Its Sunday already

And at long last the proper work on our new home has begun! The painting...............!! Which indicates we're on the homeward stretch!!! The structural/building bits have been mostly done, but we remain in the hands of the planners for 2 small pieces of work but an answer is promised on that this week (maybe?) and as an ex local government officer it's been an interesting (read into that word anything you like!) experience being on the other end of the process....... In more ways than one - but I know better than to piss off your planner by being arsey!! So Mrs Nice/Respectful/Polite customer is working hard to remain just that ....... But it's certainly difficult at times when all you want to do seems perfectly straightforward and easy. But as I was always told many years ago, ours is not to reason why. Still, that aside our home is starting to look like a home instead of a builders yard, and we are both getting very excited (well maybe not quite SOH at the moment as he IS the painter!) about this brand new chapter of our life.  

My health is slowly but surely returning to a bit more like normality although my first walk today that was longer than up to the lifeboat, left me feeling as weak as a kitten and needing to sit down for a while upon my return to the pub.......but I know that its baby steps for a little while. I have a whole load of hospital appointments to keep, but the care I have received this time has been amazing and I can't fault it at all.

SOH & I went away for the weekend last week to a place near Preston (yes - ooopp North) as it was my sister in laws Birthday celebration and I would have felt so mean to have not gone, as it's not often the whole family get together. The last time was our wedding nearly 2 years ago.  I also knew that she had a singer and that he was in her words 'to die for'............. Now I have had one or two near death experiences in the last couple of years so I guessed I didn't want one of those, but my goodness she was right about him being a fantastic singer!! His name is Stephen Bayliss and he has a voice you want to listen to for ever, a fantastic personality, gorgeous body and an all round nice guy!! Oh dear, re-reading that sounds like I took a bit of a fancy to him..??? Actually, I did - along with every single woman in the room. This is his website - judge for yourself: http://www.stephenbayliss.co.uk/  why there aren't more people like him on programmes like XFactor I don't know - well, I do actually. He is clearly just too good and doesn't maybe have the sob story to go with his voice! He had everyone in the party (over 270 people) having a fantastic time and he worked his socks off.......... Oh I do wish he lived closer I'd have him at the Victoria Inn any time. O;) 

Today, we just met with the people in charge of the allottments here in Salcombe and we have been offered a quarter plot which SOH has accepted, so we are going to be even more a part of our great new community. Who knows, if we're any good at it we'll have home grown vegetables (well some !) on our menu to go with our home laid eggs from our Chickens??? Did I say 'we'...... oh yes so I did! lol.

Thursday saw our annual pilgimage to the St Austell Tribute awards evening in Newquay - Oh I just adore Fistral Beach! - alas this year we didn't win anything (although I wasn't overly surprised that we didn't) but we had a really good night. As usual St Austell made everyone feel very welcome and it was lovely to see a lady called Vicki Crossimgham get a lifetime achievement award. I think she's been connected to the pub business in one way or another for most of her life and with St Austell for many years in training, HR and a whole lot more besides as well as sitting on the BII main committee's. I do think St Austell as a company have got it just right in the way that they run things - I am constantly amazed at how all the senior management team know EVERYONE'S name for a start, and there is a general mutual respect. Yep, I'm really glad we work with this brewery.

Work continues on the sewers/gas/water pipes in the Fore Street here in Salcombe and of course in Kingsbridge too, but I think some of the business's here in Salcombe are feeling the effects much worse than others, as to all intents and purposes if you look up the street from our pub it just looks completely closed. So here's hoping it's not going to last for too much longer. Its making the car park even harder to get in and out of as well, particularly when people don't obey the traffic signals............ as I found to my cost last week when I drove for the first time in ages and had to do a fair bit of reversing as a car had come down the road despite a red!!

As far as the Victoria is concerned we have been hit a little by the roadworks - but the sun bought lots of people to Salcombe yesterday and today so that has helped a lot! Lots of guests have been saying they are back for half term as well, so hopefully that will be the start of a better trade.  I don't really have a whole lot more to write about now, so I'd best be off and do the dreaded Sunday paperwork..............

