I recently read the first in the Cherry Pie series – and loved it – so when this popped on to my Kindle (got to love pre-ordering) it had to be devoured before I started anything else!!
Here’s what Amazon had to say about it:
“Welcome to Jenny Oliver’s brand new Cherry Pie Island series! There’s nowhere more deliciously welcoming…
If you were to ask Holly Somers how life is going at the moment she wouldn’t have a clue how to answer you… On the one hand she’s embarking on a retro-fabulous road trip in her vintage ice cream van all the way from Cherry Pie Island to the South of France. Plus, she’s sharing the journey with Wilf Hunter-Brown (quite possibly the most attractive man she’s ever met!)
On the other? Well, apart from being unsure as to whether the rickety old ice cream van will actually make it to the Riviera, she and Wilf had a one-night fling a few weeks ago. Even worse, it seems there’s an unexpected little consequence of their impromptu night together. Life on Cherry Pie Island definitely hasn’t equipped Holly with knowledge of the best way to tell a super-rich entrepreneur with a womanising reputation that he’s about to become a Dad!
Despite the heat of the Provencal sunshine you’d think you’d be able to keep cool inside an ice cream van – but the temperature is definitely rising. And with time running out to tell Wilf the truth, Holly’s dream roadtrip is fast becoming a nightmare on wheels! There’s no denying that this will be a journey to remember. When it comes to sundaes, Holly has always been partial to the more traditional flavours – but something’s telling her that this could be the time to take a chance and try something new…”
It was lovely! Like the first book in the series it wasn’t a highbrow doorstop of a book – but was a great, quick, escapist read. As with all of Jenny’s books – the food descriptions were amazing – and she really evoked the feel of France.
Whilst the main characters in book 2 were different to book 1 there were enough cross references for you to still feel involved with life back on Cherry Pie Island.
I’m already excited about book 3 (and subsequent books!!)
I’ve blogged before about Operation Teddy Bear and the accompanying raising of its awareness with #opteddybear selfies – but yesterday was THE BIG DAY – and is ‘one day in May’ I will never forget!!
A couple of weeks ago we found out that Finlay was going to need further brain surgery – and just a few days before the big day – so we gave him the choice of whether we postponed, or went ahead without him. The mature, sensible, lovely boy that he is, he recognised how much work had gone into the preparation and told us to go ahead anyway. So on Thursday 30 April Fin had a 7 hour operation. It went really well and he was excited that he could be video linked in to the Operation Teddy Bear event.
The night before we were picking up bears from the various places around the Alvechurch area where they had been stored – my children were literally drowning in bears:
Then on Sunday May 3rd it was an early – and wet – start at Alvechurch Cricket Club. If we’d arranged for Guinness to come out and witness the event we would have had to pay them a few thousand pounds – and we wanted that money to go to the charities (Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Brain Tumour Research) – so we went down the route of providing loads of evidence to support our attempt instead. This meant independent witnesses were there every step / bear of the way and everything was photographed and videoed.
So – off we went!! At this point the bears could sit on plastic to stop their bottoms getting wet – those later on weren’t so comfy!
I laid 500 (as in put them down, not laid like a chicken!)
and other members of the Op Teddy Bear team did too:
All through the first few hours we were able to FaceTime with Fin in his (dry, warm) hospital bed!!
We broke the UK record of 1,996 within a few hours, and as we approached the existing world record of 4,041 we found that the wifi was down at Fin’s hospital and so we couldn’t get him to watch live – but we photographed and videoed it all for him. In Fin’s absence, a little boy called Oscar – who was treated by Birmingham Children’s Hospital for a life threatening heart condition as a baby – laid the world record breaking bear! (Cue loads of sobbing from me and the rest of the team!!)
But we weren’t going to stop at just scraping the record – we wanted to SMASH it – so on we went!
There was a steady stream of wonderful people volunteering to lay bears – and a huge queue of people to help ‘feed’ the layers with bears! It was the Alvechurch Picnic In The Park in the neighbouring park, so there were loads of locals to come and help and watch and it had the most amazing feel of community spirit.
