Six weeks after we opened the AA man arrived unannounced as we mentioned at the time: http://theoldbakery.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/today-hotel-inspector-called.html
Last year's visit was much quicker; with a different Inspector knocking on the door mid morning when we were in the middle of a changeover and still cleaning the B&B room. Fortunately we had our excel spreadsheet showing what we clean every day and a cake was due out of the oven so the aroma hit him as he walked through the door. That meant that we retained our 4 star Gold Award and our Breakfast Award which was a big relief.
Last year's visit was a year almost to the day of the first visit so Mike has been on tenterhooks for the lat month expecting a visit at any moment.
Last week, when I was having a couple of days off (after six months at the NHS) and whilst Mike was doing his civic duty and giving blood I found that the AA Inspector had left his calling card in the porch. So I gave him a call and he said he could be with me in 15 minutes. Just enough time to put away the piles of laundry, the ironing board, clean the downstairs loo and check the B&B rooms.
You might think it's a nice life eating out and sampling all sorts of meals and staying all over the country but as the AA's own article shows, it's quite demanding and not everywhere is top notch:
http://www.theaa.com/hotel/hotel-inspector.html
Today the report arrived from the AA and this is a selection of his comments:
" It was a pleasure to return to The Old Bakery and catch up on the latest developments and plans for this fine old house. Since last inspection, the new bedroom has come on stream and is proving to be a real success. The new room is beautifully presented, well planned and free space is maximised. .....
.....The bathroom has an obvious quality, lighting is very good and decor of a superior quality (that's Mike's tiling!) Fixtures/fittings are of a good quality and towels were soft and well laundered (Mike's insistence that you don't use fabric conditioner with towels).......
.......Housekeeping throughout the house is of a high standard (fortunately he doesn't get to see our living areas! - there is only so much we get time to do)...and there was a real sparkle to the bathrooms......(lots of lime-scale cleaner is the reason).
The Old Bakery has confidently retained a Four Star Bed and Breakfast grade along with the AA Gold Stars Award. The AA "Breakfast Award" is also retained"
What he didn't say is that Mike (aka Mr Hospitality) also deserves an award for keeping everything going as our B&B nights have almost doubled over last years numbers (195 stayed and booked in 2013 so far compared to 105 in 2012).
As one of our recent Trip Advisor reviewers said " I've no idea how Mike managed to do everything AND make time to make us feel so comfortable" - I'm not sure he knows either but now you may know why his blogging has not been quite so prolific in recent months.
Friday, 11 October 2013
Tuesday, 24 September 2013
So there we were waiting for 14 elderly ladies in a charabanc to turn up on a Sunday afternoon, all expecting tea and cake.........
"Ouch! Why you little....." I muttered to myself as another spiteful blackberry thorn latches on to my arm using the arms momentum to dig itself in all the more firmly before finally giving up and letting go. Of course it hasn't finished, no, it then tears along my skin a further inch before eventually relinquishing it's hold.
Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch. Marry, ’tis enough......
No, ’tis not so deep as a well nor so wide as a church-door, but ’tis enough, ’twill serve.
I'm still suffering from a small thorn incurred 2 years ago whilst we were scrumping, no, er... 'acquiring' some err.. 'wild' Mirabelle cherries. A thorn became imbedded in my chest and despite the best that the NHS could throw at it (basically a nurse with a needle and no soul) it still sits there today. See previous blog "The birds and the bees".
So I particularly don't like things with thorns. A little side note here, I failed to enter the r in thorns and so the spell check thought I didn't like things with thongs. You really have to be quite alert when writing this drivel you know!
The task in hand is Blackberry picking in the back garden so I could make a batch of Blackberry and Apple Jelly. Luckily the Blackberry juice matches my blood colour then.
The Blackberries and the Apple tree had been planted by our predecessor in this property a retired Vicar called Percy or PJ to his friends. We have spoken much about Percy in the past on this blog and have told of the many old acquaintances of his that have since re-visited The Old Bakery to remember their personal good times.
PJ's presence is felt throughout the house and gardens, it's not a silly ghostly thing but there is a spirituality about the place that comes very much from his input in the design and planning of the garden through to the wonky brickwork on the two chimney breasts in the lounge. I still keep his blunt old garden tools hanging on their bespoke carpentered wall holders in the tool shed, because that is where they belong. I will get them all sharpened one day although I reckon PJ said the same thing himself.
