That's the way to do it.

It's over.
It wasn't horrific and we all left this evening tired but smiling.
Everyone, everyone we served today was lovely - astonishing given that they had to queue to order.
We have clearly learned a lot from previous years.
So, note to self:
Just sandwiches, salads, soup and ploughmans for lunch. Anything else clogs the system. Panini and jacket spuds are definitely ORF.
Order plenty of bread. And if you think you have enough you haven't.
Book plenty of staff. And if you think you have enough you haven't.
There were thirteen of us working today and that allowed someone to keep an eye on refilling drinks fridge, cake fridge, crisp display and ice cream freezer. Tables were cleared, we kept up with washing up. It was, as far as it is possible to be, stress free.
I started the day with a knot in my stomach but it quickly unraveled and I actually started to enjoy myself.
One more thing -
ORDER MORE ICE CREAM.

Finishing line in sight....

Two hams were not enough.
Yesterday was hot and sunny and among the busiest ever seen by us.
We relied on extra help.
Bev's daughter proved a useful addition on the coffee machine. Kate's fiancé cleared and wiped tables for three hours, my 82 year old Dad turned up for coffee and took over the washing up for a couple of hours. His lady, Pam, refilled the shelves with clean cups, teapots, plates and saucers.
This morning another ham is already being cooked.
Our baker, usually closed for the Bank Holiday, is supplying lunches at Worcestershire Cricket Club so has agreed to bake us more bread.
I'm sending my husband off for supplies of cheese (our cheese maker also happens to be working today - what a relief) and salad stuff.
We'll be ready and waiting.

Zzzzzz

Ah, Bank Holidays, why do you always get the better of me?

This is the first August BH in ages which has been hot and sunny. Today people were applying sun cream in the garden.
We have almost sold out of ice cream and we only had it delivered on Thursday.
Yesterday we had the wedding of Sue and Gio, which added a busy day to the front of the bank holiday weekend.
It was also a two-ham day. We've never cooked TWO hams in the same day before.
I am weary. My feet hurt. And there are two more big days to go...

Further to previous post...

It's an Ichneumon wasp (thank you, Janet and Peter).
Wonderful looking and they don't sting.
But they do lay eggs in living hosts and the young kill the hosts when they hatch.
I won't be inviting them home.

Bugging

Yesterday we had an unusual visitor.
I asked a few people in the garden what they thought it might be?
A late mayfly?
A caddisfly?
A young damselfly?
Google discussions about similar sounding things seem to suggest some sort of wasp.
I liked it up until that point.

When we let it go it flew away, straight up, apparently unencumbered by the long tail.
I guess Nature knows her stuff.

No pack drill

Two gorgeous ladies, one of them very obviously pregnant, arrived with a little girl in a pink dress who would have been about three.
I took their order and asked when the baby was due?
She told me she had a week to go and that this was her second time - the little girl was her daughter.
"So," I said to the little girl in the pink dress, "you're going to have a baby brother or sister?"
"It's going to be a brother," she replied, earnestly.
"And do you know yet what he's going to be called?" I ventured.
"Yes, I do," she glanced up at her mum, "but it's a secret.".
So I suggested to her that, when he's born, she might bring him back to meet us and her mother said, "wouldn't that be a lovely idea?" to her daughter.
"Yes," she said to her mum, "and then we can say that his name is Joseph."

Lost in translation

I have returned refreshed from a wonderful, five-day jaunt to the Spanish east coast with two questions.
What does this mean?
And should we have a similar sign in the tearooms loos?

This was in a ladies room in Morella.

and twisted.

How many times a day do we ask people if they take sugar? And how many times a day do we hear that they don't because they're sweet enough?
A
Lot
It's lovely and it's a bit old fashioned but it is so nice to hear a different response.
Today came the best yet.
Meg asked if a gentleman took sugar?
"No thanks," he said, "I'm too bitter for it to make a difference."

Galileo

Any Saturday in August will be busy.
Unless the forecast is for thunderstorms.
When I woke this morning the thunder and lightning looked, frankly, unlikely.
I had a few conversations with early visitors about the forecasters and their craft but on this occasion they proved to be right.
When the first of three storms struck we had a influx of very wet and unprepared people - no umbrellas and, in some cases, no coats.
They stayed a while until it dried up and then it was lunchtime and the same thing happened.
By late afternoon most people were chancing their cream teas against the wasps (yes they've arrived) and the final rain arrived just before closing time.

...and I live in a hole.

An investigation is underway.
There are several theories as to why a hole has appeared in the ground of the conservatory.
It's an eight inch diameter hole, about 15 inches deep (yes, it should be in metric) and it was discovered in the undergrowth on Wednesday.
Bob thought it might be a burst pipe but he stuck his arm down the hole and found nothing.
Bev wondered if someone had pulled up a plant and half-inched it.
Janet asked if it could be an animal.
I sent a text to Adrian (who solves most of my problems) and lured him down this afternoon with mention of detective work to be done.
His arm was in that hole quick as you like. He brought a special light. He looked for clues and drew his conclusions.
He reckons we had a mole and then the visiting cat (it visits ALL the time and often hides and stays the night) went looking for it...
We're going to check his theory by filling in the hole.
And hoping.

Four seasons in one day

This is the kind of weather which makes booking staff, ordering supplies and life in general a bit more difficult:

Still, at least it's not raining all the time.