Sheckshee

"So what exactly does SEXY mean?" the Princess asked me. Randomly.

In a loud voice. In a very quiet teashop whilst we were taking a break from veggie picking at the local farm this afternoon.

Suddenly I was aware we had an audience around us. Average age 70.

Grrrrr, darn you "LMFAO". Justin Timberlake. Hot Chocolate. Rod Stewart. Um...Right Said Fred (OK I know I am scraping the barrel now). Kids do hear your songs on the radio you know? They then want to know WHAT you are singing about. What does it all mean? Who is sexy, why are they sexy. WHAT is sexy?

That's all fine, but NOT when we are enjoying a peaceful ploughman's lunch in West Sussex, don't you know.

So while I would have usually sat her down to explain things in more detail (and ending it with "so therefore, Madonna is NOT sexy by showing her ancient nipple..."), I decided it wasn't the time or the place.

So my response went something a bit like: "Well let me see. Ooh look, they sell ice creams over there. Let's have one after lunch and go and pick some broccoli, and chat later".

But then she forgot about it so I didn't bring it up. Oh dear, it's that age now where they will ask loads of things. I wish they didn't have to grow up.

Anyway, yes we've been to a Pick Your Own farm today and it was brilliant. We picked punnets of strawberries, raspberries, broccoli, French beans and carrots. Oh and beetroot. It was the best four hours and the kids loved it. We caught tractor rides all over the fields to reach the different crops. I truly felt like the fresh air was a drug. It's an addictive thing.

Berry gorgeous (pardon the pun...net)

Posing before thoroughly checking over the strawberry plants

Oh I am proud to be a Somerset lass. I love all this!
Fit farmers, tractors, happy kids. 

In your face Waitrose, in your face (these were CHEAP!)

Eating more than she was picking it would appear...ahem!

Inside the tearoom. Blimmin' lovely.

This is his proud face! Apparently...

Gisela Graham here there and everywhere

Loving the yachts

This little lot will make gorgeous breakfasts for the next few days

I picked seven broccoli heads (little ones) for a mere £1.60. CRAZY!

Onto other things, the lovely Missy at http://edithflorencediaryofahome.blogspot.co.uk nominated me for the below award. How charming I thought.

I was honoured. I love getting things like this, even though I have been blogging for over a year. One shouldn't get too posh when it comes to blogging, you should still remember your followers. It's like when you are famous, you should still appreciate your fans. kind of.

I have to give seven facts about myself. I've done this a few times now and it worries me that I can't think of much. Mind you, I am hormonal and get clumsy and forgetful.

1. Ooh that reminds me of one. I suffer from polycystic ovaries and when I was diagnosed, I was told it could take years to conceive. The sonographer told me off the record to throw caution to the wind and stop using contraception. At that stage, we'd only just got married and weren't planning a family for at least a year but I took her advice. Three months later, following a dirty weekend in Edinburgh, the Princess was conceived. The Husband thought I'd tricked him with the whole "I can't get pregnant easily" thang.

2. Gina G and I once got on like a house on fire.   I interviewed her and we hung out and I was convinced we could be mates. She is making a comeback now. Bet she never even thinks about me.  Not even a Ooh Ah, Little Bit.

3. I fantasise about being a kitesurfer. No, really. In my sad little mind, I imagine I am one of the best females to take up the extreme sport, I'd ride the waves with all the fit lads, flip my board 70ft in the air and they'd think I was amazing. When the actual truth is, I'd look crap in the wetsuit alone. My guilty pleasure is watching Bondi Rescue everyday. I WISH I could surf/kitesurf/look hot in a wetsuit.

4. I am a chocoholic. When times are desperate and there is no chocolate in the house, I have been known to spoon out the jar of Nutella. It makes me feel a bit Dawn French but I don't care. Ahh! THAT'S why I wouldn't look hot in a wetsuit...

