** New for 2020 – We now have an additional property to hire alongside or independently from The Manor – ‘The Mews’ which can sleep up to 6 people. This may help with social distancing for groups looking to book with us. Please enquire for more details. Thank you, Tabitha.
The Manor House, Moreton and Louisa Loasby Personal Chef and Caterer are delighted to announce their first Supper Club to be held at The Manor House, Moreton, Dorset.
We are friends with a mutual love for food and brining people together to enjoy it!
Our first evening will be held at The Manor House on Thursday 4th April 2019.
The evening will start with champagne and delicious canapés. There will be magical entertainment whilst you get to know your other supper club members.
A themed, seasonal, locally sourced three course meal will follow in the beautiful surroundings of our Georgian Manor House venue.
You can book for yourself, with a few friends or with your partner.
There are two private dining rooms available for up to 10 in a group and communal dining areas where you will enjoy plenty of laughter, conversation and a few surprises to make everyone feel completely at home.
There will be wine and soft drink options expertly sourced and paired by Morrish & Banham of Dorchester available for purchase throughout the evening.
Please book Here – booking will also add you to our Supper Club mailing list where you will receive sneak peaks of what to expect on the evening, menu tasters and recipes from the super talented Louisa.
Places are limited so book early to avoid disappointment.
We look forward to welcoming you around our table.
Love,
Louisa & Tabitha
More info on Louisa here x
We were lucky enough to be chosen by Farrow & Ball as a location for their photo shoot for the new Inspiration booklet that may have dropped through your letterbox in the last few weeks.
It was a great week seeing the house transformed last year and we were so keen to show off the new colours but had to wait until publication before we could share them here.
The team were lovely and I can honestly say if I were to re decorate at home again I would definitely use their In Home Colour Consultancy service as their expert knowledge in colours and pairing together is exceptional. I would never have chosen the colours used at The Manor, and we all love them. As do all our guests who have enjoyed the house over the last few months.
The Main Hall was decorated with School House White on the walls, Studio Green on the front panelling and Bancha on the back panelling.
The kitchen was transformed – Sulking Room Pink on the walls and Paen black cabinets. The kitchen is home to the AGA and it is so cosy in there at night and surprisingly fresh during the day. We love it.
The pantry is such fun, painted in Rangwali, I think some fairy lights in here are going to look great.
The drawing room became a child’s bedroom for the day. The top colour is Pale Powder and the lower blue is De Nimes. The skirting was a prop skirting so is not in situ in the house but here is painted in Preference Red.
To order your own copy of the Inspiration booklet you will find it Here.
All photographs here have been taken from the Farrow and Ball booklet and are mostly using their own props for decoration.
It was a great experience and we hope host more photoshoots in the future. Our most recent was with The Rug Company and I hope to share photographs from that soon.
T x
We are always so happy when The Manor gets used for events other than as a residential let. We adore the families and friends that come to the house to celebrate, catch up and reunite but it is also lovely when people see the house in another light and the space having potential for other exciting ventures.
The Manor has been lucky enough over the years to host art exhibitions, meditation retreats, fitness bootcamps, fiesta’s, halloween events and Christmas parties. All of these different events showcase The Manor’s versatility.
Just before Christmas I met up with Samantha Wilson & Sammie McFarland who both run their own businesses focusing on fitness, yoga, pilates and general wellbeing. They have decided to hire The Manor as an event venue for a retreat this March, and I am delighted to be able to share more details of this weekend with you.
All I need say is the weekend sounds like complete bliss! A yoga and pilates retreat with a great balance of movement and relaxation. The itinerary is well thought out taking in to consideration a need to restore, refresh and energise with like minded women in a peaceful countryside environment.
To give an idea of what the retreat will be offering – Yoga flow, hiit classes, guided walking, reflexology & massage, yoga nidra and meditation.. all with plenty of healthy food, conversation and the odd glass of fizz thrown in – which sounds pretty great to me.
If you would like more information on the retreat you can find it here. Please contact Sam or Sammie directly to book on to the retreat.
Sam is also offering Sunday chill sessions at our local village hall in Moreton which look equally relaxing and restorative, see here.
At The Manor we currently have a few weekends left available for hire in April, May and June please contact us on manorhousemoreton@hotmail.com for more information.
There are lots of exciting events in the pipeline for 2019 – I will share details on here as soon as we have things finalised!
T x
Having been a long time fan of the Dorset based company Farrow & Ball we were absolutely delighted to be asked for the Manor House to be used as a location for photoshoot to showcase a few of the new colours which have been released this year.
This is something we have hoped for for a long time, The Manor is the perfect house to show off colour due to the large airy rooms and plenty of natural light.
The team have been a pleasure to work with and we are absolutely delighted with the colours used through the house.
The photographs will be published in January 2019 so we will be able to share more details then.
We hope that all our guests visiting the house enjoy the colours as much as we do!
October and early November were busy, Halloween parties for both the children & the adults and we also enjoyed a really fun Bonfire Night in Tolpuddle with friends.
Now we have recovered from all that excitement we are really looking forward to the next few months at The Manor House. We have lots of interesting things lined up including meditation retreats, yoga & wellness retreats and some pop up supper clubs planned for 2019. If you would like details on any of these events please get in touch via email.
Christmas is such fun time of year and I feel that now bonfire night is over I am allowed to throw myself in to planning the decoration at The Manor, I decorate the house with my Mum every year and we absolutely love doing it together, christmas music on, mince pies in the AGA, it’s the best! The rest of the family are usually roped in too, collecting foliage from the garden and painting fir cones – we are a pretty Christmassy family so it’s something we look forward to every year.
I will share more details of our Christmas preparations as they happen.
Winter scene in Moreton
With the weather finally warming up and the rain holding off for a few days here and there we have been steadily completing our ‘to do’ list of bits and pieces at The Manor.
The first and most important task to tackle has been the refurb of the tennis court. Lots of pressure washing, sweeping later we are finally nearing the final stages and it is looking fab. Trees have been removed that hung over the court meaning that we now have less of an issue with the dreaded moss.
All the exterior paint work has been re done giving the house a nice fresh facelift and as I type all the fencing surrounding the garden is being taken away and replaced. All in all it is looking great.
We gave the games barn a good old clean up the other day, it’s still a barn, but a tidy barn!
I have to mention the magnolia tree at the Manor ( I fear I am becoming a magnolia bore, but hey, it’s only ever for a brief time in the year!)
Last year during a storm the guests using the house called to say a branch had fallen in the driveway, it wasn’t obstructing the drive but they wanted to let us know. After check out I went to assess and at the time it didn’t look great, a large branch has splintered and was on the ground, barely attached to the tree. I asked Harry to get round with his chainsaw pronto to get it removed and sawn up for logs. It got added to the never ending list of ‘to do’s’ I have but over a few days it didn’t look quite so bad so it fell to the wayside. After a week or so I noticed that the branch was still very much alive so I decided to leave it be in the hope that I would be rewarded with floor height sweeping magnolia to enjoy. We haven’t been disappointed, it looks amazing.