One of my favourite people!

So along with my favourite places in Salcombe there are some very special people here in Salcombe that I/we've become good friends with and like very much. Some of these people went out of their way right at the beginning to come and say hello, introduce themselves and generally make us feel at home right from day 1! 

One of these people is 'Tricky Clayton' - to many people who know Salcombe you'll know him and his gorgeous blackspaniel Frodo as the'Ferryman' and it was Tricky  who took me out to show me Salcombe from the sea in the early days of being here. In fact if you look at the photo's on the side bar of this blog you'll see one of the first pictures is of Frodo.

Tricky is one of those nice quiet, totally unassuming men and is so well liked by everyone! But what I hadn't realised until last week is that he is also a fantastic photographer!! The two pictures of the seals are two that he took and are of our resident seal in the estuary (which I am yet still to see!!), don't you think they are just amazing pictures!!!!
I have also seen some land/seascape pictures that he  has taken and they are truly awesome!! So not only is he a lovely bloke he also has the most incredible talent..................

Now then, did I manage to escape with my chest infection? In short - no!!! A day in and out of hospital and at the moment recovering feeling like I've done a few rounds with a big hefty boxer.

Trade is remarkably good considering the state of Salcombe at the moment with road works, sewers, gas pipes etc etc............ I've instigated a 'Fabulous Friday' where we take 4 items and put them at half price for the lunchtime trade on Friday lunchtime - and that went really well last week so we'll see how that goes this week.

That's all I can do for now folks, but I'll blog again in the next couple of weeks - in the meantime enjoy looking at the incredible photo's ................


Thats it then!

All over, done and dusted for yet another year............. Hope you all had a great night celebrating the New Years arrival? We had a great time here at the Victoria Inn, fantastically full - I think we fed in excess of 50 and with the Old Gaffers and Alan Dark, Magician for entertainment. Eventually got to bed and asleep about 2.30 so not too bad really, but could have done with a longer lay in on New Years days:(   After a relatively poor run up to Christmas trade wise we were certainly surprised and delighted to see so many people descend on Salcombe from Boxing Day onwards - so many lovely old friends and new faces who became friends. The usual dramas on the day before NY eve of the blooming drains becoming blocked! What would my life be like without the drains in Salcombe to give me sleepless nights! Salcombe just can't cope with these old drains and sudden influxes of people and also all the rainwater........... but thanks to a lovely on call 'jetter' he found and sorted the problem really quickly. Then bless me if the lights didn't fuse on NY day for the ladies loo's - but again, thanks to the lovely Steve Doyle electrician the problem was soon sorted!

Lee and David

So then, 2012 and it's onwards and upwards and I'd like to introduce you to 2 of our newer full time permanent staff -  Lee Flynn and David Gravett (purple shirt). David has worked on and off with us for some time now, but November last year he joined us as a permanent full time front of house member of staff. He's already done some formal training with the St Austell brewery and because of exams he's passed he's now entitled to apply for his own personal license. A lovely young man with a great skill for serving customers and adapting his style to the very different types of customers we have, he's going to be a huge asset to the team. He also has a wickedly dry sense of humour and is well liked by all the team.

Lee Flynn is our new Assistant Manager and he will also be our live - in manager when we (eventually) move into our new little house. Lee has a well travelled background and is fluent in Spanish - which may come in handy as more and more overseas visitors seem to be coming to Salcombe. He has a great background in the hospitality trade and even better he is a local lad. Another one with a lively but dry sense of humour and he's proving to be great with customers, Lee has settled in fast and is already popular and a great part of our team.  We're delighted to have 2 such lovely young men working with us and we are both sure that the contributions they are making to our business will continue to enhance what we're trying to achieve.
We also had a couple of our summer staff come back at Christmas to work young Alex and Sam, and hopefully they will return at Easter and Summer as well.  Already we have one eye towards what we are sure will be a busy summer - Olympics and Royal celebrations - and how we can maximise our offering to the customer and go on to bigger and better things.

Personally I start this new year with a chest infection, but hopefully I've caught it in the early stages and it will pass as soon as possible - but for the time being I'm taking a few days off to get over it.

