smell-O-Vision. Because you know there’s nothing better than freshly cut grass for the first time this year!

The kids picked up the lumps that had fallen out of the basket thingy and chased Robert shouting “Messy, daddy, messy”

Hmmmmm, perhaps I’ll re-think that trip to the monastery.

It’s a raw time. Upheaval again. My eyes are tired and my heart feels like it’s being pulled out like that scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I have this need for a home, a need for roots. I literally can’t wait to STOP MOVING!

My kids are growing, they are no longer babies, they have personalities. No one told me about that bit. I laugh when they have clearly inherited Robert’s faults and recoil in horror when I see my own self staring back at me with huge ploppy tears running down my children’s cheeks. As a parent I am totally exposed. Feeling my way, blindly, and hoping that one day, probably when they have kids, they may send me a little text or something saying “OK, I get it”

Until then we continue to pack up our lives, move to the new place and see what this Big Life has in store for us as a family.

I love you and thank you for reading.

Oh, and if you haven’t seen this YOU MUST WATCH IT, his face at the end is priceless. Robert and I rewound this about 8 times last night as it was caught on our Sky+ box.
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So, because I’ve been awake since four thirty unable to sleep due to being a little bit excited I thought I deserved to be able to show you some pictures of my OUR new garden.

I think it’s great to see a place at this time of year, when it’s dull and the trees are bare, because it can only get BETTER. Just wait till those trees are full of green and we can sit in their shade. There is a brook  that divides our back garden from the field next door on one side and a row of Laurel hedging, my favorite because it is evergreen and glossy, on the other.

There’s the Laurel. The sun will go down behind the downs.

So many plans for this terrace area.

And this bed. I’ll wait and see what comes up in the first year of us living there before ripping anything down or out but I know that I won’t be able to resist planting some of my own stuff too.

Now this I am ecstatic about. I was going to plant a Eucalyptus tree because I love their foliage and the colour of their leaves so much. If you have a Eucalyptus tree in your garden you never have to buy another Christmas wreath again.

We’ll leave this patch of grass alone but that flower bed. I’m seeing Dahlias, Roses, Salvia, Hydrangeas and SO MUCH MORE!!!

Need to stop now. Feeling a bit sick with excitement. Hasn’t sunk in. What have we done to deserve this house. I want to share it. I want it to be open. I want it to be a place of safety and of hope. Where dreams can be formed and take flight from.

And it will be. Because that dream is in mine and Robert’s hands.

And we won’t fail.

I love you and thank you so much. NOW the fun begins.

Cherry

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