Its been a while........

Hi everyone...... sorry it's been a while since I last posted on the blog, but flip me I've been poorly again!! This is getting to be an annual occurrence!! Really nasty bout of Bronchitis needing 2 lots of anti-biotics and still on Steroids and the occasional Nebuliser have really laid me low again.......... I'm getting really sick of it. Poor SOH has taken a bit of a battering from me as those of you who know and love me (!) know I don't take very easily to being ill - Oops! Bless 'im!!

I'm also learning as a self-employed person (not a Local Authority wallah) that being ill in a business like ours is not the best thing to be, and despite being constantly told to 'go upstairs and rest' (maybe short hand for 'for God's sake go to bed!) I didn't find it that easy to do. Anyway - I think I've turned the corner, and the only way is up - hopefully. Have to say the health care here in Devon is fantastic!

So then - what have we been doing in this mad run up to Easter. Well, the garden is done - the Holly tree's have been cut and shaped - wow, the amount of light getting on the garden now is incredible - so our lovely lady gardener boss Judith says expect everything to grow really madly! Planting is done, tubs are sorted, and climbers are in place. I think I've told you previously that benches were delivered as were the parasols and all in all the garden looks fabulous!

External painting is almost completed - and we must have had the best painters in Devon - led by a woman (need I say more!) and several customers have asked for their details - all in all a great job! The old tatty window boxes full of about 18months worth of rubbish plants (all dead and manky - get the picture) have been taken to be re-potted with bright Red, Orange and Yellow assorted plants - they will make an appearance late May, once we can be sure that their are no more frosts.

To go with our newly painted exterior, we've placed 2 very fancy silver pots with 'Box' plants in at the front entrance with our lovely new poppy red doors - oh we do look posh!!! The black boards have been re-written, and I knicked a brilliant sign idea from one of our trade papers that reads 'Man Creche - ladies you can safely leave HIM here while you go shopping'. You would not believe how many people look and laugh at the sign or even better look and come in to the pub to eat or drink!! We've even had people taking photo's of it.... That's taught me a lot about attracting our customers. Talking of customers, you can definitely see more of them about in Salcombe at the moment and there's a real buzz in the air, we have been hugely busy the last 2 weeks - although we could have had a better Mothers Day if it had rained - ah well, ces't la vie!
Staff recruitment has been in full swing - just have to have the staff in place to deliver from our business plan and right now I think we're up to about 14 plus a couple of spares. We have a super new 2nd chef - Jem - great dry sense of humour and an all round nice guy! Carol has gone into the kitchen as KP and what a great job she's doing as well - she absolutely has the makings of a good cook!

What else? Oh yes, finally put all our Spring / summer menu's to bed - just some sitting in a pile waiting to finish off properly - and wine menu's updated as well. These come in to being on Wednesday 1st April......... again - all been planned like a military operation! Seagulls are driving us nuts - it's like having a herd of galloping wilderbeast on the roof at 5 in the morning - and whilst a plastic (albeit - scarily lifelike) foot high Owl scared them off for oh let me see - at least 3 days, they are back with a vengeance. Water pistols don't work, waving scarves at them make them look at us in disgust, and hitting a cardboard tube on the wall only makes them cackle more!! A 12 bore shot gun is looking a good alternative..........Whereas the little birds that we've been encouraging with wild bird feeders are a complete joy - the Robins are plentiful and loads of others I haven't got a clue what they are - SOH says he's seen some thing with a long tail and beautiful colours..........?? lol!!

Now then, talking of all things feathered.......... we have a huge surprise for Salcombe......... we are having Chickens in our back garden!! Yes Chickens! 8 of them..... SOH has been putting up the hen house and run today, and they should come to their new home next week. Just in time for Easter - NOOOOOO not for eating, just for their eggs and for the 'Ah' factor with our little kiddie visitors. Environmental Health Officer has given the ok, and we're not having noisy Cockerills so the neighbours should be ok, and as long as I don't have to touch them - I'll be ok as well.......

I'll just ask you to picture this (before I stop waffling on) - I'm 50 something, and if I've been on a farm twice in my life (thats 2 times too many)! So last week , SOH and I visited a farm / shop to look at the hen houses and the chickens themselves - great all caged up and clucking away. Oh no - sir, out in a big yard - yes, more hens were caged up but huge (and I mean HUGE, great big horrible red necks and EVIL eyes!!) Turkeys, Ducks and God knows what else were running around at my feet!! I was screeching like a baby for them to get away and SOH and man behing the window were P'ing themselves laughing at me!!! I'm so much more at home in Selfridges or M & S...............

I'll write again as soon as our little babies are at home and tell you what we're naming them etc, till then, I've a million things more to do today before turning in for the night.............