What a fantastic day!!

What a fantastic day - No, not the wedding - thats NEXT Saturday (for those of you that didn't know!?!) but today..... I've had a great day!!

My gospel choir - Honest Gospel - which I've just returned too after a break has had a workshop today with a hugely succesful Cornish Gospel Choir - the Callington Community Gospel Choir.

Well I have sung my heart out today and managed to get rid (temporarily) of all my nerves, cares and worries. There wasn't quite so many of them as in this picture, (it has about 60 people now apparently) but there were 6 singers, an amazing pianist and the most incredible gifted and energising conductor. The sound they created was just amazing and really lifted everyone there and I personally also found it really very spiritual.

In a really short space of time we learnt 4 songs, without anything on PAPER...... that was quite scarey to start with as most of us were used to having music and lyrics to read from, but it turned out to be easier than feared. I have a fairly deep singing voice so I stayed in my role of tenor and thoroughly enjoyed what I learnt. I took my lead from the two male tenors who were there - thats them in the front row, the chap with glasses and the one next to him - and I just had a ball.

I'd love you to check out their website and listen to the music they make: http://callingtoncommunitygospelchoir.art.officelive.com/default.aspx If Derek (our conductor) can turn Salcombe's own 'Honest Gospel' into something half as good as them, then I'll be proud to be part of it!!

A Pub Landlady's Life - Victor Meldrew style!

I've started this blog post off with the name of my blog just to remind myself why I started this blog really, and also just to get off my chest a few things that have really, really hacked me off this week and to reflect back on what a cushy life I had working for a Council!!

Now then - what has set me off on this reflection I hear you say...... you are saying that aren't you?? How about a few things..... firstly - the expensive new awning that St Austell have purchased for the back of our pub - you know, the posh one with sides, heaters and lighting? Well it came this week - along with six workmen to install it. Only they didn't! Well they did - partly.... only partly I hear you say - whys that?? How about the boxes that contained some of the parts - didn't!! They're still in transit somewhere between Germany and here......... aarrghhh, if it wasn't so bloody infuriating I'd be in bits weeping by now!! But 'we've chased it up - it'll all be here and done by next Wednesday'......... I tell you, I had a Boys from the Blackstuff moment when they were out there looking at empty boxes! Even funnier (ish) was the fax that came through from Germany regarding the missing parts IN GERMAN - surprise, surprise!!

Secondly - Scaffolding up at the building next door but on our land (means the huge bins are down by the back door and we've had to draw curtains in the restaurant so that diners don't have a view of Biffas finest whilst they're eating!) - 'sorry love - it's going to be a bit longer than we thought - but it'll be down by the end of the week'......

Thirdly - but by no means last (although I don't have the energy to chronicle ALL the weeks events that have pi***d me off) how about one of our supplier's who regularly gets a fortune from us for supplying paper napkins and cleaning materials etc, only to have this: 'No sorry, the depot manager says we can't split a pack of paper table cloths'..........it's 500 or nothing.......

Lastly - what about the supplier who wants us to pay £10 a food delivery because we live in the deepest wilds of Salcombe (well that was until SOH eventually told them to get stuffed - only much politer of course - we are talking about SOH not me!). They then decided that the charge could be dropped.............

Very lastly - what about the call from the Job Centre wanting to know how many dozens of people had applied for the jobs I've got advertised with them - 'mmnn - how about none'!! They'll try to make it a priority.......... hello - am I wrong, or do we have one of the worst recessions in years???

For God's sake and at the risk of sounding like a female Victor Meldrew what on earth is up with our country that it can't supply what has been ordered or if it does than there's something wrong with it..... where is the flexibility in business relationships particularly with business's like ours who put a lot of money into other business's pockets. Where are all the jobless people desperate for work??

Now that's where I've been looking back at being a Local Govt manager..... if I wanted something done - I'd phone, I'd say politely what I wanted doing, I'd give a timescale and it would be done - it really would! If I wanted staff, I advertised and we got lots of good candidates to choose from - in this business you're lucky if they even bother to turn up for the interview!

Here in my new(ish) life as a self employed person, I have no comfort blanket of a procurement dept or HR dept. I seem to spend half of my time either moaning down the phone because something hasn't been delivered, some of it has been missed off etc etc.................. BLIMEY - I feel so much better for getting that off my chest.

