Orchard Farm News (3)

Why on earth ask us about holiday cottages?

By Marion F-S ⋅ October 22, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

…Sharing some Tip Top Tips for prospective owners…A disclaimer: Presuming to write this does sound horribly big-headed, but we have been asked for advice about holiday cottages over the years by a number of friends, colleagues and relations and we have just had another urgent plea from a family friend, so John and I have [...]

Madam, you have a knife in your handbag

By Marion F-S ⋅ October 17, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

…Will you step this way…?… The Swallows and I, we flew to South Africa leaving one husband/ swallow photographer behind… The swallows will fly over western France to South Africa, at an average speed according to the RSPB of 35 mph, in search of warmer weather and juicier insects. No security checks, iris recognition checks, [...]

Interior Design Dilemmas

By Marion F-S ⋅ October 6, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

…A Confidence Crisis Resolved, we think…People often very kindly compliment us on the colour and furnishing and fittings in both barns, and it is easy to thank them graciously, brushing it off with a, ‘Well we had a lot of fun choosing everything”. Which is true up to a point, and mainly in retrospect. At [...]

A Christmas Treat Awaits!

By Marion F-S ⋅ September 22, 2012 ⋅ One comment

…A party political broadcast on behalf of Tom’s Barn…There now follows a party political broadcast on behalf of anyone who wants to enjoy a relaxing and peaceful Christmas holiday away from it all. Our lovely Tom’s Barn, a great favourite with dog lovers and non dog-lovers alike, is still available for Christmas! We find it [...]

Sharing Secret and Other Domestic Tips and Delights

By Marion F-S ⋅ September 20, 2012 ⋅ 2 comments

…Do you know how to fold a fitted sheet?…A disclaimer, just in case anyone thinks I have suddenly grown my hair, affected an American accent and become a wonder housewife overnight: the heroine of this secret-revealing video is not me! Having got that clear, here are one or two little snippets which are probably more [...]

All In a Day

By Marion F-S ⋅ September 14, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

…Or a Week in a Paragraph…Once again, smitten with guilt (and disappointment because I really love what feels like a personal letter to ‘you’) I try to cover up an embarrassing week’s absence from the blog. There seems to be a lot going on in all the different sectors of my life, more than I [...]

Coping without a Car

By Marion F-S ⋅ August 25, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

…More Tom’s Tip Top Tips for a hassle-free carless journey here…One of Parwich’s many charms is its idyllic rural location. The fact we are not on the route anywhere is a wonderful attraction: the only traffic is local and we don’t have speeding cars hurtling through on their way somewhere else. There is another side [...]

Carefree Catering for the Carfree

By Marion F-S ⋅ August 19, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

…More of Tom’s Tip Top Tips…Whether you have walked here or come in the sleekest of limousines, you won’t want to have to pay a visit to the shops the minute you arrive, if indeed at all. It is perfectly easy and part of the excitement building up for your holiday to organise everything that [...]

Social Media Networking

By Marion F-S ⋅ July 21, 2012 ⋅ 8 comments

…Who will join our Google+ Circles?…Yesterday at 7.30 am (had to get that in) I was in Chesterfield, 40 minutes’ drive away, to attend a Breakfast Briefing’ on ‘What’s New in Social Media’. It was stimulating, fast moving and very informative, presented by someone whose life-work it is: he really knows and lives for his [...]

South African Silence

By Marion F-S ⋅ July 18, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

…Birdsong and chatter from Parwich…Recently I always seem to be apologising for silences (not something I am normally known for) but while we were away in Ireland we heard that my sister had even taken very ill in Durban, South Africa, and we had not been back home many days when I decided to fly [...]

Search