This is, of course, a good thing as in general busy means income although the allotment has contributed to the workload in quite some fashion. The irony is that July was looking very soft with regards to B&B bookings and so having been putting off joining a 'late rooms' type site we finally got our selves on to one (LateRooms.com). We had researched this previously but had held off because of the admin time that was required to keep the bookings database updated and also because of the commission fees. But as July looked bleak we put our foot in the water and gave it a go.
Alison finalised the massive database set-up and on Thursday a few weeks back and before the day had finished we had received bookings for both the Friday night and the Saturday too. Subsequently we have received a further three to four bookings via them. At the same time the sun put his shiny hat on and everyone has come out to play and so consequently we have been run off our feet. That along with the self catering cottage being booked up for all of June and most of July it has been a real hive of activity in The Old Bakery.
Several weeks back I had the sad journey back down to Sussex to attend my Aunt Margaret's funeral (see previous entry). Well a couple of weeks ago in amongst this chaos I lost an uncle too. He was one of those very special people that made up a core part of my early childhood memories and as such a tiny part of me felt like it had gone too. My Uncle Dick had lived a full life and apart from being my Uncle I knew him as a loving kindly person, a musician and a Saville Row tailor. He would tease us all, but that is an uncles job isn't it? My overwhelming memory is watching him sit up at the piano to just start playing the most beautiful music without any sheet music in front of him, he could play really complicated tunes but all by ear, as they say, that is he couldn't read a note of sheet music. This fascinated me and still does, Jamie Cullum is the same and I just marvel at how these guys brains must work, extraordinary.
I think the sadness was enhanced when I realised that I hadn't talked or should I say listened to him enough and as a result I found out more about his life at his funeral than I did from the man himself.
I had been told a few years ago by my mother (Uncle Dick's baby sister) that Dick had measured and made suits for all of the Apollo 11 crew, ie the first Guys to land on the moon, Buzz, Neil oh and the other guy who watched them Michael Collins. At the funeral we heard how he made costumes for a lady called Belita who was a British Olympic figure skater a 1940's film actress and a dancer.
I visited his Tailors shop once with Alison, many decades ago, and he gave us a tour around the building. They had every pattern for every garment that they had ever made stored there and there were rows and rows of military uniforms, it was truly fascinating.
He himself had volunteered to join the Army in the war and no doubt my Grandparents prayed for his safety every single night .
He followed his fathers (my grandfathers) footsteps into tailoring and it was only when my mother was talking about the moon landing 'clients', that we found out that my grandfather was measuring General Montgomery for a uniform during WW2 whilst he (Monty) and Churchill drew up a battle plan on the tailor room's wooden floorboards with his tailors chalk.
Dick had a similar incident in 1976 when he had the chief negotiator from the IMF (International Monitory Fund) strike a deal with the Labour Government in the actual room and whilst Dick measured the guy for three suits. Dick ever the professional told no one and kept the information to himself and Britain received the funds that were needed. Click this link for an article regarding this...
It is easy to stagnate and not make the effort to visit family or to talk to them for many months and yet everybody has something of interest to recall. It is far better to hear the stories from the horses mouth rather than as part of a funeral service where the time to converse has sadly come to an end.
Well done to his two children Melinda and Luisa who represented their father with all the dignity that he would have had.
Dedicated to
Richard George McSweeney
1920~ 2013
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