Road works have started in Salcombe with parts of the main street being closed off for up to 8 weeks - so we expect bedlam!!! I'm off to put my feet up now................see you all again soon.

Happy New Year

Well almost...............not quite there yet though are we -  one more day to go!! I've never been a festive season sort of gal - but being with SOH this last few years has altered all that, as much for being in the business and HAVING to like this time as it is to be in love with someone so very, very gorgeous and who makes every day of our lives together so special!

Nowadays, I tend to look back at the previous year with a great deal more contentment in my heart and an awful lot of pride again this year at what we have achieved together and with the assistance of our fantastic team of colleagues who help us each and every day to make the Victoria Inn the fabulous pub that it is. Every single one of them - front of house, kitchen, cleaners and holiday staff - they all work to help us achieve our aim of running a busy, vibrant, successful and fantastic pub.  Both Tim & I know how lucky we are to have these people supporting us, and I hope that in return they continue to enjoy working with us.

We've spent a lot of money on training this year, but we are both committed to having a highly skilled team and we believe it has paid dividends and we are hopeful of continuing this in 2012. The garden has grown and thrived with even more planting and additional work done at the top of the garden to give even more pleasure to our visitors.

We personally enjoyed the success of being St Austell's 'Tenanted Wine House of the Year' for 2010 (awarded at the start of 2011) and the amazing visit to Champagne as our prize in September.  Despite being in the middle of the most awful recession we have continued to see our hard work pay off with a steady trade, many repeat customers and lots and lots of new ones as well!

I continue to slave away at the social media side, facebooking, twittering and blogging..... It all takes time but I think it's worth it. It doesn't come without it's pitfalls though and I have just had to put up with the fact that if you put yourself 'out there', you have to accept the 'brick bats' as well as the praise. I know I sometimes get tetchy about Trip Advisor but unjustified criticism will always wound me, whereas a true complaint (and we are no more perfect than any one else) will spur me on to make sure it doesn't happen again or that we try to make amends there and then. In the summer particularly when you are sending out in excess of 300 meals some days - try as we might we will just never please everyone all the time.

I've had a few issues about my blog at times - 99.5% love it and I get loads and loads of messages of support and soooooo many customers say that it helps them keep in touch with their beloved Salcombe - especially now I've branched out a little with more photo's and some of MY favourite places in Salcombe. I'll try and perfect my photographic skills in 2012 and take and publish even more pictures of this beautiful area.

What else about 2011 has been memorable for me???????? Well we sold Captain Morgans, we had a whole weeks holiday together, I went to Greece on my own (and probably wouldn't go again), I continued to cultivate friendships with some very special ladies here in Salcombe and worked to keep the threads of friendship with dear friends far away. My Church and it's people keeps growing in my heart and soul, my driving continues to take me to places previously unvisited and the freedom I now have continues to astound me - particularly being able to pop to Portsmouth to see my son Paul and his wife Caroline - who I continue to miss badly. Lastly, we have of course bought our very first house together (me a born and bred council tenant - who'd have thought it!!) and we are both very excited at the prospect of another chapter of our life together starting.  Unbelieveably I thought I was going to have my first ever nervous breakdown this year when life seemed to get completely on top of me, but I didn't, with the help and love of those around me and a little time to myself I came through and I'm all the stronger for it. In fact I was talking to a young Salcombe man last week and he said some very, very wise words: He said that every one who comes to Salcombe goes through three phases - firstly, they LOVE it! Then they don't love it and then they fall back in love with it....... and thats where I am right now....... falling in love with it all over again!

So to all of you who read my meanderings on a regular basis or as one person wrote to me the other day - they were 'blog walking' (!!)  and stumbled upon my blog and loved it. May I wish you all a very peaceful, prosperous and a very, VERY happy 2012.

I hope you will continue to enjoy reading this blog as much as I enjoy writing it Xxx

My VERY favourite place...........

Well then peeps, my last blog before Christmas and hopefully as a business we enter a busy period - this really is my most favourite place in Salcombe - Holy Trinity Church.

