Its here - the 'Season'

After the sadness of the last couple of weeks - life goes on for me down here in Salcombe, and it's here at last - the 'Season' has kicked in and so has the rain! Everything that my new friends has told me to expect at this time of year is coming true. Our new garden BBQ is up and running and my boys from the kitchen and SOH Tim (as seen in picture opposite - love the pinny!) are working on it every night - our record so far in the very short time we've been running it is 75 covers for a night....... not bad I think for a new concept! The best seller so far - BBQ'd Salmon fillet, and you know what I'm not at all surprised - it's blooming lovely! The other big surprise is the grilled Halumi Cheese - Jem, one of our chefs made the most fantastic lime and chilli dressing and its just fabulous!

The weather plays a big part in how well we'll do with this or not, but our reserve plan in the event of rain is to open up the upstairs restaurant for our normal menu - I'd love to have the staff (and the kitchen) to do all three, there's certainly the market for it, but we would be very much overstretching ourselves at the moment. The chickens continue to be a huge draw for children AND adults and I just love playing Mother Earth at feeding time for the chickens - and EVERY time one of the little darlings who help me throw scraps into (or at!) the chickens in their coop will want to know why a) there's no 'boy' chickens' and b) why are there no baby chickens.....bless em - I've become a sex education teacher as well!!!!

The weather has been just awful here on and off this last week - but I'm amazed at how stoical the holiday makers are about it all - although there was on very dejected customer at our bar the other day bemoaning how if he never saw another sea life centre it would be too soon!! Salcombe is very weather dependant for trade and customers - but what is so interesting is the split in drinks and how just by looking at the sales you can tell what the weather is like - jugs of Pimms for gorgeous sunny afternoons and oodles of hot chocolate for the wet cold days! But boy, do we do great hot chocolates - loads of cream, small chewy marshmallows and flakes as well! The new alcoholic Ginger Beer - Crabbies is proving to be really popular, a fantastic summer drink and a great alternative to Magners Cider. Rose wine is flourishing and the ales are as popular as ever.

The other new thing we're trialling from tonight is some outdoor art exhibition from Gallery 5 in Island Street - John and Bobbi do some great art and we are showing some of his smaller more affordable stuff - painted stones, driftwood and some small canvases. His daughter Millie has been roped in to do this so I hope they are successful and that it brings in more business for them. I'll try too post a picture but I'm having some techy troubles with pictures at the moment..... growl! So might have to put them at the side of the posts.

Apart from that then, all is good with the world - it's Salcombe Yacht Club regatta this coming week and then the town regatta follows that - so please have a word in His ear and pray for good fine weather with lots and lots of sunshine. Enjoy your summer breaks if you're having one and relax...! I'll try to sort out the techy problems and be with you next week.................. X