5. I used to work in telesales (part time, after having the Princess) and one day, my boss was being particularly miserable. His attitude wound me up so much, I texted the Husband (we weren't allowed to use mobiles at work) to moan about the boss, saying how horrid and grumpy he was and how much I hated being there that morning......and accidentally sent it to the boss. Talk about awkward.

6. My sister Anna held a party a few years ago called the A List party (we had to dress as anything beginning with A) and I dressed as Avril Lavigne complete with blonde wig. A male friend put a photo of me onto a vile website called Rough or Buff, where men could vote for me, nominating me as Rough or Buff.  I was livid.

Sk8er Boi

Avril Lavigne and Airforce Husband

7. One of my favourite films ever is the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical State Fair. Oh it is magnificent! I could watch it several times a week. It's about a family who go to the state fair, funnily enough. There is romance, stunning outfits....it's my escapism. Go google it cos I am not selling it well. I really fancy Dana Andrews in it. He was so handsome. Very dapper.

And finally. Two Cherry Tree purchases this week. This teabag holder (do they have a proper name?)

£1 from Scope

It goes nicely with me other one

 Then I squealed when I saw this for £1.50, also from Scope.

In my Top 3 film choices. It's big in my family. We heart it.

Surrender Dorothy...my friend was in a band with that name!

I could while away the hours
Slurping tons of tea, dreaming of surfers, da da da da da da...

And then we have it. A bonkers post, a mish mash of gawd only knows what. But please, go and watch State Fair. You won't regret it. Unless you are my Husband.

Woolly good fun

In haste, y'all cos it's 11pm on a Saturday night and I am working...still.....after a pretty mental day but just came across this while doing my freelance writing.  I thought I would share it with all of you who love crochet and have kids.

http://www.treehugger.com/culture/artist-crochets-playgrounds-children.html

Although personally, I think I shall stick to the wooden play park on the beach.........

Back in a nicky nacky noo (oh dear, have turned into Paddy on Take Me Out....sorry)

More cherry tree treasures coming soon.

Everything's Coming Up Roses

Oh the weather makes my heart sing. I need the sun. I am like a sunflower, I go all limp and sad when the weather is bad. Now though, I could pinch myself with happiness for living in a seaside town. Who'd have thought it, when we moved here at the end of January....that it could be as good as this.

I'm meeting new people all the time, the kids love the sea, my skin is glowing (although that could be the sunburn, actually, but at least it frazzles the acne) and everything feels more familiar now.

I bought this skirt last week from the British Heart Foundation. £2.50. You can't go wrong with a nice, cheap bit of skirt.

Excuse the sopping wet hair, I was getting ready for Book Club

Jaunty hand on hip, sucking tummy in...

With me bargainous red rose jewellery too
(ring courtesy of Heather at Pink Milk which I won in giveaway last year)

Oh I love roses.


 I bought the below for a fiver from Accessorize for a friend of the Princess, but returned to get myself one and it was half price! Brillio!

Isn't it sugary and petally (is that a word? It is now) and cute?!

 I then bought myself and my sister the below necklace which we shall both be rocking on our holiday.

Then it would have been WELL rude not to have bought these, just to continue my rose theme. Aren't they gorge? Loving the Accessorize sale big stylee.

I love roses and I love beaches.

The view from me fave cafe

My five moments of peace

Cherry tree cardie, free Hobbs headscarf from a mag years ago

My friends Jess and Lisa joined me at the recent kite surfing festival. Oooh it was great. Til it rained. And we ended up in a granny cafe that served mandarins in jelly for its top dessert...I kid you not.

A kite surfer mobile

We wanted to get closer to the kitesurfers, but alas they put a barrier up.

 Oh the beach is so lush, I don't think I can ever leave it now. It kinda locks you in. Traps you.

I bought this cherry tree scarf in Australia when we were backpacking in 1999.
Sunglasses £1.99. 

Can I dig it? Yes you can!

