Tales From Pixie Wood

Invasion of the Camera - The Sequel

We're being invaded by camera's again today. Although today they come as a bigger, badder beast. They have the capabilities of filming things and you get to talk to them and they actually record everything you say and do.

Am I ready for my close up?

Not blooming likely. I'm sat here right now in LBH's old cardi and my pyjama bottoms as I wanted to pass on two bits of information before the madness ensues and I go into "Oh my goooddddd, look at the time!!!" mode.

The first is that my latest SheerLuxe article can be found here! I've been enjoying writing these articles. They are shorter than my usual blog post and it has helped me to become much more disciplined and to the point.

The second part of this blog post is a message from my foodie and lifestyle hero (the chap in the photo above) Hugh Fearnley - Whittingstall of the River Cottage in the south west of England. I'm sorry as this message is directed at folk who live in Great Britain but if you are from another part of the world I IMPLORE you to look into the plights and lives of the chickens that are consumed in your area. I'll leave the rest to Hugh..........

A Personal Message From Hugh.

I need your help...

You may have heard about the conditions involved in intensive factory farming of broiler (meat) chickens. I feel that these conditions are unacceptable - so much so, that I'm launching a national campaign to put pressure on the industry to raise its standards: the Chicken Out! campaign.

Chicken Out! has so far been led by River Cottage locals, especially in and around Axminster, and we've had a fantastic response. But now I need your support. I'm asking all of you, as friends of River Cottage, to support this campaign and get it off to a flying start across the nation. Please just click the link below*, or if you're not convinced, see http://www.chickenout.tv/ for more info.

And pass it on to your friends, if we get enough support, we really can make a difference.

Thank you.

Hugh

Click here to go to Chickenout.tv

My campaign message

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73Vbf1ykXsY&v3

Click here to watch

SheerLuxe & Facebook

You'll find my latest SheerLuxe article here & please feel free to join me over on Facebook.

Cx

Credit Where Credit Is Due

I'm not a huge fan of Ikea I have to admit. When they first opened over here people descended in droves and on a Bank Holiday Monday the traffic would be backed up for miles just to get into the car park. But over the years Ikea has served me and the home I was in at the time very well.

Nowadays I go there for big boxes of candles, the odd picture frame and small bits and pieces that are helpful. On my last trip however I spotted this lantern and I'm loving it. It holds a small tea light but seems to give off a great deal of light, or should I say glow?

I popped it up on the trellis outside the front door last night and went back inside for twenty minutes or so. By the time I went back out to check on it the sun had well and truly disappeared and the fading autumn light was beautiful. It was Tuesday evening so I could hear the bell ringers practising and all was calm in my street. The picture is slightly fuzzy as I didn't want to waste time getting the tripod out and 'setting up' a shot.

But as I stood there staring at a lantern that cost me £6.99 I was washed with a love for just being here, alive, living, experiencing, learning and doing simple things like watching one season morph into another.

I remember a tutor and mentor of mine at drama school saying to me "you need to find the beauty in something simple, like a tree", (I've written about this before I'm sure).

I wasn't finding the beauty in anything in those days. I was walking around like a lonely zombie trying to find my place in a world that wasn't right for me. But I heard what she said. It penetrated. And although I ended up exchanging a lifelong dream for that of something else entirely I eventually found the beauty in a tree.

Or a lantern from Ikea.

Beauty.

I'm entirely certain it can be found almost everywhere.

Cherry x

My latest SheerLuxe article is here!

Footnote
I have been awarded the 'Nice Matters' award by several people and I have yet to make a mention of this. It was remiss of me not to mention it or to even respond to the folk that have awarded me this award. I apologise, it was rude. 

I, I, I................

....I'm in love with a movie for the first time in YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not kidding, it's been years...................

Also, in other news...........

You can read my latest SheerLuxe article here!

Cherry x

Lake Como via Zurich

I prayed we wouldn't take another break. I felt the need to stay here and get things finished but LBH needs more than anything to get away, rest and feel the sun on his face instead of the smell of tile adhesive. It's more than that you understand but you catch my drift!

We spend one night in Zurich visiting with LBH's great aunt and then we travel by train, through the Swiss alps to Lake Como, Italy. I'll be hanging with George Clooney and LBH will be engrossed in his latest book.

Well not quite, but I am travelling with only my notebook for entertainment. I have taken to scribbling furiously and sticking all manner of scraps in to a book that I bought over two years ago on a trip to LA. I want to spruce up my blog when I get back and change all the old sidebars. Now the kitchen is finished (yay, I cleared the last of the sawdust up yesterday with the help of LBH's mum) I feel I can get in and start work. I also want to do more on L'Influence.

But all of that will be taken care of anon.

My latest SheerLuxe article can be found here. It's my first recipe for the site and I have to admit to eating this particular dish more than any other over the past few weeks. Apart from apple and Gruyere. I've eaten a great many apples and a great deal of cheese.  Is anybody else a fan of that combination? I know that LBH loves his Christmas Cake and Wensleydale.

Oops! I've done it and we're still in August. I've mentioned the 'C' word!

WHAT FUN!!!!!!!

Lots of love

Cherry x

For You.........

The flowers in the teapot are for you, to say thank you to you all for the lovely birthday messages that you took the time to leave me. I am immensely grateful and will be spending time over the next couple of days answering messages that have come in via email. Apologies for the delay.

LBH is off work for the next two weeks and we are cracking on with the house. We have approximately three weeks until we have to have it in some sort of order so it's great to have him around and helping.

My latest SheerLuxe article can be found here!

I've got some thrifty finds that I want to show you over the next few days but I really wanted this post to be about thanking you for your birthday kindness.

Thank you

Lots of love

Cherry xx

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SheerLuxe Article

My latest article for SheerLuxe can be found here!

Cherry