Onto good things.......... really, really good things!! The FURNITURE ARRIVED!!!! It actually arrived when Brian from Capricorn Imports said it would and bar a couple of fairly minor dents and scratches the upstairs dining room is at last taking shape. More pictures purchased from the lovely Simon Drew now adorn the walls and along with an eclectic mix of mirrors I can honestly say it's looking even better than we hoped it would.

Talking of Simon Drew, he has given us one of his signature pictures where you have to work out the saying etc for a wedding present, how lovely is that? SOH is especially chuffed as he's been a fan of his works for years.

Then of course moving on to the impending nuptials - the Order of Service was delivered to us last night - OMG it is lovely, we are both so very pleased with it! The wedding dress is collected tomorrow, a variety of beauty treatments start from Friday to ensure I look as good as possible (I know there are those of you thinking a year wouldn't be long enough- lol)and we've started to get wedding cards! I'm crying at fairly regular intervals at the moment - and bottom twitching nerves are kicking in!!

But of course I have managed to skip neatly over the obligatory 'hen night' and the wand, crown, sash and badge. Thanks girls, you did me proud - I woke up on Saturday thinking I'd successfully got through the event relatively unscathed.

WRONG!!! I was just suffering from alcohol induced amnesia......... as the day wore on and I felt worse I had several calls, texts and visits to fill in the gaps...... oops!! Let me see - it apparently ranged from thinking I was in ABBA and using the stairs at the 'Catch' restaurant (thanks Donna & Mischa for making it a great night) as my stage - flinging my leg over the banister ala burlesque style (ouch - I've seen the video - damned mobile phones!), attempting to get on a stationary scooter, dancing in the 'ships bar' at the Fortesque Arms and granting 'wishes' with my wand to anyone unfortunate enough to cross my path!!

Finally, staggering - BARE FOOT - home to my dearest soon to be Husband, declaring undying love and collapsing into the bed............ where even Rosie bounding in and on said bed didn't cause me to stir apparently!

Anyway - it was a fantastic night and friends old and new gave me a night to always remember - if I could remember it that is. So, 10 days and counting - I'll probably manage one last post before the 'BIG DAY', until then - hugs and kisses to everyone! X

P.S - Despite the rant - I still love being a PUB LANDLADY....................

Paying out money to the Dentist, the Optician and ....................

Lets start with what I finished with last blog post - my teeth! The offending tooth is out and what an odd experience it was as well..................Everyone at the Highland surgery was so kind, and when I was eventually levered out of the loo's (where I'd been having a gentle sob!!) Mr Gittins the dentist who did the deed couldn't have been kinder. Josie his nurse was an absolute love as well and between them and the medication I really knew very little about the process and slept most of the rest of the day following it. For anyone who has to undergo something major or is just plain terrified - I would highly recommend having the work done under intravenous sedation. It's by no means cheap - but like everything in life - you get what you pay for.

In actual fact - I seem to have done an awful lot of paying out over the last few day for bodily necessities.....an eye test yesterday at For Your Eyes Only (http://www.devoneyes.co.uk)/ meant new distance glasses, new reading glasses and new prescription glasses.............. that little lot plus a spare pair of readers came to a couple of hundred quid - but it was a very thorough eye test, followed by a great chat with Charlotte the owner where she helped me find the right frames for my face. In actual fact for 4 pairs of specs, it wasn't that horrific - and of course the great thing with a smaller shop such as Charlotte's is you get great personal service... so again - you get what you pay for.

Today has also been a paying out day - but for far nicer reason. SOH and I went to visit the Dartmouth artist Simon Drew - he works in pen and ink with an emphasis on wildlife and everyday subjects, with a real whacky / quirky edge and as we found out today, he's a thoroughly lovely chap! We have purchased some fantastic prints to put in the newly re-furbished (well, almost!) upstairs restaurant.

The whole of Salcombe is geared towards the sea; pictures of the sea, old and new, Salcombe itself, boat / sailing artifacts etc, and I felt that we needed to do something different to stand out from the rest, hence, the purchase of about 15 assorted framed prints, oh and a beautiful mirror from a nearby antiques market! Oh yes, and a particularly gorgeous necklace to go with my wedding dress..... more of that in a moment.

