Nicole from Calgary was in today.
She's on her own, visiting every English Heritage property she can using a GPS on her tablet.
Trouble was that today it ran out of juice so she asked if she could avail herself of an electricity source while having a cream tea? (She was the second person who asked to charge a battery today. I might have to start, ahem, charging.)
While she was waiting she told me of her travels in the UK. She decides where she'll stay on the day itself. No plans. No bookings. Just turns up.
After visiting one historic site last week she pitched up in a town and went to twenty b&bs which all had vacancy notices outside but when she knocked the owners said they were full.
At the twenty-first the lady who answered the door questioned her closely - who was she? how long would she stay? where had she been? Eventually she opened the door and allowed her to check in. Nicole thought it an odd town where everyone seemed so suspicious of her.
She asked whether there was a restaurant nearby?
"Yes," said her new landlady, "but you might want to freshen up first. Have you looked in the mirror recently?"
Turns out that after misjudging a wall earlier that afternoon, Nicole not only had a big bump on her head (which she knew about) but blood in her hair and on her face (which she didn't).
Friday, 9 September 2016
Double act
Me to a couple at the counter: "Eight pounds forty pence, please."
He gets out his wallet.
She says to him: "I've got the forty pence if you like?"
He says to her: "I'd rather you had the eight pounds."
He gets out his wallet.
She says to him: "I've got the forty pence if you like?"
He says to her: "I'd rather you had the eight pounds."
Thursday, 1 September 2016
Aches and Cakes
September dawns. Which means the bulk of the season is over.
Two months to go in which we'll say goodbye to the university-goers and -returners and we'll stop needing 8, 9, or 10 members of staff every day and drop back to 4 or 5.
We are enjoying very good weather for the last week of the summer holidays with busy days and lots of garden action. And lots of chocolate cake sales. And ice cream. The extra chairs which arrived last week are in almost constant use.
We had a good, sunny Bank Holiday weekend. Except in one respect: accidents.
On Saturday one member of staff was trampled by her horse and spent most of the day in A&E, a second fell off his bike on the way to work and had to return home to be patched up. He made it through his shift aching, with cut knees and arms. And a bashed-up bike.
On Friday a boy fell out of a tree he was climbing in the garden and, we think, broke his arm.
That's enough now, thanks.
Two months to go in which we'll say goodbye to the university-goers and -returners and we'll stop needing 8, 9, or 10 members of staff every day and drop back to 4 or 5.
We are enjoying very good weather for the last week of the summer holidays with busy days and lots of garden action. And lots of chocolate cake sales. And ice cream. The extra chairs which arrived last week are in almost constant use.
We had a good, sunny Bank Holiday weekend. Except in one respect: accidents.
On Saturday one member of staff was trampled by her horse and spent most of the day in A&E, a second fell off his bike on the way to work and had to return home to be patched up. He made it through his shift aching, with cut knees and arms. And a bashed-up bike.
On Friday a boy fell out of a tree he was climbing in the garden and, we think, broke his arm.
That's enough now, thanks.
Sunday, 21 August 2016
Andrea True Connection
We're more than half way through the season.
We don't have enough outside chairs (so I've ordered more).
We don't have enough water glasses (so I've bought more).
We don't have enough capacity in the water boiler at cream tea peak times (must buy a kettle to give the boiler a breather).
We don't have enough hours in the day (not a lot I can do about this).
The Bank Holiday looms and the weather is good.
Uh oh.
We don't have enough outside chairs (so I've ordered more).
We don't have enough water glasses (so I've bought more).
We don't have enough capacity in the water boiler at cream tea peak times (must buy a kettle to give the boiler a breather).
We don't have enough hours in the day (not a lot I can do about this).
The Bank Holiday looms and the weather is good.
Uh oh.
Saturday, 20 August 2016
Communication Cord
Wednesday was one of those days.
In the morning Annie was half way through taking a telephone booking when the line went dead.
This was a small problem.
The larger one was that no phone line means no card payments.
I rang the phone company who promised it would be fixed by the end of the next working day. They forwarded any work calls to my mobile but would do nothing about the card-taking issue.
And, as Wednesday was gloriously sunny and hot, a queue of people had already started to form for coffees, cakes, scones and then lunches. And then cream teas.
Emma's bright idea was to put up signs at the entrance gate warning people that we could only take cash.
Result.
We had people emptying their purses and digging deep into the recesses of bags to find enough stray coins to meet the cost of a cake.
Then the Court rang to say !!surprise!! A coach loaded with 46 had arrived and were heading straight to us for lunch.
The engineer came early afternoon to investigate.
He found a churned up cable in a nearby field, ploughed that very morning.
By mid afternoon on Thursday it was all sorted.
In the morning Annie was half way through taking a telephone booking when the line went dead.
This was a small problem.
The larger one was that no phone line means no card payments.
I rang the phone company who promised it would be fixed by the end of the next working day. They forwarded any work calls to my mobile but would do nothing about the card-taking issue.
And, as Wednesday was gloriously sunny and hot, a queue of people had already started to form for coffees, cakes, scones and then lunches. And then cream teas.
Emma's bright idea was to put up signs at the entrance gate warning people that we could only take cash.
Result.
We had people emptying their purses and digging deep into the recesses of bags to find enough stray coins to meet the cost of a cake.
Then the Court rang to say !!surprise!! A coach loaded with 46 had arrived and were heading straight to us for lunch.
The engineer came early afternoon to investigate.
He found a churned up cable in a nearby field, ploughed that very morning.
By mid afternoon on Thursday it was all sorted.
Tuesday, 2 August 2016
Let it go.
It's been miserable today and we didn't really expect many visitors, but this is the holidays...
One really lovely family had come from California. I gestured outside at the damp garden and they looked shocked that I was apologising for our so-called Summer: "We love it," they said, "we never see rain, and everything here is so green."
They ordered panini and sandwiches, and two hot chocolates for their two young sons.
Who may or may not have been twins but to my untrained eye were identical.
And about 8 years old.
Emma made the drinks and piled them high with marshmallows.
When she took them to their table one of the boys squeaked with excitement: "Ooo, I think a bit of pee just came out."
Emma was laughing all the way back to the kitchen.
One really lovely family had come from California. I gestured outside at the damp garden and they looked shocked that I was apologising for our so-called Summer: "We love it," they said, "we never see rain, and everything here is so green."
They ordered panini and sandwiches, and two hot chocolates for their two young sons.
Who may or may not have been twins but to my untrained eye were identical.
And about 8 years old.
Emma made the drinks and piled them high with marshmallows.
When she took them to their table one of the boys squeaked with excitement: "Ooo, I think a bit of pee just came out."
Emma was laughing all the way back to the kitchen.
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