Wedding stress!

Now that Sean has mentioned the Wedding- I'd better introduce myself. I am indeed Jules, Tim and I are getting married on November 5th. We didn't twist Seans arm to take the photo's-we just made it uncomfortable for him to say 'no'.
Mel and Louise are really looking froward to the Wedding- they are really fed-up of me going on about it and can't wait for it to be over. They have been with me through the venue double booking, the inlaw distress and the lost shoes (now found by the Post Office but they don't fit!).
The venue is the beautiful Belmount Hall near Hawkshead and hopefully Sean will manage to get at least our heads on the landscape shots.
Its only 4 weeks now until the Wedding and I'm not stressed at all.......much. There are just the finishing touches to do now, seating plans, place settings and favours...oh and bedding in my purple suede shoes.
Jules

The weather again

Sorry Angela, I can't resist.......despite Metcheck claiming we'd miss the majority of the rain today, it has been raining solidly since 6 am. this morning which, inevitably reminds me of last October. The floods of October 25th were amazing to behold and in my weather diary for that day (yes, sadly, I record each day's weather) I simply logged "floods". I only just made it home along the road to Newby Bridge and the next day that road was completely closed - blocked by water and rocks carried down from the hills. There was only one route into Bowness and, whilst cautiously urging the car through indeterminately deep puddles, I called home to say that I probably shouldn't bother opening as no one would be around. I reached the pier to find two of the 3 jetties completely under water, the Tourist Information Centre under siege from the lakes and, incredibly, a vast crowd of onlookers, lots of whom subsequently found their way to our shop. Yes, the worst floods in the Lakes in living memory didn't put off the punters....oooh, how we love to shop.
Anyway, its just stopped raining and the next 2 days are predicted to be lovely. Bring it on.
Louise
P.S. Please ignore Sean's complaints - he loves it really......

Photographer?

Just because I've got a camera and have taken a couple of landscape shots in my time, it seems I am now the product photographer for the shop website and wedding photographer too, as Julie has twisted my arm into that one. Now if we could get Julie and Tim to get married on top of Coniston Old Man holding a couple of products from the shop, I could roll it all up into one!

Sean

Does anyone know anyone who wants a job?

Christmas is happening with a bang: resistance to buying decorations, tree decs, cards and presents is futile - people just can't help themselves. Personally, if I bought stuff now I would forget where I'd put it by Christmas (and, in fact, have done just that in past years) but I can't complain about folk operating on the see it and buy it policy.
When we first opened the shop we comfortably managed to have only one person running it each day. I'm glad to say that those days are gone and we usually need one and a half and two at a time at weekends. I'm normally here 6 out of 7 days, Jules does 4 days and Mel does the weekend when she's not teaching. Sean's appearances at the shop are now fairly rare as he has lots of other things to occupy his time. Our daughter, Connie, is the oldest 8 year old in the world and would love to be behind the till but she is obviously too young. Our son, James, who's 18 would rather drive rusty nails in his eyes than work in the shop: it obviously does not suit his tough, rugby playing image and anyway he has the perfect excuse of being away with the Merchant Navy for the majority of the time.
Anyway, as I'd really like to spend more time with my family, does anyone know anyone who would like to work for 16 hours a week in our shop? Incentives include lots of free tea and coffee, free sampling of all new cakes, beers, spirits and body products and some great conversations with customers from around the world!
Louise

Phew, thank goodness that's over

It was a tad optimistic to say that erecting 2 Christmas trees, dressing them and getting out back up stock of all the decs would only take 2 hours. Yesterday was also our busiest day of the week so that added to the fun. 10 hours into the job we still hadn't finished as we decided to change round some of the main displays too. Anyway, the finished result is superb: today's job is to clear the bombsite in the stockroom...
Mel, my trusty aide at weekends (she's a supply teacher searching for a permanent job during the week -not easy in the Lakes) is a slight shade of green today. She's been for a St Tropez tan treatment in preparation for a wedding she's going to tomorrow and, apparently, looking like the Incredible Hulk (her words, not mine) is part of the effect until it settles down. Nice!
Louise
(see, no mention of the weather just for you Angela - its not worth talking about today anyway)

Only 84 days to go

'tis the season to be jolly (nearly). I'm still hanging on in there wearing my shorts as it is
warm(ish) but the Chritmas trees are being arranged as I type. It must be to do with global warming I think.

Sean

I know I shouldn't mention the weather, but....

Ok, this is the last time I'll mention the weather this week...tomorrow it will all be about Christmas decorations and our attempts to get 2 trees up and decorated in the shop in less than 2 hours. It is absolutely glorious today - appropriate that the temperature has dropped by a few degrees, as it's October 1st, but to compensate, brilliant sunshine and stillness.
On a completely different subject, I'm going to have a rant: we've just heard that one of the most prominent shops in Bowness (quite large, 2 storey and near the roundabout where 2 main roads meet), which is currently a gift shop, is going to become a British Heart Foundation shop. I have absolutely nothing against charity shops per se and we already have 3 notable ones in Bowness, but to have another one with such a large frontage in such a prominent position is making me mad. The locals complained when Costa and Tesco Express came to Bowness but, to my mind, this is far worse......if anyone can assure me that this store is going to look great and be a real attraction for locals and tourists please get in touch. I need coffee and chocolate.
Louise