Me and my girl, we got each other

The kids had a massive wet sand fight at 8.15pm last night. Getting them home was tricky and they trashed the car which resembles a sand dune right now. The Husband won't be happy, he only hoovered it out last week.

Off for a picnic with friends at lunchtime, two kids are joining mine for tea and then spending the evening on the beach once I've done some work.

Tomorrow is the husband's day off and we can't wait. It's all been quite mad at Cherry Tree Towers recently, so we try to get out in the elements to blow away the cobwebs.

Enjoy the sun everyone. It's scorchio today.

Oh and PS I got a blog award yesterday so will mention it in my next blog update.

Didn't we almost have it all?

(apologies, my blog font has gone kerazee. I didn't touch a thing I promise. Bear with.... and try to ignore the weird white strip text)

Oh my gaaaaaad - last week I thought my life was about to change completely.

Did you read about this in the news?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2172609/Philip-Treacy-Pensioner-bags-potential-fortune-picking-designer-handbag-just-20-charity-shop.html?ito=feeds-newsxml 


What a total bargain. As a lover of cherry tree shops (that is charity shops to my fab new followers), I was seriously impressed with such a bargainous...bargain.


Well my eyes were quite literally on stalks.


Because..........




The husband bought me one a couple of Christmasses ago. OMG (keeping down with the kids there, take note) I couldn't believe he had actually done something right for once.


The bag was worth up to £350,000 and I had one???!!! A BIGGER one than the one featured in the press?

I started planning my big spend. The Princess and I had a wonderful evening discussing what we would do with the money. She wanted a shed load of Haribo sweets and a new DS game, I was thinking of bigger and better.


I contacted Philip Treacy and rubbed my hands with glee.


Then my bubble burst with one loud pop. No, call it a bang.


The head of PR for the designer said the bag isn't as rare as the national papers made out, 100 were made of each design (which I still don't think is exactly mass produced) and the story wasn't true. No one at Philip Treacy had confirmed the bag would reach so much money.


The head of PR apologised and said she was sorry to disappoint me and my beautiful daughter (the Princess was well chuffed with that bit). 


A few have gone on Ebay but they aren't selling for more than a hundred or two....still, I can dream. Oh the dreaming was amazing fun. £350,000 isn't a massive lot of money but it would have sorted me right out thank you very much. I lead such a simple life!


The other exciting thing that happened to me this week was when I stumbled into my local cherry tree shop.


And saw this.

I nearly died and went to heaven. 75p each! I usually fork out a pound so I was thrilled. I found three Ladybird books that I don't currently have and took them to the till, smug as you like (told you my world was simple).


The sweet old lady at the till looked at the books and said: "Goodness! 75p for a Ladybird book?!"


I could see her point, it was pretty cheap all things considered.  I nodded, delighted with my new books to add to the stash.


"Ridiculous, I shall let you have all three for a pound, but keep that quiet," she added with a wink.


Oh I couldn't have been happier. Here are the new additions.

My sis just bought a chaise longue. This is for you Binty!

 It meant that I had money left over for this little cake stand. Oh it is so cute. £2.50 from Scope.

Of course I ate them all.....

 We've also seen the Olympic torch pass through town. My friend Lisa and I and our kids (five in total) battled the gales and rain last week. We were so wet our clothes were soaked under our RAIN macs....(which soooo didn't do their job).

The kids loved it. It was over in a flash but they loved it!

I have a silly gimpy face but I love our non-working rain macs!

The weather this evening couldn't be more different. The sea was like a millpond and there was a weird orange aura. Everything was calm. Peaceful. Serene... (til the Prince needed the loo and weed on my foot but we won't go there).

Happy kids. 8.30pm this evening.

I sat there, Cappucino in hand, watching the kids playing happily and realised that what we have is priceless. My bag may never be worth what I dreamed it would be, but it doesn't matter. Because everything I need is right here*.

*Except a giant Toblerone, but you can't have it all.