When we go to our office we are actually sitting in the Chapel that PJ built, with it's bell tower out side and inside I have not ripped out the Walkman Cassette that he had wired into some speakers so he could play music in his chapel. His long brass candle lighter and also the snuffer still sit on the window sill near the large Cross that he embedded into the flint wall with his own hands.
We are not pricked by a dogma that all of his 'work' should be immortalised here but more with a sense of maintaining a little of the history that his thirty years of occupation marked on the place.
Our commercial requirements meant that I have torn out the tiny study that he had made upstairs so we could create a bigger 2nd B&B guest bedroom. We have made several alterations ourselves, which are part of our legacy to The Old Bakery.
As I mentioned earlier we do get a lot of PJ's past friends and colleagues and one of these visited us last October, see previous blog "We are all visitors......"
This particular lady was an important part of Percy and his wife's ministry at The Old Bakery and I assured her that we quite enjoy meeting their old friends and finding little snippets out about the place. This she took as an invitation to get a whole group of past ministry participants together to visit us! Well we couldn't say no and before long it was in the diary. So there we were waiting for 14 elderly ladies in a charabanc to turn up on a Sunday afternoon, all expecting tea and cake as they made their pilgrimage to The Old Bakery.
Not too sure what to expect we prepared for the onslaught.....
Homemade cakes and tea, it all seemed very 'British'. They arrived on time in an assortment of cars, some couldn't come because of a clash with a church event so we ended up with 9 ladies and one guy.
It was a lovely two hours where we found out a little more about PJ and his wife and The Old Bakery during that time. As a group they tried to meet about once a year and so for them it was a real treat to be able to meet in the very place that brought them all together in the first place.
After tea we showed them what we had done to the place over the last 3 years, they then had a good natter with each other and then we took a group photo to mark the occasion.
It was really nice and they were clearly thrilled with the whole afternoon.
This unassuming photo of a group of ladies in front of a house means very little to the onlooker but it was quite obvious that it meant so much to them as they had so many personal memories of The Old Bakery and all that Percy brought to it.
It was perhaps all the more significant that it was a few days away from being the 30th anniversary of the day that Percy and Margaret moved into this house.
And what were Alison and I doing all those years ago on the day before they moved in?.....
Awwwwe, how sweet.
That's right as Percy was moving into the house that we were destined to take over we were actually getting married. It is at this point that I will take a little time to record just how absolutely and overwhelmingly wonderful it has been to be married to Alison. We have done so much, seen and been to so many places. We've lived a lot and cried a little. We have had two brilliant kids who we are so proud of and whom mean the world to us. But most of all we have always been head over heals for each other.
Alison thanks for everything over the last 30 years, it's been a blast. XXX
Ok so now back to me being me.....
Firstly the THEN and NOW comparison photos...
Well I think I managed to keep my looks on the whole but I wouldn't wish to comment on Alison's!!!
OK then.. AND NOW.....
10,069
Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch. Marry, ’tis enough......
No, ’tis not so deep as a well nor so wide as a church-door, but ’tis enough, ’twill serve.
Mercutio (Romeo & Juliet)
I'm still suffering from a small thorn incurred 2 years ago whilst we were scrumping, no, er... 'acquiring' some err.. 'wild' Mirabelle cherries. A thorn became imbedded in my chest and despite the best that the NHS could throw at it (basically a nurse with a needle and no soul) it still sits there today. See previous blog "The birds and the bees".
So I particularly don't like things with thorns. A little side note here, I failed to enter the r in thorns and so the spell check thought I didn't like things with thongs. You really have to be quite alert when writing this drivel you know!
The task in hand is Blackberry picking in the back garden so I could make a batch of Blackberry and Apple Jelly. Luckily the Blackberry juice matches my blood colour then.
The Blackberries and the Apple tree had been planted by our predecessor in this property a retired Vicar called Percy or PJ to his friends. We have spoken much about Percy in the past on this blog and have told of the many old acquaintances of his that have since re-visited The Old Bakery to remember their personal good times.
PJ's presence is felt throughout the house and gardens, it's not a silly ghostly thing but there is a spirituality about the place that comes very much from his input in the design and planning of the garden through to the wonky brickwork on the two chimney breasts in the lounge. I still keep his blunt old garden tools hanging on their bespoke carpentered wall holders in the tool shed, because that is where they belong. I will get them all sharpened one day although I reckon PJ said the same thing himself.