Whilst on the subject of flora I discovered a very lovely farmers market held on the fourth Saturday of each month on the high street in Dorchester (15 mins away from the Manor) – I tend to avoid ‘town’ on a Saturday as it’s always busy and we are usually ferrying kids to football or walking the pooch. On this occasion I was underprepared for Mothering Sunday so needed to do a quick trip in to get bits and bobs before collecting my nephews for a sleepover. We ended up in town at about 9.30 and it was nice and quiet, easy to park. We discovered the farmers market which I would highly recommend. There were loads of lovely stalls selling delicious produce and we took advantage of trying lots of stuff. My absolute favourite stall had to be this flower stall where I managed to find some beautiful Parrot Tulips and Ranunculus for Mothers day (myself & my mummy!!) I will be going again!
We had a lovely Mothering Sunday in the garden enjoying the sunshine. I was given lots of lovely cuddles from the kidlets and Harry cooked us all his speciality lasagne which was delicious.
As well as getting things spruced up at The Manor I have been working hard at home to get the decoration finished. Having been here for a year now I felt it was time to crack on now that I understand the light and how the spaces work. I am still stuck in a very white place as it’s so easy to touch up and add to or take away from. I am branching out in to other variations of white though and am using Farrow & Ball Strong White in most of the rooms other than hallways. It is a lovely subtle colour and very calming. I am so sick of painting now but am persevering as my goal is to be finished by the end of May and that is well within our sights.
I was trying to focus on the ground floor only when we inherited a lovely new bed from some friends. After a massive Ebay trawl I managed to purchase a brand new barely used mattress for it (for a tenner!!!) and so commenced the great British bed swap where Harry had to take down and move not one, but three beds and travel about for a whole day to satisfy my whims. Whilst we had an empty room for a few hours I finished painting the floor which has been a ambition for a while. I lOVE it. It’s totally impractical and a nightmare to keep clean but it’s my dream bedroom and I just like looking at it, which in my book makes it worth it.
In the midst of all the tennis court work / decorating etc we have been doing, I needed to find a decent distraction from the drone of the pressure washer or relentless and depressing news updates on the radio. I can’t remember who suggested podcasts, I think I may have seen one talked about on Insta but I am now fully obsessed and finding more and more brilliant ones to subscribe to and enjoy. They are engaging, topical, current and FREE! easier than reading as you can carry on about your daily work and still enjoy them. I am yet to listen in the car as I am mostly in the car with the children and we are in an unbroken cycle of Ed Sheehan and Musical Times Table (yawn). Here is a list of my current favourites, in no particular order.
* The High Low – Pandora Sykes and Dolly Alderton
* Desert Island discs – Radio 4
* Any of The New Statesman ones
* Letters to my fanny – Cherry Healey
I love them all and they are a treat to listen to. I am looking forward to discovering more.
We are also planning more stuff for the garden, I want to grow more of our own produce this year and learn more about it. My dear friend Abi has the most amazing poly tunnel that her and her husband Scott spend most of their summer in which is very inspiring. We are not at tunnel standard yet but on the hunt for a unused green house to adopt on free cycle. Knowledge is coming in book form from the very clever and talented Hollie Newton who recently published “How to Grow” – it is a stunning book and we are really enjoying it. You may also notice her name from the many Newspaper clippings and articles that are being published about her at the moment.
♡
Keeping top of New Years resolutions, or resolutions at any time of the year is a toughie! I promised myself after the Christmas break to finish the interior decoration at our home and make a few tweaks at The Manor House too. I really wanted to hone my weekly organisation and time we spend together as a family.
At the Manor we are now preparing the garden for summer and touching up bit and bobs in the house. Harry and I have plenty scheduled at The Manor and work starts this week, more of this over here for updates https://www.instagram.com/manorhousemoreton/
But other than work based bits I really want to finish the rooms at home, do more varied exercise, complete some units of my interior design diploma, and also eat supper with the children on a more regular basis and have family home evenings where neither myself or Harry are distracted by work emails!
Being self employed means I have to really try and schedule my days clearly else I can get super distracted and end up completing only half my to do list. So any methods to aid daily organisation are always welcome to see if they stick and work with us as a family.
I find that eating our evening meal together aids free and easy conversation with the children and they open up a lot more than when I am rushing in and out not paying full attention. I tend to do a meal plan on Monday morning, using up what I have from the weekend and grocery shopping for the rest of the week from there, it’s not a ridged plan and sometimes we see family or mix things up.
The benefits are great, I am spending less on shopping and have far less veggie waste than before, both the children are helping me prepare the meal, laying the table and eating more varied meals – no more beige freezer rubbish and more colourful vegetables. A friend has recommended a Riverford Organic box that she gets delivered, I really like the idea of this and am going to be doing some investigation on that front. I think would prefer to get one from a local supplier if possible?
On the ‘planning’ theme I also received a really sweet Happiness Planner from Harry for Christmas, this is so cute and came in pretty hues of pale blue and light pink. I have never been a dedicated diarist and tend to do all my work & personal organisation on my iPhone calendar and to do lists on the note’s feature. The Happiness planner has a positivity based premise and has daily sections for schedule (helpful as a diary) to do lists and areas to focus on gratitude, positive elements of the day and things that make you happy. It does make me focus on the little things that get overlooked and to be more positive about them, I am (almost!) writing it every morning and it gets you off to a smiley start. ♡
We decided on more of a ‘staycation’ vibe for our half term holidays this February – living and working in Dorset is obviously great and we as a family really appreciate what is has to offer but all too often we get stuck in a rut and go on the same walks to the same places or don’t leave the village at all for days out and just walk through the forest (which is beautiful too!)
So for the last week or so we have been reacquainting ourselves with our beautiful county. It helps that the weather has been kind to us and inspires you to get out and go exploring.
Just before half term we took an after school trip to Ringstead Bay, it has to be one of our favourite local beaches. It is only a 10 min car ride from Moreton and is very beautiful and a good safe beach for the kids. On this afternoon the sun was shining and there were rainbows to welcome us. The waves were actually quite big for Ringstead and we were lucky enough to have some surfers too watch whilst the sun went down. The girl one collected sea glass (her new obsession when on the beach) and the rest of us enjoyed the views!
