Welcome!

I’ve been writing books ever since I was in my twenties. My subjects are varied, but spring out of my quest for the mystical and magical, along with a love of life stories, myths and ancient traditions. So it’s been a winding path as an author, beginning with books on social history, then fulfilling a commission for a study of alchemy, and progressing to writing about divination, Russian folklore, personal relationships and feminine archetypes. I’ve also produced guides to writing your own life story, and researching family history., You can see my published books on the Books Page here, and there’s more about my work on http://www.cherrygilchrist.co.uk.

As I really enjoy writing short articles and reflections, I’ve decided to give this a new focus in the form of Cherry’s Cache. This is dedicated to articles, pictures and stories from my personal hoard of writings, ideas, photos, woven together in new forms. I hope it will be something of a treasure trove! You can see from the Categories that this covers a lot of ground, but my aim is to keep a sense of wonder and celebration, both of everyday life and extraordinary happenings. I’ll also be featuring artwork by my husband Robert Lee-Wade, a Royal Ulster Academician, plus posting a poem or two along the way.

Robert and I currently live in the ancient port of Topsham, standing on the River Exe in Devon. We met as lecturers on a cruise ship in 2006, and have been keen travellers since, with one especially memorable trip to visit the stone heads of Easter Island together. My own travels have also taken me far afield – to Ethiopia, twice along the Silk Road, and on many journeys to Russia. Some of these will feature in my posts.

The back story? I’m a graduate of Cambridge University, with a post graduate diploma from the University of Bath Spa. I’ve always combined my writing with other activities – I hesitate to say professions! – which include running a first-wave vintage clothes shop, as an early music singer, and setting up a Russian arts business. I have two children and two granddaughters, who live close by in Topsham. Over the years I’ve had many pets and animal companions, from horse and chickens to dog and gerbils. Robert and I now keep just two black cats for luck.

I hope you’ll find posts of interest here. Please do subscribe to be notified of new ones, and do feel free to share the link if there’s something you enjoy.

Here’s a painting which Robert made of me studying Tarot cards.