When we go to our office we are actually sitting in the Chapel that PJ built, with it's bell tower out side and inside I have not ripped out the Walkman Cassette that he had wired into some speakers so he could play music in his chapel. His long brass candle lighter and also the snuffer still sit on the window sill near the large Cross that he embedded into the flint wall with his own hands.
We are not pricked by a dogma that all of his 'work' should be immortalised here but more with a sense of maintaining a little of the history that his thirty years of occupation marked on the place.
Our commercial requirements meant that I have torn out the tiny study that he had made upstairs so we could create a bigger 2nd B&B guest bedroom. We have made several alterations ourselves, which are part of our legacy to The Old Bakery.
As I mentioned earlier we do get a lot of PJ's past friends and colleagues and one of these visited us last October, see previous blog "We are all visitors......"
This particular lady was an important part of Percy and his wife's ministry at The Old Bakery and I assured her that we quite enjoy meeting their old friends and finding little snippets out about the place. This she took as an invitation to get a whole group of past ministry participants together to visit us! Well we couldn't say no and before long it was in the diary. So there we were waiting for 14 elderly ladies in a charabanc to turn up on a Sunday afternoon, all expecting tea and cake as they made their pilgrimage to The Old Bakery.
Not too sure what to expect we prepared for the onslaught.....
It was a lovely two hours where we found out a little more about PJ and his wife and The Old Bakery during that time. As a group they tried to meet about once a year and so for them it was a real treat to be able to meet in the very place that brought them all together in the first place.
It was really nice and they were clearly thrilled with the whole afternoon.
This unassuming photo of a group of ladies in front of a house means very little to the onlooker but it was quite obvious that it meant so much to them as they had so many personal memories of The Old Bakery and all that Percy brought to it.
It was perhaps all the more significant that it was a few days away from being the 30th anniversary of the day that Percy and Margaret moved into this house.
And what were Alison and I doing all those years ago on the day before they moved in?.....
Awwwwe, how sweet.
That's right as Percy was moving into the house that we were destined to take over we were actually getting married. It is at this point that I will take a little time to record just how absolutely and overwhelmingly wonderful it has been to be married to Alison. We have done so much, seen and been to so many places. We've lived a lot and cried a little. We have had two brilliant kids who we are so proud of and whom mean the world to us. But most of all we have always been head over heals for each other.
Alison thanks for everything over the last 30 years, it's been a blast. XXX
Ok so now back to me being me.....
Firstly the THEN and NOW comparison photos...
THEN
AND NOW....
OK then.. AND NOW.....
Mike.
10,069
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
There is a tide in the affairs of men Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat; And we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures. William Shakespeare.
We have indeed set ourselves 'afloat', we've released our moorings from the safety of the corporate quay and for the last 3 years have been taken along by a wavering current doing our best to control the rudder as we go.
So, the last few months have been our busiest yet and we have sacrificed a lot of 'free time' to take every booking going in an attempt to build our reputation and business base. During June To August we had 158 nights booked with a further 45 already booked in September. In farming terms we have been making hay whilst the sun shone.... and boy did it shine.
So finding time for a break has been hard but not impossible and a few days have been squeezed out of the business for a little recreational break.......
On Echo Beach
Waves make the only sound
On Echo Beach
There's not a soul around
Far away on Echo Beach.....
This is Scolt head Island and it has got to be one of our favourite places to simply chill out....
The Dunes are huge and formed from the silkiest powdery sand that trickles through your toes....
The sky is blue and it is our very own treasure island.
The views are stunning and you can see miles and miles of beach with hardly a sign of anyone else.
So where is this paradise Island?
Right here on the sunny Norfolk coast just over a mile out from the small quay at Burnham Overy Staithe.
We love taking our canoe out to the island as it is just so tranquil and generally undisturbed. There are no buildings there at all and the wildlife is abundant. The only way to get there is by boat and so only those that have small yachts, canoes or boats can land on the island. In the peak tourist time a small ferry does drop people off but they are not many because of the complete lack of any facilities... it is bliss!
On Monday we went there with Alison's sister in our canoes and found a late summer tide had filled the quay to the brim and the water was as still as a mill pond. It was just before 9am and the view was simply stunning from the quay-side before we even ventured into the water.
This combined with such a sweet fresh smelling air oozed freedom. THIS is why we made our life style change, THIS is what it is all about. If we found that we had got bogged down recently in the heavy workload of bookings then this was the reminder of why we are here. It was quite simply stunning. The only sound was that of an odd Oyster Catcher, a gull and the clacking of the rigging on the boats masts.