The top picture is of the Lady Chapel within the Church and the 2nd picture is of the stained glass window at the top end of the Church.  The Church of Holy Trinity was consecrated to God in 1844, and I am always struck by this feeling of real history emanating from its very core. Of Salcombe people and it's visitors making memories through the years - celebrating sad and happy times. I have visited a lot of Churches through the years always seeking THAT feeling and never found it until we came here to Salcombe.   It is an absolutely beautiful Church - a Grade 2 listed building with many interesting features and memorials. In the Lady Chapel East window there is a Russian Icon designed by N.H.Westlake and the most stunning and unusual copper sheather art nouveau chancel gates beautifully decorated with enamels at the main alter. The wooden alter was made by Salcombe craftsmen in 1900 and there are 10 painted depicting angels with musical instruments - a truly gorgeous work of art.   

For those of you who've read my blog since I began, you'll know that my 'relationship' with God has not always been an easy one over the years - and it has to be said there are still times I sit in the peace of Holy Trinity and have more questions than answers swirling round my head - but on the whole I think I now understand what He wants of me and more importantly what I can do for Him.

So when I sit in one of the chairs in Church and I stare at this beautiful window, absolutely nothing else matters - all that matters is that I try to be the best person I can possibly be for Him and the world that I live in. As we enter the Christmas period full on, and we all get caught up in the whole consumer experience it's easy to lose sight of why we're celebrating Christmas at all - is it really about the amount of food and drink we can consume?? Is it really about partying and buying the most lavish and expensive gifts we possibly can't afford? Or is it about remembering the start of a magical journey.............

So, if the Church is my favourite place - then some of my favourite people just have to be Father Daniel and his lovely wife Fran......... great people who make the Church a living, breathing place of love and life and we are very blessed to have them for our guidance and our friends.

It's now onto the business in hand of running a business. We are hopeful of a busy Christmas with people visiting friends and relatives and probably an even busier New Year. Christmas Eve we still have a few tables left for you to come and eat with us, but New Years Eve we are fully booked!!  We will open for just 2 hours on Christmas Day and it's only SOH and me............... but it's usually very good fun, and better still - SOH cooks my Christmas dinner!    I'll write again if I possibly can before the start of another wonderful Year!

I'd like to say a very, very Happy Christmas to all of you who either read my blog on a regular basis or just wander by every now and then. I hope you get everything you hope to get, lots of love,laughs and kindness and hopefully the company of those you love the most. X

MY Favourite things - part 2

I almost feel as though I should start this with music from The Sound of Music - My Favourite Things..... there is no doubt that there is a theme of food and beautiful things in these threads and today my chosen Favourite Things is: Cranch's Pantry run by Suzanne, Angela, Peter and a host of other lovely helpful and friendly people.  I remember when we first moved here being absolutely mortified that I was so far away from my usual stomping ground of Marks & Spencer, Waitrose etc and wondering how on earth I was going to survive without those Gods of shopping............... I stocked up with lots of foodstuffs to bring with us convinced my days would never be the same without the staples of foods I had come to rely on and that clearly we were going almost to the ends of the earth!  But oh my goodness, once again all my pre-conceived ideas flew out of the window the first day I walked into Cranch's Pantry - firstly, to see the foods laid out in front of the shop was a joy to behold and then the smells as you enter the shop is practically indescribable! As to how they can stock almost anything you could ever ask for and it has to be said for very little extra (if at all in many cases - particularly with fuels costs factored in!) is amazing! As for those Marks & Sparks staple foods I talked about - let me tell you there is a certain brand of fruit cake that Cranch's stock which knocks spots of M & S!!!!  Then of course there is Chanch's sweetshop next door - a veritable Mecca to all that is holy in terms of sweets, chocolate and other confectionery............. you can have 20p's worth of this or a fiver for something else. Gorgeous pale brown/dark brown/ coloured fudges - so you can a little of each if you like............ and lets be honest, when it comes to the sweet stuff what isn't there to like??  

