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Last week I spent a lovely birthday first of all at Gardener’s World Live where I bought lots of plants including some nice organic herbs<\/a>, followed by a trip into Birmingham. Andy used to work there and thought that it had changed a great deal in fifteen years. <\/p>\n Some of the herbs have now been planted in the garden but the others will have to wait a little while. Our cherry tree has grown fruit for the first time since we moved here nearly nine years ago. We’ve had a problem with ants farming aphids on the tree. I don’t like to use chemicals in the garden and over the years haven’t really got around to sorting it out. But this year something seems to have changed because the tree had a good amount of fruit. I picked some from the lower branches on the weekend and Andy picked the rest yesterday. So, tonight I’m making cherry pie. With luck it’ll be damn fine cherry pie<\/a>! But we’ll have to see! <\/p>\n I’m now on leave from work until next Tuesday. Tomorrow it’s Freda’s funeral so we’re travelling up to West Wales for that. Then on Thursday we catch an early plane to Paris. We’re staying there for four days and I hope to meet up with Becky<\/a> one afternoon in Lyon while we’re there!<\/p>\n So, it’s been a busy week and there’s still much to do. I have to sort out my packing and mail off a knitted birthday present that’s a bit late. It’s a pair of socks knitted in Lorna’s Laces Sport in Grays Corner for my friend Anne who lives in London. She doesn’t read this blog so there’s no danger of spoiling the surprise!<\/p>\n I made the cherry pie and it was a sucess. Had fun using my cherry stoner – first time I’d used it since I bought it about eight years ago. I found a recipe for a Cherry Macaroon Pie. I’ll link to it when I find the recipe again but basically it’s topped with a mixture of coconut, egg and almonds. It was gorgeous and looked very nice too. Mmmmm I’ll have to make one again. Good job that there’s half a pie left in the fridge! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"