Firstly - back to the re-furb.......... well, what more can I say really. The upstairs still looks like a building site, delays on getting the 'nosing' for laying new stair carpet and the fact that re-painting various bits meant that the carpet fitter - Doug the Rug - couldn't do the carpet laying this week as planned but has PROMISED it'll be finished for this weekend..........

Carlton the builder says they're in the process of finishing off plastering and tiling in the Hobbitt House for the en-suite bedrooms, but I'm almost too scared to look at that yet. My new friend Brian at Capricorn Imports assures me that the furniture will be delivered on Monday late morning, but its no good I'm not going to feel any easier until it's here and all looks good!!

The first patio still looks like a tip but the awning should be being installed on Monday or Tuesday and then we have 3 days to get everything ready for the Christening party here at the Victoria Inn on Mothers Day............. phew!!!

I had the second fitting of the wedding dress last week, and when someone with the experience that Barbara the dressmaker at the shop has (30 + years) then you know you're in good hands - except for when she pricked herself with one of the many pins she was using to nip, tuck and take up and promptly spot bled on the front of the wedding dress..... now, surprisingly, I took that all in my stride!! I know it'll come out and I pick the dress up next week..........

SOH and I have tried to get out with Rosie to the beach at least once a week, and if we haven't been able to, then her new 'Auntie Clare' comes and takes her out for us. This picture was taken round by Bigbury Sands on a day when it was bitterly cold and with a real biting wind. But it blew the cobwebs away and Rosie had a great run around on the beach.

Talking of Rosie, we have broken the first rule we made when we bought her - and that is forgotten she's a dog............. Truth is we were getting utterly fed up and also exhausted by Rosie whining and wailing at 5 / 6 in the morning, and then finding because she'd got so upset she'd pee'd in the kitchen. We did just about everything - fed her as early as possible, took her water up early on, took her for a late night walk (we're talking 12 / 1 o'clock!!) still she'd cry and pee. So where has she ended up??? Yep - you guessed it - on a little furry bed, with her favourite toy in our bedroom.............. and has it worked - YES!!!!!!!!! No more peeing, we get to sleep in till a sensible time of about 8.00a.m, and she is also a lot happier!!! Does she sometimes sneak onto our bed at about 6 for snuggles - yes..................... :-)

As for the business at the Victoria Inn itself - well actually we are doing quite nicely thank you! Sunday lunches are getting to be very popular every single week and this Sunday evening we were quite busy as well - in fact we did almost 100 covers - which for a crap February day (cold and windy) was a really good day! Last night we had a major local company bring all their area managers in to wine and dine - and boy....... did they wine and dine!! David one of our barstaff and myself were still trying to lever them out of the door gone midnight, but they were fulsome in their praise and everyone had a great night.

St Austell do great wines as well as beer and on the advice of Kathryn from the wine team we now do a New Zealand wine by the glass - a Sauvignon, and my goodness she was spot on - that just flies out of the door.

Talking of wine, I expect I'll have a small vatfull tomorrow night as it's my pre-wedding dinner and I have about 17 - 20 people coming to help me celebrate..... 7.00 at the Victoria and then 7.30 at Catch - a great little intimate restaurant in Salcombe run by two fabulous people - Micha and Donna. I'm not having my bash at the Victoria because I know I wouldn't be 'off duty' as such and also, I couldn't really be as relaxed (loud.......) as I no doubt will be tomorrow night! Plus, I rarely drink (well I rarely drink at all these days!!) in front of customers and I don't think it's right for me to be seen tiddly - not good for mine or the pubs reputation!

This wedding is turning out to be everything I've every dreamt of and tomorrow night is no exception. My very best friend Tanya is coming down, and my many new Salcombe friends are coming along as well.......... so if you've any sense - stay away from Salcombe tomorrow night - but if you listen hard enough....... I'm sure you'll hear us (me)!!!!

Doug, Pete and Carlton - Nearly There..........

And so in 1 day at the Victoria Inn, Salcombe I had; Doug the Rug, Glue Gun Pete and Carlton the Contractor all working in the same place - and we're nearly there!! Oh and lets not forget the lovely Neil and Mike............ no nicknames for them though just yet!!