For valentines we made cute tassle bunting and homemade cards. We had our favourite breakfast of Rye, scrambled eggs, goats cheese & capers (sounds weird, tastes divine) which is a recipe from the fantastic Rosie Londoner blog ♡ http://www.thelondoner.me/2016/02/goats-cheese-caper-scramble.html
We then headed over to Freshwater Holiday Park – which is in Burton Bradstock. We had been told about the Jurassic Fun Centre which is a small water park with slides and flumes, initially not my idea of a romantic valentines but it was fantastic for the kids, great value and clean. They played for hours and we were rewarded with a trip to The Anchor Inn at Seatown – which is my favourite local pub at the moment, and that was romantic! Check it out – http://www.theanchorinnseatown.co.uk. It is right on the beach with fabulous views and has a delicious menu, cocktail list and open fires.
I am a huge fan of The National Trust and am on a mission to use our family subscription over the year as much as possible without the trips becoming repetitive for the kids, personally I could visit most of our local NT places all the time and never get bored.
We managed not one but two NT visits over half term. I spent a lovely day with two friends and our 9 children at Corfe Castle, it never disappoints and there are always really good activities for the children to enjoy. We managed a picnic in the gaps between rain and warmed up with hot chocolates in front of the wood burner in the visitor centre afterwards.
We also visited Kingston Lacey with a crew of friends and kids and it was delightful. The sun was shining and the snowdrop garden was in full bloom, the kids ran about the gardens and explored whilst the adults ambled along behind them. We headed up to the kitchen garden where there is a small play area for the kids, it is quite basic with a couple of Wendy houses and mini tractors but they all absolutely loved it and played for ages until the sound started going down, the coffee hut closed and the adults lost enthusiasm!
The next day we continued our tour of Dorset to Kimmerage. I went with a neighbour and five of our children. It was a really lovely little trip and we were happy to discover that the new Etches Collection museum was now open – http://www.theetchescollection.org/home a beautifully designed museum and it contained a great exhibition, the children all loved it. We then had our own fossil hunting expedition on the beach.
We ended the week spending time with visiting friends and on Saturday decided to make the most of the glorious weather and head to Lulworth cove for a walk over Stair Hole in to the cove.
We stopped for lunch, OUTSIDE! before heading back to Moreton. The children had not expelled all their energy and decide to go to the Ford where we played in the Kayak and watched the sun go down. On the return home everyone had warm baths before cosying down for the evening. It was the perfect end to a lovely week in Dorset.
T x
Wishing all visitors to our blog a very happy New Year!
2016 saw many fun and interesting events at The Manor and we welcomed some lovely guests to the house. It is lovely to see many returning guests year after year and to see all the fun ideas that people come up with in ways to use the house.
We have had Uni reunions, hen parties, art exhibitions, Mexican fiesta’s, English Country Garden themed weddings, tennis tournaments, grand weddings for 200 and a small perfectly styled intimate wedding for 50, a spooky Halloween themed party and a blissfully relaxed yoga retreat for a group from London. All in all a varied and eclectic mix which goes to show how the house can be used in plenty of different ways.
We have more to look forward to in 2017 starting with a fitness boot-camp this month and plenty more after. If anyone has any other ideas to put forward please do not hesitate to get in touch via email. We still have a few weekends left in the Spring and more later in the year.
As ever we are constantly working on little improvements in the house and out in the grounds and we hope to work in conjunction with some local suppliers to re decorate rooms and keep the house in tip top condition.
I am hoping to bring more information on places to visit in Dorset when staying with family and friends, good eateries, beautiful walks and the occasional seasonal recipe to indulge in.
Here is a pretty taken of The Manor on a winters morning –
Watch this space….
T x
SEASON of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run….
Ah Keats, you nailed it there. Autumn in the countryside is just perfect, my most favorite season.
As beautiful as summer is there is something about September and the start of Autumn that feels much more like a new year than “New Year”. There is a clear change to the season, new diaries, kids back at school and the all exciting feeling that Christmas is just around the corner.
We have a new year plan to discover more of Dorset and the Purbeck’s on foot. We love walking and having Plum gives us an added excuse to get out there and see more of our beautiful county.
Last week we decided to explore Mupe Bay – to the west of Lulworth Cove, with no real plan we just headed down to the beach to see what happened. We nipped in to the tourist information center (which is fab by the way, with a really cute little coffee kiosk and geological info) to pick up a map and discovered that access to Mupe Bay is across the Army ranges which are only open weekends and school holidays. Plans scuppered for another day we had a look at the other maps offering 6 routes around Lulworth. We chose route 1 which starts at Lulworth Castle and takes you on a 5k loop around the estate.
The walk starts at the front of the majestic Lulworth castle (parking £3 per day in car park). You then head through the deer park full of amazing trees, a little further on past the gate house and a farm, across a field or two and you arrive at the Lake. Who knew there was a lake on the Lulworth estate? Not us, what a find. It’s so pretty, there are swans drifting by and an amazing Fort built on one side. You can walk around it and the route then takes you back across parkland to the castle.
I am so pleased we found this walk, one to do with all the family one weekend, rounding off with a drink in front of the fire at the Weld Arms on the way home.
I’ll share more discoveries as we find them.
T x
As we are now officially in to Autumn I feel the need to give a brief summer round up before the inevitable influx of Autumn posts hit the blog.. (it is my most favorite season)
Summer was hugely busy, fun and memorable. We had plenty of wedding celebrations at The Manor house. Festival style, English country garden style, big weddings, small weddings! All beautiful with lovely couples. It is such a wonderful thing to host and be part of their special day. Our last wedding of the season is this weekend and it already looks set to be as fabulous as those before it.
There were also lots of lovely families staying through the summer, enjoying the local beaches and exploring the countryside.
During the first few weeks of September we managed to squeeze a few days in at the house with our decorator Rich who has been giving the house it’s facelift, getting all the exterior paint work re done. It now looks all smart and happy with it’s new make up on.
As a family we had a great summer, a lovely holiday in France with our hosts the Shell’s and Loasby’s and lots of camp outs, boat trips, sleep overs, BBQ’s and beach trips.
I’m now nursing my first (and only!) cold of the Autumn whilst the rain lashes down outside so all these sunny throwbacks seem like a distant memory.
Sorry for the lack of photos, my laptop has taken a dislike to my phone, so insta links are all I have at the moment!!
T x
I had received a phone call from a friend to tell me that I HAD to get the children to the Ford asap as there was something very cool about to happen. As mentioned in a previous post this could be literally anything as the Ford seems to draw in the weird and wonderful of the world…
I was packing for a trip away upstairs when she called and not long after I heard a rumbling, getting louder and louder and closer – I called the kids and we hot footed it to the ford, without shoes I might add as we were in such a rush – to find the most amazing procession of war vehicles I have ever seen, they were on route to Bovington tank museum across the forest and had started at a village fete.
Just another Saturday in Moreton
Various vehicles in the procession
I was such an amazing sight, there were probably nearly a hundred vehicles, ranging from tanks to jeeps to little buggies – everything you could imagine. Everyone was dressed up in the full regalia and were having an amazing time. They took the procession through the Ford and carried on up through Moreton Drive to Bovington. I expect the dog walkers and runners in the woods had a shock when they went passed them!