But once again, what makes this shop so special and used to be replicated throughout our land in thousands of other similar small towns and villages?  Well, it's that old magic called 'Customer Service'. Staff and customers knowing each other, feeling like you're a valued customer and not just a number to make up the profits, a place to meet and discuss the weather and any other dozen numbers of discussion points. Even if you're only walking past the door with the dogs there's inevitably a cheery wave and a 'hiya'..... I defy you to try that with one of the big supermarkets......

So what else - well the weather has cranked down a good few gears with face startling cold winds and freezing rains, but at last the visitors appear to have started to return ready for the testive season. Good news for us is that we are SOLD OUT for dining New Years Eve but we will still have room for you to come and join us for drinking and frolics with the Old Gaffers - our sea shanty singers, and maybe have Alan Dark amaze you with some Magic!!

We fed about 80 people from local business's on Friday and had nothing but compliments, so huge rounds of applause to our great staff - especially Chef and his team for making it happen!! 'Hoorah.'........  

SOH & I have been busy 'matchpotting' in our new house and planning for our future - all very exciting and frankly a little tiny bit terrifying as we start to see what we need to spend and where we will have to make economies - but the house is generally in really good nick, its a couple of major jobs and a few minor things - but with all meeting to make a substantial whole in our pockets! Scarey!

Then this time next week, where will we all be?? I predict we'll both be slumped in front of a very quiet TV with our 2 babies, Rosie & Archie snuggled up having opened for just a couple of hours in the lunchtime, followed by great food (which SOH will cook for us) a bottle of good wine, Christmas Pud and a large liqueur?? 

I hope to get one more blog post in this week about another favourite and VERY special place in Salcombe of mine this week.......... Until then, take care and be kind to each other - life is too short to do anything else X

Excited? Moi?

Actually I don't think I can tell you just how excited I am right now.............. We have this week completed on our little dream house!!!! I swear if I get any more excited about it all I shall just burst!!!!  In a few short months of talking about getting our own place to live in and then actually doing it, here we are - homeowners!  We completed on Monday, with Tuesday seeing us go out and starting to buy furniture and lighting, Wednesday saw a succession of tradesmen to quote for a myriad of jobs we shall need doing and the buying of paint 'match pots' to see if the reality will live up to the colours in our heads. Because of dreaded planning application rules and our desire for a couple of new windows it's unlikely we'll move in until end of February but I just know that this time is going to fly by in a rush of on line buying and shopping in the sales for all those things we need (no really, we do!!) to make our new home perfect. There have been so many times in my life when things seemed pretty bleak and I could never have imagined that I would feel this overwhelming happiness that I seem to feel so much of the time these days - but I DO, and I constantly thank the Big Man upstairs for it! In one of my next blog posts I want to introduce you to Lee, the young man working for us now as assistant manager and who will take the live-in role when we move. But trust me - we will still be around lots and lots - in fact I bet you'll see more of us than ever..... no intention of taking our foot of the gas too much!!!  

Trade is incredibly quiet again this week - with the awful weather not helping much either, but tomorrow we have the Island Street bash at the Victoria Inn. This all the traders like boat builders, craftesmen, fishermen etc.  They take it in turns to go to one of the pubs in town every year and this is our first ever year - so I'm determined we'll give them the best pre-Christmas meal ever.  I think we're catering for just over 80 so should be a great buzz about the place tomorrow!

If you're still debating where to spend Christmas Eve Dinner or New Years Eve Dinner - then you really need to get on to the phone to us fast as we have only a few tables free for Christmas Eve and for New Year we only have 2 tables left! New Years Eve we have the Old Gaffers and Alan Dark with his 'Touch of Magic'.

Christmas Day it's just SOH and I working from 12 - 2 only - so come in and say Happy Christmas and enjoy a pre-lunch drink why don't you???

Also again this year we are doing our fabulous Homemade Curry Buffet but ONLY on New Years Day: 12 - 3!!! £10.95 with a choice of 3 or 4 curries including a great vegetarian Balti, Chutney and Poppadum............ every year the numbers grow and grow for this - so don't miss out!

Right then - I still have some cards to write, a couple of pressies to wrap and tomorrows paty to sort out for seating and crackers etc.......... If I can manage another blog before the big day then I will.

Keep warm and dry my lovelies x