I don't mind telling you I am going to be blooming glad when this whole re-furb is finished! I'm a really tidy and methodical sort of person and working in this chaos is getting me down now :(

It seems to be have been going on for ever.... and it has seemed to reach the point where there is one hiccup after the other right now. After the furniture debacle, 'Doug the Rug' came with 'Glue Gun Pete' to lay the carpet - very nice carpet I might add!

But unsurprisingly (I'm at the stage of being surprised by nothing now!!) on lifting the carpet in the upstairs restaurant some of the floor boards were found to be more than a little 'iffy' - not dangerous, just not as sound as they should be... so there came yet another added cost of getting the lovely Carlton to get boarding in - which means the job now has to stretch into next week.

On top of that my lovely painter Luke 'touched up' a few spots and we all found to our horror that the new batch of paint was very slightly different to the first and second lot! This means he has to re-paint the whole restaurant!! Anything else...???? No, actually I don't think there is - oh yes! One of the new windows has been slightly under measured and as my dear old Mum would have said 'A blind man would like to see it'!! So that blind is up but is going to be replaced soon - nothing major - but if it's going to be right, then it's going to be right.

The 2 en-suite bedrooms over the cellar are coming on a treat - or so I'm told, but I'm not even allowing myself to look at them just yet as I can only worry about so much!! The awning is due to be 'installed' the week after next - which pushes it right to the wire - but again, what good will it do if I start fretting now??

Wedding celebrations are gathering pace and as we almost enter March there's less than a month to go now - and actually, I'll be quite glad now when that's here as well..... 2nd dress fitting today and it was nipped and tucked and taken up, and I'm really happy with it.

But right now and uppermost in my mind is a tooth extraction and filling under sedation tomorrow morning - the howlingly painful abscess has receded thanks to the horse pills that my lovely dentist Kathryn gave me - but sadly she doesn't do this sedation dentistry, so it's off to a nice looking chap in Ivybridge tomorrow. Why am I having it done under sedation?? Because there's no way under Gods earth that I'd have it pulled out otherwise...... trust me, there's scared patients and there's me!! I wouldn't wish me on any poor dentist - so good luck tomorrow to Mr John Gittins and his team............. x

Oh yes, and good luck to me!!

Oh go on lets smile..........

I think I need to write a blog with a bit of a smile to it - and I'll absolutely try not to whinge once if I can??!! So after the trauma of the furniture there was actually a little bit of a silver lining - a large write up 2nd page in the Salcombe Gazette.......with me in front of a great photo of the Victoria Inn - might have lost £3.5k but there's very little 'bad' publicity! I can't begin to tell you how many people have stopped me in the street, church, local shops and more importantly come into the pub to say how sorry they were to here of our bad news with the furniture firm going bust!! That picture and the write up would have cost a fortune as an advertisement - lol! I think I might set up a paper signing date......

Our very good friend Lisa (www.lisabeaneyphotography.co.uk) who will be taking our wedding photo's sent me some copies of the very best 'pre-wedding' shots and I think they're lovely - here's a couple of them. I love the way that Lisa does business - she's really interested in making it the very best for you and your day - and although we're great mates, she was professional and went through the format of the day and what WE want and how we want it.... we've chosen very informal photo's, and as I absolutely HATE looking at cameras and smiling ( I never do it naturally...) I think there'll be very few of those!! Tim was p'ing himself laughing when he had to kiss my forehead and in another one he was pinching my bum - so I think the day itself will have a lot of laughter!!

Yesterday I went for my first fitting of the wedding dress - I was really nervous, as I was so scared that after all this time of waiting that I would have gone off it and not liked it - especially as I had to choose the colour from a square of material about 1 inch square!! But I absolutely loved it - I particularly loved the fact its got to be taken in 2 (yes folks TWO) dress sizes!!! So back for another fitting this Friday coming and then pick it up 2 weeks later.

The shop is La Bella Bridal (http://www.labellabridal.co.uk/) in Exeter and I just can't recommend them highly enough - especially Theresa who has looked after me all the way through the process and had to put up with regular calls when I was terrified the dress wasn't going to turn up, and Barbara the dress maker who practically has to re-make the dress to have it fit me and do all the touches to it to make it special. Both of them absolute gems!!

