Today saw the temperature in my part of the world soar to a hot and humid mid 80s (F). I was supposed to be doing last minute preparations for when the decorator arrives to refresh two of our rooms. The two rooms he chose to do first (from our list) are the the two most difficult rooms together to be able to relocate furniture, mostly bookcases from.
We managed the jigsaw operation over the weekend, but due to the heat the few remaining things left to do will be done tomorrow instead. It was far too hot to think let alone move boxes and furniture about.
Evening saw the temperature returning to a pleasant heat, allowing us to enjoy fine dining on the patio; garlic chicken, rocket, spinach & tomato tossed in lemon and peppered potato wedges. The food was delicious, the sky was delightful and the air was cool and refreshing 
Tags: Cherie's Place, Fine Dining, Patio, Shropshire
What a lovely surprise to discover how unlonely being alone can be.
Helen Burstyn
Tags: Attingham Park, Cherie's Place Thought, National Trust, Shropshire
One of the most beautiful homes in England, Adlington Hall, home of the Leghs from 1315 was built on the site of a Hunting Lodge in the Forest of Macclesfield in 1040.
Two oaks, part of the original building, remain rooted in the ground supporting the east end of the Great Hall. Between the trees stands an organ which was played on by Handel and is still operational today.
Adlington Hall is a country house near Adlington, Cheshire. The oldest part of the existing building, the Great Hall, was constructed between 1480 and 1505; the east wing was added in 1581. The Legh family has lived in the hall and in previous buildings on the same site since the early 14th century. After the house was occupied by Parliamentary forces during the Civil War, changes were made to the north wing, including encasing the Great Hall in brick, inserting windows, and installing an organ in the Great Hall. In the 18th century the house was inherited by Charles Legh who organised a series of major changes. These included building a new west wing, which incorporated a ballroom, and a south wing with a large portico. It is possible that Charles Legh himself was the architect for these additions. He also played a large part in planning and designing the gardens, woodland and parkland, which included a number of buildings of various types, including a bridge known as the Chinese Bridge that carried a summerhouse.
The hall was reconstructed and reduced in size in 1928. The work included demolition of much of the west wing, building a screen wall to fill the gap, and removing parts of the south wing.
Tags: Adlington Hall, Cheshire, HHA
As mentioned in my previous post I have been reading a local guide book which inspired me to visit Shropshire Lavender. The author of the book, (Slow Travel – Shropshire) mentions many Shropshire Churches and points out that she doesn’t need to write about the churches in detail because John Leonard has already done this so well in his book ‘The Churches of Shropshire & their treasures’.
As a lover of churches this prompted me to search for the book online. This led to me to find that the publisher of the book had closed down and that ‘Shropshire Historic Churches Trust’ had purchased a supply of the book and could offer it at a discount rate. When I enquired, I learned that their supply had been depleted prompting me to search for another source of supply, making sure it was a second edition book with colour photographs.
The book was delivered today and I spent some time enjoying browsing through it. The author has starred the best churches with * to *** in the style of the Michelin Green Guide ratings.
From my initial perusal of the book I know that it will be an enjoyable read, a good reference book and a good inspiration for churches to visit in my local area.
Tags: Book Review, Church, John Leonard, Shropshire, The Churches of Shropshire & their treasures
Recently I have been reading a local guidebook to give me new inspiration for places to visit in Shropshire. One of the places sounded perfect for the beautiful summer weather that we have been experiencing, so the weekend before last I decided it would be nice to take Mr C out to a mystery location for lunch.
He was a little bit reluctant to go out for lunch, but I persuaded him. I programmed the SatNav and it took us on a delightful magical mystery tour. That SatNav route took us in quite a different direction than I would have instinctively chosen. We arrived at our countryside destination in a timely manner avoiding the nearby town.
Our destination was Shropshire Lavender, a small family run lavender farm with a tea room serving freshly baked cakes and scones. The lavender farm is set in the rolling Shropshire countryside about 3 miles from the market town of Newport on the North Shropshire-Staffordshire border.
Choosing lunch was difficult… should I opt for a lavender scone or lavender and lemon cake. I chose the latter and did not regret my choice 
When we had finished our visit to the lavender farm we weren’t quite ready to go home, so we perused the mapbook for a nearby place of interest. We settled on Boscobel House famous as hiding places of King Charles II after defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651.
Later in the day we enjoyed fine dining on the patio
Tags: Boscobel House, Cherie's Place, Fine Dining, Fun, Life, Love, Lunch, Mystery Tour, Patio, Shropshire Lavender, There's Always One
And so, while others miserably pledge themselves to the pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing.
Fray Luis de Leon
Tags: Cherie's Place Thought, Hodnet Hall, Hodnet Hall Gardens, Shropshire