If I had been a little more prepared it would have been nice to be wearing shoes (it was VERY muddy and we must have looked pretty feral) to have put the dog on a lead, and to be better positioned to take photos as I was kind of squeezed in to a bush. The unexpected surprise was lovely though, and the look on the Boy One’s face when he saw it all was priceless.
Stuck in a bush shot
Full dress up
Another Saturday, another village event. This time at The Walled Garden’s Royal Picnic organised by the welcome comittee at our local church, St Nics.
Now I am a great lover of any type of English Fete, village fair, picnic etc. I love the little stalls, the games, colours, cream teas and ice creams. It usually rains at some point and the dog show’s can be chaos but I think they are brilliant and we try to attend as many local one’s as possible. The kids love them and it’s a lovely day out.
Will dressed up
Sunshine & horse racing
The Royal Picnic was just brilliant, and had been very well organised by neighbours in the village – they had hired a great jazz band and local sea shanty singers (amazing!) and there were games, treasure hunts and of course a torrential down pour.
We then went back to our neighbours for a lovely supper in the sunset and had a great evening. The kids played on space hoppers. A perfect village day.
Clem & Olive
Sea Shanty Singers
We are avidly trying to watch as much tennis as possible and have been keeping the tennis court at the manor spruced up for the guests this week who are looking forward to playing this weekend.
T x
With wedding season upon us Harry & I have been working flat out at The Manor and Walled Garden to make sure everything is looking great and that our lovely wedding couples have the perfect day.
Depending on the weather, which has been temperamental at best the last few weeks we are painting, fixing, pruning and clearing. Harry has continued to amaze me with his ability to fix pretty much anything with the skill of a professional and we have a great team on the estate who have been working under tight time frames between guests to get essential maintenance completed.
Art Expo at The Manor
Kids play / adults work!
We managed to squeeze a lunch date in one Friday, did our best not to talk shop and had a delicious lunch at The Priory in Wareham.
Wareham is a very pretty town a 15 minute drive from Moreton. It has lots to see and do on a day out and is situated on the river Frome, offering a pretty quay with boat trips and hire through the warmer months. There is a great pub on the river called The Granary and our favorite fish & chip shop “Chipperies” is well worth a visit too.
On this occasion we chose The Priory as it was lovely and sunny and they have the most beautiful terrace and garden which slopes gently down to their jetty and the river. There are 4 acres of beautiful cottage style gardens and various little gardens to discover. It has been privately owned for 40 years, which you can really tell in the loving way it is looked after. The flowers were in full bloom and as we didn’t have the children with us on this particular visit ( no under 12’s allowed unless at a private function ) we decided to make the most of it.
Garden at The Priory
Harry on the terrace at The Priory
The menu is varied with a focus on seafood, Harry had Moules and I went for the dressed crab. It was all absolutely delicious. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly and knew where our food was sourced. After lunch we took our coffee through the gardens and ended up getting caught in a rain shower – luckily there was an amazing pod to escape to, all glass so you can watch the boats go by and relax.
Riverside pod
Escaping the rain
If you are coming for a visit to Dorset and can get a reservation I would highly recommend a trip. In the past Harry and I have had wonderful romantic dinners in their wonderfully restored historic cellar, with canapes in front of the fire before hand. My next visit has to be for afternoon tea as I have heard they are delicious too! I now just need an excuse to go…
It has been creeping upon me quite slowly but recently we succumbed to getting a National Trust membership. It is not something I actively tried not to do, it always just seemed something that older, more sensible people do – getting the membership rather than paying high prices every time you visited a National Trust spot ( which we often did, utter madness)
So on a Sunday morning trip out Harry & I decided to take the children over to Studland beach for breakfast at Knoll Beach cafe and a nice long walk across the sandy beach towards Shell Bay.
The beaches are beautiful and long, there are great sand dunes and shelved safe waters for the little ones to pay in. The National Trust look after the beach and offer great activities in school holidays. The cafe serves yummy food but I would always suggest a picnic for warmer visits as it does get very busy, arrive early in the summer to avoid traffic!
We always head to either Middle Beach or Knoll Beach, both have excellent views of Old Harry’s Rocks and bathroom facilities.
If you are lucky enough to get a table treat yourself to lunch on the terrace at The Pig on The Beach (book waaaaaay in advance!) it has a delicious locally sourced menu and fantastic views on the sea. When we have been before we walk down from the hotel after lunch for a paddle and some rock pooling at Middle Beach. It is a bit quieter that end but equally beautiful.
Rock Pooling on Studland Beach
I have this thing with floors! Pig on The Beach
On this particular visit we could not get a table at The Pig so hopped in the car and decamped to Corfe Castle, which is a 10 minute drive away from the beach. We arrived just in time to take part in the medieval reenactments that were taking place as part of an event. The boy one absolutely loved this and it has sparked a fascination with armor and medieval weapons.
The moral of this little tale is that without the membership this trip would have cost a lot more and we have since discovered plenty of other spots local to Moreton that are part of the national trust. Clouds Hill is a walk through the forest away. Hardy’s birthplace at Thorncombe woods and his later home at Max Gate. All our on our list of ‘to do’s’ this summer holiday’s.
We have a busy Bank Holiday coming up with a lovely wedding at The Manor House, a birthday sleepover for the girl one and party for Harry too. Exhausted just thinking about it!
T x
Thomas Hardy described the fields and farms that make up the surrounding areas of Moreton as ‘the vale of great dairies’ which is pretty accurate, there are a lot of dairy farms, lush fields and plenty of cows!
There is so much more to Moreton though, I have loved this village since I was a small child and would visit from a neighboring village with my Mumma through the summer.
The main focal point for visitors is our beautiful Ford, which is the longest in the south of England, it is a beautiful place through the whole year and it has become a important place for us as a family. We walk across the Ford every day, in the winter when it’s frosty it looks so beautiful at sunrise and is still and peaceful, at other times when we have had heavy rainfall the water level comes up almost to the bridge you have to be really careful if the dogs want to swim (as my dear friend Abi found out when she had to jump in to the freezing water to rescue her exuberant pup Hunter!)
Once the weather starts to warm up a little, around late April we start to visit a bit more with the children, they would literally spend hours with their river shoes on having a paddle, playing on boogie boards and charging over to the little island that appears when the levels are lower. When the weather is super nice we wait till early evening when the crowds have gone home, take a picnic supper and (sometimes!) a glass of wine and spend the last hours of the sunshine there.