Onwards we went…….bear after bear after bear. They had to be bears, not any other kind of stuffed toy – and they had to be touching at all times. I took my role as bear police very seriously (I suspect there will be children in the school playground this week pointing at me saying ‘there’s that nasty lady who shouted at us to keep away from the bears’!!) but we couldn’t risk the line being broken.
Credit: Anthony Hill
Then, there was some real excitement – someone really important had arrived at the attempt. IT WAS FINLAY!!!! The whole ‘wifi is down’ had been a ruse, in fact the Church family were bringing Finlay out of hospital! So 3 days after 7 hour brain surgery, he’d done so well, he’d been allowed out – and he was able to come and join us. Cue LOADS more weeping from me and the rest of the team!!
He was well enough to lay some bears – here he is with one of our independent witnesses, having hit the 7,000 marker!
and here he is ‘feeding’ bears to his Mum!
Still we were laying bears – those that had been donated over recent weeks by generous people all over the country – but also brought along on the day.
We’d even sourced a generator and some floodlights in case we needed to keep laying after it went dark, and were on our 3rd pair of independent witnesses!!
But then – the end was in sight. And we’d done it – laid every bear and completely annihilated the existing world record!! Obviously I was weeping far too much to actually take any photos as Fin’s siblings laid the last few bears and then Fin himself laid the final bear………
[Edited to add – thankfully my husband wasn’t such an emotional wreck and took photos of Fin’s younger siblings laying the penultimate bear – and Fin with the final one – phew!!!]
These are photos from our phones, so not the best quality in the world, but I think give a really good feel for the day. It was an amazing day to be part of – and really highlighted how much the entire community is behind Fin and his family. All of the evidence will be sent off to Guinness for them to check and hopefully issue Fin his certificate – and getting in the printed edition of the Guinness Book of World Records itself is his dream.
But the record attempt was only part of it – the main reason was to raise awareness and funds for Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Brain Tumour Research – so if you feel inspired to donate, the Just Giving pages are still accepting!
It’s now the morning after the day before. My husband and I (and I expect other people around the village) are struggling to walk today (my Fitbit shows I walked 12 miles yesterday – I could have just done the Birmingham 10k – which was also on yesterday – twice instead!!). The longest time I sat down in the 14 hours we were there yesterday was for a wee!! We also have 15,534 wet teddy bears to dry and distribute to the various charities who have supported us – but pretty soon it won’t be ‘All About the Bears‘ anymore……………..
The category for The Gallery over on the Sticky Fingers blog this week is ‘one day in May’- and this is one day in May that I will never, ever forget!
I have been a big fan of Jenny Oliver’s previous books – and so was excited that she was publishing more – and this time a whole series based on fictional Cherry Pie Island! I have always loved her characters and so have wanted to know what happens after the book finishes (unlike Gone Girl where I didn’t give a toss about any of them!) – and so thought a series would be excellent.
The first one is entitled ‘The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Cafe’ and this is what Amazon says about it:
“Home, Sweet Home….?
There’s nowhere more deliciously welcoming…
When Annie White steps back onto Cherry Pie Island, it’s safe to say her newly inherited Dandelion Café has seen better days! And while her childhood home on the Thames-side island idyll is exactly the same retreat from the urban bustle of London she remembers, Annie’s not convinced that Owner of The Dandelion Cafe is a title she’ll be keeping for long. Not that she can bear the idea of letting her dedicated, if endearingly disorganized staff lose their jobs. Plus café life does also have the added bonus of working a stone’s throw away from millionaire Matt and his disarmingly charming smile!
One (shoestring budget) café makeover, a few delightful additions to the somewhat retro menu and a lot of cherry pie tastings later, The Dandelion Café is ready for its grand reopening! But once she’s brought the dilapidated old café back to life, Annie finds herself wishing her stay on the island was just a bit longer. She always intended to go back to the big city…but could island living finally have lured her back home for good?”