Half way along the estuary we stop and drift a little whilst we soak up the view. Half a mile behind us we can see Burnham Overy Quay and in front of us Scolt Island with it's golden beach calling us in. All around there are Egrets, waders and Terns diving into the sea catching fish. The sky is a vast Norfolk sky with just a few beautifully white fluffy clouds hanging in time with hardly a breeze to move them along.
 |
| Helen looking across to our destination, Scolt Island. |
The beach on the other side of the inlet disapears into the distance with just a few people enjoying it.
Last time we were here I enjoyed a nice swim in the sea which IS the North Sea but it was beautiful.
We had breakfast on the beach, a strange mix consisting of a vegetarian pasty followed by a bit of fruit cake. Then we made our way back. The tide had turned and as it was so high there was a strong current against us, Alison and I being novices at canoeing struggled to keep the canoe from trying to turn. Helen, a seasoned canoeist, was trying to teach me best practice skills but I fear that in doing so she found that she was metaphorically paddling up against a strong current of cack-handiness.
I fear that I had still not mastered the art by the time that we had returned!
So that was one of our excursions to Scolt Island, we have also, in the past, drifted up some of the many little creeks in that area and I can honestly say that there is nothing better then sauntering along in our little boat. Say goodbye to Summer everyone.......
9,941
Sunday, 11 August 2013
Saturday's child works hard (very hard) for her living......
Now I'm working full-time Saturday is officially my day-off! Here's how it went:
7.00 Got up, dressed and at work by...
7.10 Prepare baked cinnamon grapefruit x 3 ( remember to use the correct knife after being told off by the Head Chef yesterday when preparing grapefruit before going to work)
7.15 Prepare fresh fruit salad
7.30 Start Blueberry compote cooking
7.35 Make American Pancakes - as enjoyed by genuine Americans twice in the last month!
7.50 Put coffee on and take out juices, milk and water to the dining room
8.15 Welcome first couple of guests for breakfast (on time)
8.16 Welcome second couple of guests (who were due at 8.30, so suddenly our timing for the cooked breakfasts is thrown out). Waitressing duty.
9.00 Eat breakfast (on the business) - we like it when someone chooses pancakes as there is always some mixture left over which can't go to waste
9.15 Say goodbye to second couple.
9.20 Start clearing guest's breakfast things away.
9.45 Chat to first guests as they get ready to depart
10.00 Off to the village hall to help set up the Hindolveston CIA (Crafts in Action - they are not really spies here in deepest Norfolk) exhibition featuring items made by the residents of the village.
11.50 Pop back home for more exhibits as there are some empty spaces in the hall
12.55 Finish the setting up and labeling of the exhibits and return home
1.00 Start clearing up kitchen (Mike has been busy all morning getting the two B&B rooms cleaned)
1.20 Make lunch
1.25 Thank the lady who has been cleaning the cottage for us in recent weeks (what a god-send! she is) and make arrangements for when she can help out next
1.30 Eat lunch
1.45 Start making two lemon drizzle cakes, one for the cottage guests and one for the B&B guests
2.00 Carry on clearing the kitchen
2.20 Clean downstairs cloakroom
2.30 Add drizzle to cakes
2.40 Have shower and clean our bathroom
3.05 Chat to first guests who have returned to collect something they left behind
3.10 Take cake to cottage and check all is ok there
3.30 Greet new B&B guests (who had sent a text to see if they could arrive early!)
3.45 Serve tea and cake to B&B guests in the garden
4.00 Take phone call from cottage guests advising us they are 40 minutes away
4.10 Have cup of tea
4.12 Daughter phones - chat whilst drinking tea
4.25 Clear away B&B guests tea things
4.40 Cottage guests arrive - give guided tour of cottage and garden
5.10 Have an ice-cream in garden with Mike, B&B guest chats to Mike about his photos
5.30 Requested by B&B guest that their duvet is changed for a non-allergenic one.
5.45 B&B guests go out for the evening, we change duvet, also remove feather mattress topper and pick up loose feathers!
6.15 Realise we've not thought about food for tomorrow for dinner with friends who will be visiting and head to Budgens in Holt. Buy fish and chips for our supper as we're too tired to cook.