Supper picnic at the Ford
Boogie Boarding
You will see tractors, ponies, horse & carriages, soldiers and all sorts of other things crossing the Ford at different times in the year, I met a dog walker there the other day who remembers when the cows would cross daily from the fields beyond the Ford to go down to the dairy to be milked. Yesterday there was a puppy obedience class taking place on the waters edge and through the warmer months you see a lot of Brides & Grooms from the church there after their wedding having photographs taken.
Nature wise I often see the kingfisher when I go for a run at dawn and more recently herons too. Swans, plenty of ducks and jumping fish (not entirely sure what they are).
Most importantly though, it is Plums MOST favorite place in the world. Especially when there is a ball or stick being thrown for her. She spent a great deal of last weekend slipping out of our gate, trotting of down the street to the Ford where she knew there would be plenty of kids playing and happy to throw sticks. This caused me many a panic attack until I realised where she was…..
The resident Pooch of the Ford!
Beyond the Ford up in to Moreton forest there are some brilliant walking / running cycling trails. You can get to Clouds Hill and to many other pretty areas of Dorset. There is the Jubilee trail goes across the stile up in to the Forest and on through Oakers wood. Currently there is a very pretty copse on this route full of Bluebells, if the rain holds off I am heading that way today!
T xx
Having not blogged since before the last half term there is a mountain of stuff I could go on about, but a brief update is probably best and then I can resume normal service!
Moving in blooms at Teal House
Morning views, a very sunny house.
The main reason for my absence has been that we moved house – across the field from our cottage so not too far, but is has completely consumed every spare minute outside of kids and work so my little blog has been slightly neglected.
I am starting to feel much more at home and the main chunk of work has been done to make the new house feel like home, we all absolutely love it and are very happy.
The Manor House is looking stunning at the moment, our head gardener at The Walled Garden, Tim Newman has done the most wonderful job of pruning this year and the house is covered in lilac blooms, we have a wedding this weekend and I really hope that the flowers are still in one piece as they would make a wonderful backdrop for photographs…
Wisteria season at The Manor
Beautiful facade to the house
The one thing I regret is not blogging more when the spring blooms were abundant in the garden at The Manor, it really is a beautiful sight. Banks of daffodils followed by carpets of purple, lilac and white Bluebells (or Snowbells as Clementine calls them!) then, just after it all calmed down we had a week of glorious sunshine combined with torrential rain which encouraged all the trees along and the Wisteria and now it looks like mid summer and the lawn is needing a lot of mowing. All beautiful, such a great time of year.
Bluebells & *Snowbells* at The Manor
Bluebell woods at Moreton
April & May are very busy for us as a family as we celebrate so many family/ friend birthday’s, (I counted 12 off the top of my head but I think there are a few more!) so we have had lots of parties and celebrations, all of which have been great fun.
Jude turned 5 and had a great time with all his pals, he didn’t really want a theme for his birthday or bouncy castles etc so we had a garden party with friends from school and they played football, I think we ended up having three parties over the weekend of his birthday!
The boy one turned 5!
Birthday boy!
I had the most perfect birthday in late April, Harry organised lunch with my parents at Summer Lodge in Evershot (a must visit for anyone new to Dorset, it’s worth the drive!) and then my darling friend Sophia hosted a dinner for me with lots of my nearest and dearest there, it was so much fun. We finished the weekend off visiting friends up near Bath, which was the best way to round off such a brilliant weekend.
Lunch at Summer Lodge with Harry, Mum & Dad
Birthday celebrations at Sophs.
My friend Louisa Loasby is an incredibly talented chef and cooks for dinner parties at The Manor frequently, a lot of our guests re book year on year and always make sure that Lou is free before they do so! This April Lou organised a hen weekend for one of her best friends Donna, it sounded like they had a very fun weekend. Lou organised a chef for the first night but decided to dress the table herself as a treat for the party, I had to include this on the blog as it really did look stunning and is such a great idea for a celebration meal – the photos do not do it the justice it deserves! Lou is now offering a table dressing service as part of her business. FYI future guests!!
Beautiful new service from Louisa Loasby
The Manor!
February feels like such a relief. We are all a little too tough on ourselves in January, something I really would like to change!
When we get around the corner to February it feels like we suddenly have all sorts of things to look forward to, pancakes, valentines, half term and spring blooms to name but a few.
We just had a really lovely weekend, which definitely felt like we were over the January hump. It started with a birthday lunch for my sister in law Charlotte at Rick Steins new restaurant in Sandbanks.
We had a really wonderful time, the restaurant has changed a great deal over the years, my first visit was on my 18th birthday! The decoration is spot on and the staff delightful. We were given a great table with a view over the harbour and all enjoyed the delicious food. I decided on the crab and wasabi starter and then had the lamb cutlets with sides of greens & pumpkin. Completely delicious. Highly recommended!
The rest of the weekend included walks, rugby, delicious supper in the village with friends and a great day in West Dorset exploring the country lanes ending up at Mapperton House to have a walk through the garden.
Mapperton House
Formal garden at Mapperton
Although it was a really grey day we were all so impressed by the beautiful gardens, there were lots of nooks & grottos for the children to explore and secret ponds full of frog spawn. We followed the map given to us to spot all the crocuses, snow drops and daffodils. I can only imagine how stunning it looks in spring and summer and I can’t wait to go back and do more exploring and have a look at the house, which opens from the end of March.
We are really lucky that both the children are happy to accompany us on these days out and don’t whinge too much! It is so important for us that they appreciate our county and all it has to offer, and that they are able to take pleasure in nature, walking the dog and spending time as a family. We are not yet at the gaming / computer / mobile phone stage and I really hope we can fend it off for quite a lot longer! They were bribed along this walk with the reward of tea & cake in the pretty Sawmills Cafe at the end which they both enjoyed very much, as did I, amazing courgette and pistachio cake!
We then went along to Corscombe to visit the children’s godfather, and had a quick drink in the quaint village pub. Massive log fires and traditional ales..
The children are always asking to go to a pub (we do not have one in the village so do not often frequent one) and this one was exactly what I think they thought it would be. I do love the idea of a village pub and the sense of community having one would bring, but in some ways it is probably a blessing not having one!
We are now planning our pancake recipes for tomorrow, so far the requests are ranging from traditional style with lemon & sugar to american style with bacon! for me it’s traditional style all the way, it can’t be beaten.
Hearts & flowers for Valentine’s
Roses for Valentine’s
With Valentines falling on a Sunday the children are wanting to get fully involved and are making heart wreaths and planning the day. I am getting them all cards from papier.com which have brilliant designs. We already have spring flowers in the garden so the kids will be picking posies and making cookies. I think Harry and I will save our time for supper in the evening!
T xx
Good morning, happy Monday! It is a grey day here in Moreton and I am needing some serious motivation to get myself up and running, literally running, in the woods with little Plum.