Made quite a day of it actually with my friend Theresa (my Salcombe Best Friend) even though she did have just a tiny accident in a multi storey car park - bless 'er.............. and a great two and a half hour lunch in Cafe Rouge!! She bought an amazing hat from La Bella - and we drove out of Exeter 2 very happy ladies.

James our Head Chef has baked the wedding cake - blooming massive it is as well - SOH and I had a stir and made a wish - and ever since then he keeps 'feeding ' it - Brandy I think!! I got to lick the spoon and put my finger in the (empty) mixing bowl - just like when I was a child and Mum used to make cakes..... a great memory!

This week coming is set to be quite a busy week - there's lots to do for the wedding - a meeting with the gorgeous Derrick our organist at Church to discuss music etc - we're both looking forward to that very much, then I'll be proof reading the Orders of Service and checking those over before placing the order, going back for the 2nd dress fitting, and then lastly the dreaded tooth extraction on Saturday - but that's a while away yet!

The re-furb continues - with carpet being laid this week and the blinds being put up at the windows. I'll be so pleased to get this finished now - I'm just sick of the upheaval (that's not a whinge - but a statement!) but everyone that's seen it so far even in its half finished state has said it look fabulous!! Took a provisional enquiry for a wedding in 2011 today as well..... so that's the way to go!!

Business has been pretty fair this week - a little down on last year, but quite a few holiday makers went home on Thursday as the weather has been appalling for them - but, overall trade hasn't been to bad at all. I just love meeting all our old friends as they pop in and out over the year.... this weekend in particular it was a couple called Gordon and Rosemary - a charming couple who I always love to see come through the doors!

Then of course last weekend we managed a couple of days aways for our friend Jo's 30th birthday bash; Dunster Manor. This is a fabulous huge country house that is hired out too corporate and private parties. The most amazing place with huge grounds, a pool, horses, and a great time was had by all - we even managed to be able to take Rosie with us, and it made for a very pleasant break.

Rosie in particular enjoyed charging round the grounds with some new doggy friends - my goodness she can run fast......I think it did her good socialising with dogs over a long period, she's been just a little calmer since we came home!! In fact I'm seriously thinking of getting a second cockapoo too give her some company - SOH is not so sure......??

Two very good friends Mark and Ben in this picture, looking pretty refined I think - but then it was quite early in the evening in this piccie!! Maybe at about 3 or 4 in the morning neither looked quite so suave.... in fact one little girl was heard to say to her Mother the next morning 'Mummy, there's a man asleep on the settee' ....... I'll leave you to guess which one of them it was?? The other picture is another friend (and my ex dentist) Robin, his beautiful wife Lucy and his adorable little baby Henry!

So there you go - a nice cheerful chatty post, with pictures...............Take care all of you X

And life just gets better - NOT!!!!!

Well then where exactly do I start my dear readers......... which trauma would you like to hear about first!! How about the re-furb?? Oh go on - that's a cracking one to kick off with.....

OK - so you all know about our fab re-furb! The pub (downstairs) is looking fantastic - the rest of the pub until the last day or two has looked increasingly like a bomb site - BUT.... all is on target. All actually going fairly swimmingly until the 8th February when I had a couple of missed calls and a voice mail from a tel no I didn't recognise?? The voice message (when I eventually figured out how to retrieve this message from my new I phone!! ) was from a fairly distraught sales representative from the furniture company - H J Berry - who we had ordered a little over £7k's worth of furniture and which we were expecting to be delivered on the 19th February - (you know where this is going don't you...) telling us that the firm had / were going into administration and we wouldn't be getting our furniture!

Of course, not only are we not getting our furniture they also have our deposit of nearly £3.5k .....to say I was nearly in hysterics when I put my phone down is not even close to it....all I could think of was the Christening for 50 plus on the 14th March and our wedding on the 20th... and no bloody furniture!! My SOH doesn't make it any easier when he takes his usual lovely laid back approach of saying it would all be OK - when clearly it F'ing well wouldn't!!!

Several days and phone calls later, e mails etc etc, we were no closer to getting resolution, my head was close to bursting point and I can truthfully say that I had no proper sleep for several nights. A quite lovely birthday weekend in Somerset with friends was spoilt by the worry of it all - more of that in the next post (with incriminating pics!!).