7.15 Supper in front of TV
8.00 Work on Anticipated Issues report for my coaching qualification - my anticipated issues are concerns about finding clients but apparently this should be about ethical issues, crossing boundaries and concerns about gender or cultural differences!
9.30 Try (and fail) to stay awake to catch the sports news on TV
9.32 Asleep!
7.00 Got up, dressed and at work by...
7.10 Prepare baked cinnamon grapefruit x 3 ( remember to use the correct knife after being told off by the Head Chef yesterday when preparing grapefruit before going to work)
7.15 Prepare fresh fruit salad
7.30 Start Blueberry compote cooking
7.35 Make American Pancakes - as enjoyed by genuine Americans twice in the last month!
7.50 Put coffee on and take out juices, milk and water to the dining room
8.15 Welcome first couple of guests for breakfast (on time)
8.16 Welcome second couple of guests (who were due at 8.30, so suddenly our timing for the cooked breakfasts is thrown out). Waitressing duty.
9.00 Eat breakfast (on the business) - we like it when someone chooses pancakes as there is always some mixture left over which can't go to waste
9.15 Say goodbye to second couple.
9.20 Start clearing guest's breakfast things away.
9.45 Chat to first guests as they get ready to depart
10.00 Off to the village hall to help set up the Hindolveston CIA (Crafts in Action - they are not really spies here in deepest Norfolk) exhibition featuring items made by the residents of the village.
11.50 Pop back home for more exhibits as there are some empty spaces in the hall
12.55 Finish the setting up and labeling of the exhibits and return home
1.00 Start clearing up kitchen (Mike has been busy all morning getting the two B&B rooms cleaned)
1.20 Make lunch
1.25 Thank the lady who has been cleaning the cottage for us in recent weeks (what a god-send! she is) and make arrangements for when she can help out next
1.30 Eat lunch
1.45 Start making two lemon drizzle cakes, one for the cottage guests and one for the B&B guests
2.00 Carry on clearing the kitchen
2.20 Clean downstairs cloakroom
2.30 Add drizzle to cakes
2.40 Have shower and clean our bathroom
3.05 Chat to first guests who have returned to collect something they left behind
3.10 Take cake to cottage and check all is ok there
3.30 Greet new B&B guests (who had sent a text to see if they could arrive early!)
3.45 Serve tea and cake to B&B guests in the garden
4.00 Take phone call from cottage guests advising us they are 40 minutes away
4.10 Have cup of tea
4.12 Daughter phones - chat whilst drinking tea
4.25 Clear away B&B guests tea things
4.40 Cottage guests arrive - give guided tour of cottage and garden
5.10 Have an ice-cream in garden with Mike, B&B guest chats to Mike about his photos
5.30 Requested by B&B guest that their duvet is changed for a non-allergenic one.
5.45 B&B guests go out for the evening, we change duvet, also remove feather mattress topper and pick up loose feathers!
6.15 Realise we've not thought about food for tomorrow for dinner with friends who will be visiting and head to Budgens in Holt. Buy fish and chips for our supper as we're too tired to cook.
7.15 Supper in front of TV
8.00 Work on Anticipated Issues report for my coaching qualification - my anticipated issues are concerns about finding clients but apparently this should be about ethical issues, crossing boundaries and concerns about gender or cultural differences!
9.30 Try (and fail) to stay awake to catch the sports news on TV
9.32 Asleep!
Saturday, 10 August 2013
The chalky white milestone has no interest in how far London is from Norfolk
Despite the full on workload I notice from the photos on my camera that there have been some breaks in the period of July and August. A morning here or an afternoon there that have enabled us to slow down to the infamous 'Norfolk time' and let the delights of the area gently wash over us, sometimes literally.
My old favourites the poppy fields started to pop up (if you'll kindly excuse the pun) all around. There was no singularly spectacular field but many corners and half fields that captured the romantics heart. On our route into Holt there was a lovely little tableau, a timeless little scene that could have looked just as much in place a hundred years ago as it does now.
It represents the spirit and soul of Norfolk in such a succinct way. In the background an insignificant road slips over the brow of an insignificant hill and trickles down past a small pond of poppies. Sunken amongst the poppies a large white washed, sun washed milestone stands strong and firm it's roots well imbedded into the verge.
And behind the scene white cotton wool puffs of cloud hang on a fictitious blue sky, there is a feeling of drowsiness in the air. The chalky white milestone has no interest in how far it is to London, it is of no importance. For why would any one want to know how near they are getting to London?