I REALLY enjoyed it. It’s a light, easy read – but funny, warm and you really care about the characters. As with her other books there are excellent points of reference that really ring true (this time my favourite being a white Dolcis shoe box in a drawstring black Dolcis bag!!). As with Jenny’s previous books, her descriptions of food are amazing – you can almost taste the cherry pie and its accompaniments!
Annie’s relationships with her family are complex – but you are always in Annie’s corner.
And as I expected – I do want to know what happens to Annie next!
I had read the blurb for book 2 before reading book 1 (book 2 should be winging its way to my Kindle today – yay!) and so could see the seeds being sown for the characters that feature in that. I am also hoping we continue to keep in touch with the characters from book 1 – but I will report back on that later!
This is not high brow, prize winning fiction (but hey, we don’t want to read The Goldfinch every day – in fact, most normal people don’t want to read The Goldfinch ever!!) – but it’s fun, escapist reading – which sometimes is just what is called for.
I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series as they are published.
I am not blogging as much as normal at the moment, as pretty much all spare waking minutes – and some sleeping ones – are being taken up with Operation Teddy Bear.
Builder Bear!
I’ve mentioned before about taking bear selfies and it would still be GREAT if you could do them and share on social media with the #opteddybear hashtag – and if any of you are / know a celeb – please rope them in too!! Join the motley crew of Olly Murs, Sir Alex Ferguson, Angela Griffin et al!
Also – there’s still time to donate teddies! All the details of Bear HQ and drop off points are on the Operation Teddy Bear website and Finlay’s Journey on Facebook.
And if you don’t have teddies to donate – then good old fashioned cash is also appreciated – here’s the Just Giving page link.
Please help the inspirational Finlay break a Guinness World Record and raise loads of cash for Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Brain Tumour Research.
Thanks everyone, from me – and the rest of the #opteddybear team – and most importantly, Fin.
xx
Earlier in the year I read ‘Before I Go To Sleep‘ by S J Watson. I liked it – but it had been hyped by friends before I read it – and it wasn’t as amazing as I’d expected. I went into this, SJ Watson’s next book, without any preconceived ideas apart from this fairly vague Amazon blurb:
“She loves her husband. She’s obsessed by a stranger. She’s a devoted mother. She’s prepared to lose everything. She knows what she’s doing. She’s out of control. She’s innocent. She’s guilty as sin. She’s living two lives. She might lose both . . .”
Again SJ Watson is writing as a woman (he’s a bloke) – this time as Julia. She obviously has her historic demons (it is revealed fairly early on that she’s an alcoholic – and I felt these parts were described incredibly well, it even made me go properly on the wagon for a bit!!) The story is based about the fact that her sister has been murdered in Paris – and Julia’s attempt to uncover what has happened.
I can’t really say much more without giving away huge chunks of the plot – it twists and turns brilliantly with lots of things interlinking. Sometimes it is a bit far fetched – but not so much it makes it totally unbelievable. The use of social media / the internet / apps makes it seem very up to date in setting – and all of this makes some of the coincidences less coincidental.
I have to say there were times when I was shouting at Julia to tell someone else the truth – but to actually be in that situation must be so difficult, and reasonable behaviour may well go out the window.
As with Before I Go To Sleep it picks up pace towards the end and gets more and more exciting – but still the ending is a total shock. I can’t say any more than that!!
I really enjoyed it – much more than Before I Go To Sleep – and would definitely recommend it.
Way back in Autumn I said I would take the same 2 pictures out of my front and back windows each season, to keep a record of the changing views.
Today the prompt over at Sticky Fingers is ‘Spring’ – and it was a GLORIOUS day and so photos were duly taken. Let’s be honest – they may well beat ‘Summer’ knowing what British weather is like!!
They are so bright and hopeful. I also like the fact you can just about see the St George’s flag flying from the church (not sure why? An Easter thing??)
But I also realised that I never posted the ‘Winter’ photos? Whoops! So here they are – doesn’t it look cold and frosty!
I am a big fan of the Facebook account ‘Overheard in Waitrose’ and the Twitter account @highgatemums – to the point that I think my 4 children should perhaps reside in said supermarket in North London (not the Highgate in Birmingham nearer where we live – that’s very different – and doesn’t have a Waitrose for a start!!)