We have had an interesting few weeks with our little Plum, quite traumatic and to be honest I don’t think I am entirely recovered.
part of the family
Harry & Plum
Last Saturday we took Plum for a brief walk at a local wood whilst the kids played football and she was there one minute, gone the next! We searched for hours and must have walked miles to find her.. it was absolutely awful. The forest we were in is huge and I was fearing the worst. Luckily a wonderful couple found her, popped a lead on her and took her to the vets to have her chip scanned. We got the call and were so relieved! keeping her very close for the time being, thank goodness for technology and the kindness of strangers!!
We have been getting in lots of lovely new produce at The Dovecote farm shop and most of it is grown on site. It’s lovely to be able to pop in and have a coffee, read the papers and pick up some yummy bits and bobs, we enjoyed some delicious Seville marmalade over the weekend as well as veggies and sausages. The menu in the cafe has had as revamp and I enjoyed some lovely lunches there last week, soup, cassoulet and fishcakes..
Yummy soup
Seville Marmalade made at The Dovecote
We had a lovely Friday evening with our great friends Sophia & Mike, and on Sunday enjoyed a muddy and windy walk along the hill at the top of Ringstead, down to St Catherine’s Chapel by the sea and back. The sea mist was blowing in and we all got VERY wet and muddy, but the fresh air blew away the cobwebs. The views at the top are amazing and you can see along the coast and across to Portland. A highly recommended walk for anyone visiting Dorset.
After the walk we got the car stuck in a very muddy patch in the car park and needed rescuing by our friend & neighbour Scott and his trusty Defender, it was not quite how I had planned our Sunday on going but we redeemed the day by paying Scott & his family back for his time with a delicious supper of Osso Bucco and some lovely red wine.
I will be able to reveal the new interior scheme for our bedroom at the manor this week and will hopefully get started on the decorating by Wednesday.
I know what colours I think I want to use but they are not officially released until this afternoon – I think I need to run the idea by a few trusted friends first!
T x
I realise I haven’t really done that ‘all about me’ thing on the blog yet so I thought now as good a time as any. Blogging through The Manor house site It tends to be more about the house but the family feature a great deal too! They are an important part of our journey with The Manor house so here is a little more about The Schofield’s…..
The Fam
Abi & I x
Harry & I met in 2007 and we moved to Moreton in late September 2008 – it was always our dream location, at the time directly in the middle of our parents and families, close to our home town of Dorchester but also deep enough in the countryside to satisfy us both. My best friend Abi had secured a cottage on the estate a month before and I was insanely jealous of her beautiful home, a chance phone call and a speedy viewing with our neighbour Ivy and I said yes to the house before Harry had even seen it. We moved in just over a month later with our baby daughter. Living in the same village as Abi has been a blast ever since, she is so dear to me and we have shared an enormous amount of experiences over the last 18 years of friendship. Always on hand in an emergency (and for a Friday glass of wine) I think I will always want to live “across the field” from her.
Chickens followed, the house changed here and there, as did the garden, life moves at a slow and seasonally based pace.. in 2011 our baby boy joined us and bedrooms were created to make room for him. A few changes of career paths happened and then in 2012 the most recent addition of our little family arrived, Plum.
Plum
Bumble kitten
Plum is a mini goldendoodle and a huge part of our family. We have both always had dogs in our family but wanted to wait until the latest baby was up on their feet before we thought about getting our own. She is an absolute treasure.. more about her and her recent escapades tomorrow…
We had been enjoying the Manor for a few years as some very dear friends of ours had lived there before relocating to Australia. When the opportunity came up with the house we took a huge leap of faith and took over the house. 2014 saw some changes for me in my career and I was doing lots of commuting with my job, really missing the children and all the extra stuff that comes when they join first school so we decided to open the house as a holiday home & wedding venue and I finished my job. We had a few months of furnishing the house (dream) and planning where everything was going to go, decorating and preparing. It was so much fun and I would love to do it all over again.
The last few years at The Manor have been great fun and we have met some lovely people along the way. it is a great job and flexible enough to mean I can get along with all our other projects and be there for the school run. The kids love the house and offer a critical eye on some of Harry & I’s furnishings and ideas!
Valentine
Summer at the cottage
We continue to enjoy living in the cottage, have more chickens and two gorgeous cats Valentine and Bumble.. as well as a stray know only as Skanky cat who sleeps outside in the shed and steals food. I could add to the animals constantly but they will soon out number humans in the house so we will just stick with adding chickens to the hen house!
T x
We have had a super busy Friday – I met with three sets of wedding couples this morning all booked in for their big day this year.
I absolutely love a wedding and get a real buzz helping different couples plan their special day. It is always a really happy meeting at The Manor, even when it is pouring with rain like today I was met with smiling faces. What is really nice that for most couples it was their second visit to the house and they said it was even better than they remembered which is lovely to hear. One couple had never seen the house in person and booked anyway – and they were delighted with their visit which was a huge relief!
Our little family
Lots of happy wedding couples at The Manor today
I received the sweetest gift from a couple from the Netherlands as a thank you – it meant a lot! Myself, Harry and the children will be enjoying delicious waffles as we snuggle over the weekend xx
The cottage is filled with the most spring like scent of Hyacinths and we have lots of Tulips over at The Manor. We have returning guests this weekend which is lovely. They have the very talented Louisa Loasby cooking for them over the weekend which is a great idea to give the group the treat of not cooking whilst they enjoy the house.
Plans for the weekend include a long overdue night out with friends, football training, a visit to Kingston Lacy, walking, reading the papers and a lobster supper.. I can’t wait!
T xx
Movie date night was highly anticipated – (I know its only the flicks but January hibernation is long) I had booked us in to see The Revenant after watching the trailer and thinking it looked like a good ‘cinema’ film. Hell NO. It was the most traumatic 2.5 hours of 2016 so far.. Don’t get me wrong, it is beautifully shot, cast and set but it was so grim! Leo spent most of the film dragging himself across frozen ground unable to talk. The poor guy.
It was the kind of movie that made me want to get in to bed with each of my children for a long cuddle as soon as you get home – which is exactly what I did. It made me so tense I must have checked my phone at least 20 times in case the babysitter had called (weird Mamma anxieties going round in my head, fitting, high uncontrollable temperatures, house fires, cat suffocation, fingers in plug sockets to name a few).
A beautiful morning at The Manor
Our morning at the cottage
We have had unbelievably beautiful frosty mornings this week, unlike any before -6oc this morning. I have so many photos of Moreton looking like something out of a painting – I really need to learn how to use my big camera properly soon, iPhone’s are great but I think I could get better shots!
Plum and I have been on lots of long walks across the ford and up through the forest making the most of the gorgeous weather.
We have been wanting to do some redecoration at The Manor for a while but have had to plan it quite closely to find a long enough gap between guests to get the work complete, we are starting in early Feb with one of the beautiful front facing bedrooms and a bit of work in the drawing room. With a house the age of The Manor a lot of TLC is needed so we have to take our time!