No it's statement is far more reassuring than that as it simple tells us that we are "122 Miles from London" with a subtext mumbling "and praise be to that!"
More of our recreation later......
9,592
My old favourites the poppy fields started to pop up (if you'll kindly excuse the pun) all around. There was no singularly spectacular field but many corners and half fields that captured the romantics heart. On our route into Holt there was a lovely little tableau, a timeless little scene that could have looked just as much in place a hundred years ago as it does now.
It represents the spirit and soul of Norfolk in such a succinct way. In the background an insignificant road slips over the brow of an insignificant hill and trickles down past a small pond of poppies. Sunken amongst the poppies a large white washed, sun washed milestone stands strong and firm it's roots well imbedded into the verge.
And behind the scene white cotton wool puffs of cloud hang on a fictitious blue sky, there is a feeling of drowsiness in the air. The chalky white milestone has no interest in how far it is to London, it is of no importance. For why would any one want to know how near they are getting to London?
No it's statement is far more reassuring than that as it simple tells us that we are "122 Miles from London" with a subtext mumbling "and praise be to that!"
More of our recreation later......
9,592
Friday, 9 August 2013
I don't know much... but it is safe to say that I knows me onionssss!
It is late on a Friday night or to be totally correct early on a Saturday morning and I am eeking out the day to quickly fit in a blog update. Time has been at a premium recently and if I don't make time to add to the blog it is likely to be another two weeks before I do so.
Just two months ago we were concerned that bookings seemed to be drying up but that was clearly the lull before the storm as July into August has been probably our busiest period todate. Having added Laterooms.com to our associated sites we have received some extra bookings and this along with a general pick up has led us to have both rooms booked for a significant period of time.
As a result we have had very little time to enjoy that Norfolk sunshine or indeed to get out and enjoy those beaches. We are not complaining, far from it as clearly in our line of business we need to take as much money as we can whilst the going is good.
However I am getting a little frustrated that all the hard work that I literally ploughed into the allotment may well be wasted as I struggle to find even half an hour free time to get down there. Throughout the day I watch the combine harvesters and tractors trundle along our road as they are busy pulling in the harvest of potatoes, peas, barley and wheat. Mean while my beautiful sweet broadbeans that I was eating raw from the pod are growing ever bigger, my cabbages are exploding with size and my courgettes are quickly becoming marrows.
Today went a little like this;-
07:00hrs Got up, fed the cat and started to prep the breakfast (Alison helped before going off to work).
08:15hrs first couple arrived for their breakfast.
08:30hrs The electrician arrives to fit a new bilge pump for my front yard (very urgent, stops flooding).
08:45hrs second couple arrived for breakfast.
09:15hrs first couple finish breaky.
09:30hrs first couple go out for the day.
At this stage having served 4 first courses (3 types) and 4 breakfasts (4 different choices) along with the croissants, tea and toasts my kitchen was somewhat beyond a 'working mess'.
09:45hrs whilst collecting dirty plates, get talking to guests, a process which gets more involved on each return. They show interest in my photos so I show them my 'collection' book. We talk about their travels and other things and before we know it....... it is .....
11:15hrs They get ready to go out whilst I check the tide times and availability of the boat trips to see the seals at Blakeney Point.
11:30hrs second guestsgo out for the day.
11:40hrs I had breakfast and sit down.
12:00hrs Cleared breakfast table.
set up dishwasher, washing machine and spin drier.
Ironed sheets for tomorrows change over of B&B rooms.
13:10hrs vacuumed living room.
13:30hrs Put 'smalls' into wash (life goes on don't you know!)
13:50hrs Carried out room service on the two rooms.
14:30hrs went shopping for top up breakfast items (far more cooked breakfasts than normal).
15:40hrs put shopping away and reloaded washing machines.
16:15hrs went to allotment for first time in two weeks and sythed down the weeds then mowed the paths, oh and weeded the flower bed.
17:50hrs phoned home and asked Alison if she would cook dinner for me.
17:30hrs got back home and helped Alison to clear up the kitchen.
19:30hrs had dinner and then tidied living room as guest wanted to talk quilting to Alison.
20:30hrs more washing and more drying.
21:00hrs met up with second guests that wanted to talk quilting to Alison
22:45hrs second guests go to bed.
24:00hrs first set of guests get home and go to bed.
24:10hrs lay the table for tomorrows breakfast.
24:30 start blog.
And so it goes.