So – basically, it’s kids being up their own arses that both things highlight. Hey – we can even do sub-categories:
TRAVEL
The eldest, when 5, was learning about modes of transport – she was asked at school if she’d been on a bus ‘Yes, that’s what takes you from the airport to the plane’!
4 year old, on Monarch flight to Faro in Portugal last Summer ‘Mummy, why doesn’t my chair turn into a bed, and why haven’t I got my own TV?’
Same child told me this Easter hols ‘Mummy, do you know, we are going on holiday JUST IN THE CAR – not on a plane?’
SPORTING
Son, when off to see his then 9 year old cousin playing football, wouldn’t eat his breakfast before we left home, commented ‘It’s ok, I’ll just get some chips and nuggets in the Box when we get there’ – having been spoilt at Villa Park didn’t quite grasp the concept of Hampshire Under 10s in a local park.
IT
3 year old, wailing ‘Mummy, the wifi is down and I can’t watch Netflix’
Children, when being called through for their dinner at our holiday home in the Lakes this week, ‘But WHY can’t we pause the TV?’
EXCEPTIONS
So, sometimes, the kids do remind me that we’ve kept their feet almost on the ground:
The eldest, recently, ‘Mum, I’m not sure this Waitrose Ardennes Pate is really ‘essential’?!’ …………
From the outset I need to declare an interest in this week’s theme! I’ve known Finlay since he was a baby – and am heavily involved in organising Operation Teddy Bear – to the point that I’m dreaming about teddies!!
Actually I blogged about Fin last year – when the Gallery theme was ‘Spectacular‘.
Since then Fin has continued with his treatment – and living the life a 10 year old boy should with school, fun with family and friends, and some of his favourite sports.
He’s also passionate about raising money for both Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Brain Tumour Research – which we are supporting with Operation Teddy Bear – as well as trying to get in the Guinness Book of World Records.
The support from people far and wide has been astonishing – from donations of teddy bears and cash – to #opteddybear selfies on social media – from people who know Fin – and others, including some celebs! We’ve still got almost a month until the event on May 3rd – so any support that you can give would be massively welcome. The Just Giving site is here.
I’m off to scour the charity shops of the Lake District for teddies whilst we’re away for Easter!
So – here are the Price family with their #opteddybear pictures:
And the construction company we own also managed some ‘Builder Bears’!!!
Please pop across and see other people’s teddy bears:
Last week the prompt over on the Sticky Fingers blog for the gallery was ‘boys’ – and so, unsurprisingly, last week I wrote about my boys – and this week it’s the turn of my girls.
After we’d had our eldest daughter and then son – and some pretty traumatic births – we decided enough was enough and husband had the snip. As people were all too keen to point out ‘you’ve had one of each, why would you want any more?’ (Why do people say that?!?)
Fast forward 4 years and I’m WEEPING in the M&S school uniform section buying my ‘baby’ his school trousers and decided I’d quite like another baby (well, actually 2, as my OCD couldn’t cope with an odd number of children!) Husband was more than happy to oblige – and 6 weeks post op we were pregnant with baby number 3, and 16 months after her baby number 4 arrived too!
So girls massively outweigh boys in this house – there is A LOT of pink! They are already all their own characters – and seem to be getting feistier with each Miss Price iteration.
The eldest is BRILLIANT with her little sisters (most of the time!) and in return they look up to her massively (as I would like to think my sisters do to me?!?).
The little two being so close in age is great – and they play beautifully together (they also fight like cat and dog – but we’ll gloss over that for now!) The fact they are both girls makes it very different to the older kids relationship. I am one of 3 girls – but throwing an additional brother into the mix really changes the dynamic.
I used to love the American TV programme ‘Brothers and Sisters’ and the dynamics between all of the siblings – and I look forward to that playing out in our family in the future – definitely different to just ‘sisters’.
So these are my girls – pop over to The Gallery to see other peoples’ girls…….
This Price is Usually Right 