New Farrow & Ball colours released in a few weeks
One of the bedrooms is getting a makeover
I am a huge fan of Farrow & Ball and their colour palette, the cottage is head to toe greys, minks and elephants huff. So I was thrilled to hear they are launching new colours in a few weeks. I popped in to our F&B shop in Dorchester today and the manager gave me a little sneak peek of the new colours ahead of their launch and they are beautiful! There is a fab little catalogue coming out with inspiration on how to match the new colours with others they have and I will definitely be taking tips from that. I will keep updating with developments but I am really looking forward to starting the project.
Meanwhile back at the cottage I have been having a great declutter and spruce up – it’s sometimes a little strange going from working at The Manor and the huge rooms to our little cottage nest, but it is home and I love where we live. I would need to have all my friends move in with me to fill The Manor on a daily basis, or have more babies… nudge nudge Harry!
The boy one had his first school disco this evening, bittersweet! My baby boy got himself all dressed up in his new shirt and was so excited to be taken back to school in the eveing (almost alone, big sis was on standby for emergencies) it was beyond sweet. He has grown up so much since starting school in September and is catching up with the girl one in so many ways. I am proud & blessed!
Sibling love x
T xx
On this day three years ago we woke up to a thick blanket of snow in Dorset – it was beautiful. This morning is dark, wet and very cold! I am still hopeful for some snow this winter, I love the kids taking a snow day – sledging, lighting the fire and having fun outside… Well – I like it for a day and then I need to get to the shops, or go to a meeting, the kids get bored and wet, the snow gets sludgy and brown and it all becomes a bit of a drag.. but ONE snow day would be perfect please.
Snowy Cottage
Sledging in Moreton
We had a fun weekend. The boy one started football training on Saturday, it was very sweet to watch him playing with his buddies and he did so well, it was bloody freezing though so I don’t think I will become a regular sideline soccer Mom observer!
Our guests at The Manor booked The Dovecote for a birthday celebration so the team there were busy preparing on Saturday night, the pizza oven was lit and fairy lights were a plenty. It looked great.
The group enjoyed freshly cooked wood fired pizza, Mediterranean salads and petit four deserts.
Back at The Cottage we enjoyed a lovely brunch on Sunday – drop scone pancakes and fresh fruit and smoothies for the kids and smashed eggs with avocado for Harry & I. The egg recipe is one of my go-to favorites – it is from Madeline Shaw’s cook book.
I love Sunday brunch – I allow myself to make what ever everyone fancies – loads of mess – take my time – no rushing!! If I stretch it out long enough I can constitute it as lunch too so that works out for me. The girl one was on smoothie making duty (she is becoming very handy in the kitchen!)
We spent most of Sunday exploring Durlston near Swanage. There is a wonderful castle and some great walks and views, Guillemot spotting and lighthouse exploring. I reccomend it for a day out. The sea was a wonderful silvery green and you could see for miles.
Girl & Boy one enjoying the view at Durlston
Lovely sea greens
We explored the castle at the end of our walk – it has received lottery funding and is very well designed. There was plenty of interactive stuff for the kids so they were well entertained. We had tea and milkshakes in the cafe before returning home for a lazy afternoon.
I am planning some new interior renovations at The Manor which I will be sharing this week. I have been on an online interior design course for what feels like an eternity so I am pushing myself to get it finished this year. As I am lucky enough to have The Manor as my blank canvass so I am going to start one room at a time. I am going to collaborate with a new launch at a well know local company so it is all very exciting. I am working on mood boards today so will reveal more and which rooms are on the hit list later this week.
T x
Friday, my dear friend, we have made it. Another full week of work, meetings, catch up’s, kids, family and to do lists (mainly not ticked off I must add). Glorious sunshine hit Moreton for most of the week with crisp frosty mornings – my favorite type of weather. The sunshine looks set to continue over the weekend which is not only good for our guests arriving but also for us as we celebrate my pop’s 70th birthday this weekend.
GP celebrating his birthday last year.
I have been busy at The Manor preparing the house for the weekends guests, pottering around that house is most agreeable – painting, sorting, adding this and that moving stuff around. It’s lovely to think about how the guests will be using the space in the house. The Manor is in a great situation and when the sun shines the front of the house gets the full hit…
It is oh so tempting to just lie out on one of the beds and sunbathe like a cat but I am always busying about. I am determined to carve out a weekend stay there myself next year. Here is a view of the house when walking back from The Dovecote at The Walled Garden.
Just lovely.
We are looking forward to starting our weekend, the plans start mid week for the kids as they work out what what food they want to cook (weekend food is pretty important though hey?) They have chosen to marinate ribs for this evening and then they would like to do GP an afternoon tea tomorrow. Nanu is baking a cake so we will be getting other tea related things ready, I think a special birthday crown will also be needed for such an auspicious birthday.
Sunday we hope to do a coastal walk at Dancing Ledge – Harry is suffering with man flu so we need to get him fighting fit first.
But this weekend will mostly be – NETFLIX – I do not know how we have missed the last 7 or so years of this phenomenon. SKY blinkers were on I suspect. But, wow.. considering this is January and we are hibernating it is just perfect for us. Harry received Apple TV for Christmas and it is brilliant but Netflix is the shining star. Currently obsessed with Bloodlines, Narcos & Making a Murderer.. I know there is heaps of other stuff to start too but I don’t think I could cope with any more.
Have a great weekend.
T x
I don’t understand how it manages to happen so quickly after Christmas, but each January before the cold snap comes I start thinking about spring, summer and generally sunny and warm things. I seem to do this all year round, one seasonal event ends and I am on to the next – I like to think it gives off a positive and optimistic vibe but I suspect my nearest and dearest would rather I enjoyed the seasonal “moment” a little longer!
As we have been having little glimpses of sunshine I am starting to peek out in to the garden a little more, beautiful, but pretty neglected through the winter and having little day dreams about picnics and BBQ’s, sun-downers and camping trips (some of which actually happen, a few never do – ie. camping)
Here is the view I get going through our door –
And when the sun is shining like that I just get a little optimistic about it all. My darling friend gave me the most enormous bunch of flowers yesterday which have filled the house in various vases and vintage jugs and that is helping very much – there is something so fresh and clean about having flowers in the house, I love it.
I am battling with an incredibly slow laptop today, I think it needs some TLC -typically on the afternoon when I have loads to type about it is just so frustrating!! So I will have to save the more interesting stuff for tomorrow after I have given this damn machine a bit of attention. Please excuse any spelling mistakes or shocking punctuation – typing a word is taking ages!
Just before I go I wanted to share this picture – the view from our bedroom window, I love our little corner of the world.