I did manage to harvest some food several weeks back and laid it all nicely out to display for this blogg.................
Ok, it is now 01:15hrs and I'm beginning to nod off so I shall have to catch you all again soon.
Tomorrow is a busy day with all of the above plus both B&B rooms needing a change over for new guests and the cottage also requires cleaning, bed linen changed (x 4) .....
I love it but I really want to get out there and take some photos like this sunset at Wells...
Good night.
9,573
Just two months ago we were concerned that bookings seemed to be drying up but that was clearly the lull before the storm as July into August has been probably our busiest period todate. Having added Laterooms.com to our associated sites we have received some extra bookings and this along with a general pick up has led us to have both rooms booked for a significant period of time.
As a result we have had very little time to enjoy that Norfolk sunshine or indeed to get out and enjoy those beaches. We are not complaining, far from it as clearly in our line of business we need to take as much money as we can whilst the going is good.
However I am getting a little frustrated that all the hard work that I literally ploughed into the allotment may well be wasted as I struggle to find even half an hour free time to get down there. Throughout the day I watch the combine harvesters and tractors trundle along our road as they are busy pulling in the harvest of potatoes, peas, barley and wheat. Mean while my beautiful sweet broadbeans that I was eating raw from the pod are growing ever bigger, my cabbages are exploding with size and my courgettes are quickly becoming marrows.
Today went a little like this;-
07:00hrs Got up, fed the cat and started to prep the breakfast (Alison helped before going off to work).
08:15hrs first couple arrived for their breakfast.
08:30hrs The electrician arrives to fit a new bilge pump for my front yard (very urgent, stops flooding).
08:45hrs second couple arrived for breakfast.
09:15hrs first couple finish breaky.
09:30hrs first couple go out for the day.
At this stage having served 4 first courses (3 types) and 4 breakfasts (4 different choices) along with the croissants, tea and toasts my kitchen was somewhat beyond a 'working mess'.
09:45hrs whilst collecting dirty plates, get talking to guests, a process which gets more involved on each return. They show interest in my photos so I show them my 'collection' book. We talk about their travels and other things and before we know it....... it is .....
11:15hrs They get ready to go out whilst I check the tide times and availability of the boat trips to see the seals at Blakeney Point.
11:30hrs second guestsgo out for the day.
11:40hrs I had breakfast and sit down.
12:00hrs Cleared breakfast table.
set up dishwasher, washing machine and spin drier.
Ironed sheets for tomorrows change over of B&B rooms.
13:10hrs vacuumed living room.
13:30hrs Put 'smalls' into wash (life goes on don't you know!)
13:50hrs Carried out room service on the two rooms.
14:30hrs went shopping for top up breakfast items (far more cooked breakfasts than normal).
15:40hrs put shopping away and reloaded washing machines.
16:15hrs went to allotment for first time in two weeks and sythed down the weeds then mowed the paths, oh and weeded the flower bed.
17:50hrs phoned home and asked Alison if she would cook dinner for me.
17:30hrs got back home and helped Alison to clear up the kitchen.
19:30hrs had dinner and then tidied living room as guest wanted to talk quilting to Alison.
20:30hrs more washing and more drying.
21:00hrs met up with second guests that wanted to talk quilting to Alison
22:45hrs second guests go to bed.
24:00hrs first set of guests get home and go to bed.
24:10hrs lay the table for tomorrows breakfast.
24:30 start blog.
And so it goes.
I did manage to harvest some food several weeks back and laid it all nicely out to display for this blogg.................
 | |
| Onions, Red onions and shallots...... yeppp, I know me onions. |
 |
| Cabbage, Curly Kale, courgettes, Broad beans, beetroot, cauilflower, new pots, rhubarb etc. |
Ok, it is now 01:15hrs and I'm beginning to nod off so I shall have to catch you all again soon.
Tomorrow is a busy day with all of the above plus both B&B rooms needing a change over for new guests and the cottage also requires cleaning, bed linen changed (x 4) .....
I love it but I really want to get out there and take some photos like this sunset at Wells...
Good night.
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Friday, 19 July 2013
A rude absence.............
Not only does it seem like a month but it very nearly is a month since I last wrote a blog and my only excuse is how busy we have been. For the last month the weeks shot by, one minute it was Tuesday and the next it was Saturday, the 1st of July became the 10th in a blink of an eye lid and before I knew it the end of the month was hovering over the horizon.
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.
9,246
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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