On our return Sunday, I was adamant that we had to get this sorted - so much Internet trawling located a firm in Exeter with a showroom to go and visit; Capricorn Imports - www.capricornimports.co.uk with a really lovely director by the name of Brian Pengelly who personally showed us his collection and guaranteed the order being fulfilled. I can not begin to tell you how I felt and the relief at knowing we were sorted..............Furniture being delivered 8th March and I have his word for it!!

Then just to top my life of perfectly - I have an abscess on my gum!! So bad that I have to have the tooth out under sedation - and little change from £500/£600...........I have that joy to look forward to next Saturday the 27th just 3 weeks before the 'big day' itself..... hopefully my face will look a lot less like a well fed hamster by then!

The one really good thing is that my wedding dress HAS arrived and I go for a fitting this Saturday........... hoorah!!

But that my dear friends is how my life is at the moment - one flipping trauma after the other.....and money flying out the door like confetti!!

41 days and counting............

Okay - firstly, 41 days and counting to our wedding and still no wedding dress yet....... ok, I'm not panicking (yet) but I'd feel happier if I just knew it was sitting in the shop! Bless 'em, they must be sick of me at La Belle Bridal and I'm not quite at the stage of a once a day call, but it's getting close to it!! It is apparently in the next expected consignment...... might just give them a quick ring tomorrow (!). Apart from that we'll be getting a couple of orders of service next week from our great local printers 'Triangle Printers' to choose design and layout, and then we're virtually done!



Its been an odd sort of week this last week - SOH and I travelled to Abercraf in South Wales for his Auntie's funeral. It was a long journey there and back, and very tiring - but I'm so glad we went. There were only 7 mourners, one of them being her widowed Husband, and the service was held in the house. The Vicar (Allan) was just lovely, and we were asked if we would like to contribute memories of Doreen. I had never met this lady, but it was obvious from the house and the memento's around, that this was a lady with a talent and an eye for art and there was clearly a great love for her husband Gilbert - so it was this observation that was my contribution. The service was followed by a burial in the local cemetary (my first ever burial!!) but it was very moving - particularly as Allen sang unaccompanied at the graveside with words of loss to the song 'Danny Boy'.........

Afterwards I spoke to the undertaker about the fact it had been my first experience of a burial and that I hadn't found it too bad.....he said that 'No Bach-cremations were much better'...... I said well it didn't matter to me as I was going to experience neither (I have had a lifelong fear of death!!) and he said that when he was dead, that for them to check he really was dead that they would have to play the national anthem - and if he didn't stand to attention - then he WAS dead!! It almost seemed inappropriate to laugh at such a solemn occasion but I couldn't help laugh at this undertaker with a such strong welsh accent (he consistently called me Bach) and such a great manner........All in all, a very odd day and yet a funeral that left me with a lot to reflect on! For many reasons..........



On top of this we've had the building works continuing........ our once beautiful pub continues to look like a building site upstairs. Well out of sight of the customers I might add - but sure as hell not out of sight of Rosie!! Our Rosie has been in the cement, the paint and the dirt........ and has managed to bring most of it into our flat!!

I had a few tears on Tuesday as the dust, dirt and all the upheaval just got me down - alongside Biffa (refuse people) playing silly arses about collecting our rubbish - to the point that I ended up after about 7 phone calls speaking to a Manager who finally managed to sort the problems out for us, and consequently ensured that a man with a briefcase appeared in our pub within 3 hours to 'smooth things out'...!!

Looking at all the mess though, I got really anxious as to how it will all be ok for our wedding, but lovely Carl and Luke have assured me we will be ready and gorgeous!! The picture is of our upstairs restaurant which will hold our wedding buffet for 94 people......... can't visualise it right now - can you!?!?

The garden is looking good though - 'Kempy' and his Dad (local firm - Saltaire) have put in some steps in the garden with sleepers...... It's really opened up the garden and takes the eye right up the entire length! Jusr waiting for some rope to be sent through now whcih will give an additional feature to the steps. They also moved the BBQ and we now have a permanent site for that. Apart from that, the re-furbished pub downstairs has been ever so well recieved - absolutely everyone loves it, and I have to say we are chuffed to bits with it!!

On a completely different note, I have been part of a vocal group at my Church for a special Taize service tonight. We have been learning some beautiful music, and tonight should be very special - candlelight, meditation, prayers and music, what a great combination, and a good ending to a fairly 'challenging' week.