T x
We kick started the weekend on Friday afternoon by baking a huge batch of cookies with the boy one and girl one.. they love getting involved in the kitchen and although its messy, chaotic and not always a great success it’s the moments like this that are the ones I remember the most from my childhood so I think it’s pretty important to make the same kind of memories with my brood. We also received a dashing set of matching aprons from the children’s godfather for Christmas which they have been desperate to put to use..
The cookies were delicious – we used a Millie’s cookie recipe from BBC good food.
I had met my girls on Friday for coffee and ended up having a really feminine discussion about log stacking, log piles and how cool they can look – apparently the biggest selling book at Christmas was one about log piles, I need this in my life. So this chat inspired my Saturday as we had emptied our log store over the festive period and with a hugely anticipated cold spell on its way Harry & I chopped, wheeled and stacked at the cottage.
No fancy patterns here but neat and oh so satisfying. I now need to do the same with the enormous stack of logs at The Manor.. one for my to do list this week.
We ventured out for a walk to the Ford at Moreton to see how the floods had affected the water level.. it is lovely to live in such a beautiful place and see the seasons changing and landscapes constantly changing. We dodged a downpour by minutes and retreated to The Dovecote Cafe, The Manor’s sister site to warm up by the log burner and have some yummy food.
The Walled Garden is directly next door to The Manor and we have co managed the site for around a year now, the gardens are absolutely beautiful, there are lots of different areas, nooks and corners to explore. A stream runs through the garden and there are a series of bridges that look so pretty. At this time of year it is still stunning, with a settled and peaceful atmosphere like it is slumbering until the spring.
We ate a delicious lunch and sampled some of the new local ales. The farm shop within The Dovecote always has tempting bits and bobs to buy too.
Sunday morning was so bright and clear I took off for a run in the forest, apart from a tumble in to a puddle it was great! We then lunched with friends and planned our summer holidays and some important upcoming birthdays. A lovely weekend. And on to a good week with lots of Manor House projects starting.
T xx
With the children finally back in school after what seemed like a mammoth break it has been time to catch up on the vast amount of stuff that has fallen to the wayside over the last three weeks.. admin, accounts, wedding planning, laundry (literally mountains of the stuff) texts unanswered from weeks ago – the usual for Mamas and the self employed all across the land.
I have been supported through the last few days by mainlining all varieties of Pukka Tea (cinnamon and apple flavor I credit you with a lot) as I, like most people I seem to talk to are depriving myself from anything ‘nice’ – wine, chocolate, carbs, cheese mmmmmm as it is JANUARY, yey! The month of absolute self inflicted torture – punishment for having such a lovely time over Christmas and actually letting ones hair down and not giving a damn….
Anyway, the plus side to all this is the wonderful feeling of vitality, positivity and wellbeing. Getting outside and breathing in all that lovely fresh air that is there for us. Today I took the pup up a nice big hill near the sea. Ham Hill (Hambury Tout) at Lulworth.
Pom at the top….
Fully wrapped up in my own pom poms for the trek – Jumper Antipodium –
It was just what I needed and so very refreshing, back to work this afternoon preparing The Manor for the weekends party of guests and putting some new interior design plans in to action at the cottage and at The Manor. More to come on that front.
T x
We love our walks with Plum and this Christmas break we decided to make the most of our beautiful Dorset. This is Stair Hole, just up the hill from Lulworth, it was a chaotic stormy day but the sea looked dramatic and wonderful! I would highly recommend a trip to Lulworth & Durdle Door for anyone visiting.
On the last day of the Christmas holidays we decided to make the most of the limited good weather and headed to Thorncombe woods, it’s our local favorite and such a wonderful place for a walk. Thomas Hardy was born in a cottage on the edge of the wood, which can be visited during the summer. It has a truly magical feel in this wood, and we always discover new paths and bits we have not yet noticed. There are wild white ponies which look like unicorns strolling around – ponds and a mix of forest and woodland to enjoy. There is also a fab new cafe ‘Under the greenwood tree’ (catch the Hardy reference?!) which is a great place to stop at the end of your walk and have a well deserved refuel.
Hello, I hope you have had a lovely few months. We have been busy at The Manor preparing the house for summer and all the lovely guests that will be enjoying the house. The tennis court has been swept and the garden is looking lovely.
The spring and summer months are a pleasure to enjoy in Moreton and we have been making the most of how green and beautiful it looks.
The village of Moreton love getting together for various different events, recently we had a ‘French Night’ at our village hall… it was a night of yummy cheese and plenty of Boules!
We have also recently held a concert in The Walled Garden, in Moreton. This is a new venue for weddings, concerts and other events based in the center of the village. Our next event is a day of Folk music Saturday 30th August from 12pm.
We have been enjoying some fantastic weather, and have celebrated a few birthday’s in the last couple of weeks so have had lots of opportunities to get out and about doing things…. A birthday visit to Arundel with our friends Sophia & Mike was lovely.
Arundel Castle
I would highly recommend a visit, the castle is amazing with beautiful gardens, I have grand plans for the gardens at The Manor, one day, maybe, I would love to achieve something like this!
Arundel Garden’s
Arundel Garden’s
Meanwhile at The Manor we have had some lovely guests come and go, making the most of the garden and playing a lot of croquet and rounders on the lawn. From our cottage garden we can hear all the fun which is just lovely.
The Bluebells have been amazing this year and we have left posies in the bedrooms for the guests so they can enjoy them indoors too. There is a beautiful Bluebell wood that I discovered on one of my walks with Plum the pooch, a must see for any visitors in Spring.
Garden Bluebells
Bluebell Woods
And finally here is a recent picture of a beautiful Moreton sunset.. I love Dorset…. x
Hello and welcome to my weekly blog for The Manor House, Moreton. My offerings will contain updates and information about the house and garden as well as a few other little bits about what we are up to as a family, what I am cooking and things we are doing in the local area.
My gang on a Moreton walk
As a family we love exploring the Forest behind our cottage, gorgeous walks, grazing long horned cattle, constantly changing views and the walk across the Ford on the way home is always a delight.
In the summer months it can get quite busy at the Ford, so we feel quite lucky that we get to enjoy to ourselves for most of the year. The Floods this year were really bad, the worst we have seen in six years!
Moreton Forest
My favourite spot is at the top of the forest, I run here a few times a week, it’s like Narnia!
If you are staying at The Manor I seriously recommend that you take a walk across the Ford and go exploring, a stop at the Tea Room’s on your way home is a must, they bake amazing cakes!
Last weekend we celebrated Easter, we went to a wonderful party – attempted to make this creation to take along – It did NOT turn out as expected, it had to be turned in to an Easter Eton Mess!
Next blog will contain a few seasonal recipes, some pictures of the garden at The Manor & some exciting news regarding The Walled Garden, Moreton.