October knitting and outings

With the slightly shorter days, longer evenings and wet days my knitting is coming to the fore. Filling the time I would normally be outside.  With that said I did get out the other afternoon for a bit of a tidy round in the garden and we got some climbers put in of Saturday.  They got a good watering in yesterday and its looking like they won't need any input from me today either based on the current forecast.

Yesterday I can honestly say I knitted all day.  Well apart from checking in on Instagram from time to time.  It was a miserable grey wet day.

So here is what's been and is currently on my needles

Firstly, I finished the Shelley Bay cardigan for Jess

In between times I have been knitting more hot water bottle covers - this is the first 6 of 32 which I'm making for the Chateau shop.  I'm working my way through stashed yarn that's not seen the light of day for years; its a good feeling, especially as this project allows me to use up those odd balls that are usually just not enough for another project.

I cast on a sweater for Gus on Saturday.  He wanted a traffic light stripped one.  Happy to oblige, this photo was how I left it on Saturday evening

and after yesterdays knitting marathon I achieved both the following photos, back completed and another bottle done

This is where I'm at on the knitting front.  Today I will cast on the front of the sweater and possibly another bottle OR October socks.

In other news - I gave the house a good going over (long overdue), cleared the washing and ironing baskets (for now), went to knitting group, visited in laws, popped to Cambridge to order new glasses for Peter.

Wednesday the weather proved to be bright and sunny so we headed east and visited Sutton Hoo - we were actually a little underwhelmed by the experience.  Not sure what we were expecting really.  The new exhibition hall was interesting - all replicas of course as the originals are in the British museum

but the Burial ground was just a heap of mounds and pebble excavations with notice boards, not that interesting if I'm honest.

We ended the day with a visit to Felixstowe as it was more or less on the way home.  Famed as a container port I wasn't expecting too much.  It actually was a pleasant surprise,  We parked along the front and went for a walk towards the port, returning to the car for a drive towards Old Felixstowe, smart restaurants and tidy beaches, it has definitely gone up market in recent years.  We will return, especially as its a straight run down the A14 from home - 1.5 hours - road works permitting.

Thursday I managed to get back to Flower Club

we also had the first fire of the year!

Saturday we met Rachel for coffee and a whizz around the Farmers Market.  The little ones were visiting Nana and Grandad with Stu and it was good to have an uninterrupted catch up with Rachel.  I think we will try and do this more often.  As much as you love your grandchildren its good to have a proper adult conversation with your children.

So there you have it, all caught up.  No great plans for week 2 of October apart from taking the car for a service and collecting glasses, and by the looks of the above photo clean my brass!!

September knitting

This will be a short post!!

Not a whole lot of knitting got done this month due to my previous post, but I did manage to complete the September socks for Rufus before we came home.

I think he was pretty happy with them.  Laurie has requested that the October socks be for him and he wants the same yarn but with blue stripes.

Since getting home I have been working on the cardigan I started for Jess. I'm actually further along than this now. Both sleeves are completed and connected to the body and the shoulder decreases have started.  I love that this is knitting up so quickly - aran yarn - the pattern in Shelley Bay by Sarah Ronchetti, available on Ravelry

Whats next on my needles apart from the October socks? A sweater for Gus for which I need to go shopping later, and another batch of hot water bottles covers.  Rebecca is selling them in her shop and they are flying off the shelves which is gratifying, I think everyone wants to take home a little piece of Chateau de la Ruche, they make great presents and are small enough to pop in your bag to take out with you if the need arises.  I'm currently searching for another supplier of the bottle as these are an unusual size, 750ml and I have cleared out the current supplier on cream bottles.

So this is where I am right now.  Looking forward to more knitting time as the nights draw in and the weather keeps us home.  What are you knitting now?

Escape from the Chateau

This past three weeks we have been busy at work over in France.  Helping out with the start of the gite renovations (Peter) and chambermaiding (me).

I have complete admiration of anyone who runs a bed and breakfast/small hotel, especially with a young family.  It is relentless.  We knew Beck and Tim worked hard long days but usually we are outside working on the grounds and don't actually appreciate what they do.

So this is an average day at Chateau de la Ruche

Starting around 6:30am, up and shower, check boys are up, dressed, had their breakfast and got all their school stuff ready.

Lay up breakfast tables and prepare breakfasts.  Depending on the requested breakfast time will determine whether Tim does a bakery run before or during the school run

Serve and then clear breakfast.

Start the washing machine and dryer - the sound track to their life

Once guests have checked out or gone out for the day - rooms.  If its a check out then strip and remake bed, clean and restock room - flowers, candles, tea/coffee/biscuits (homemade).  Change towels and clean bathrooms.  If staying then make bed and clean bathroom.  Sheets and towels changed every second day depending on length of stay.  Towels and bathrobes are laundered inhouse bedding goes to the laundry in Le Mans

Vacuum public areas and check, replace candles and flowers - by this time it lunchtime.  Admin is done whilst eating lunch or any meal, as is menu planning and shopping lists

After lunch its maybe time for restocking the homemade granola, biscuits and chocolates, or a trip to the supermarket, or a drive into Le Mans to drop off/collect laundry. Maybe guest desserts are prepared. All before check in which is 4pm.  Its great when guests give you an ETA as it means you aren't hanging around and get more done.  Boys have to be collected from school at 4:40.

Guests arrive, family dinner and homework is done.  Bedtime clashes with the start of guest dinner (drinks 7:30 dinner 8:00) so a lot of time is spent dashing up and down the stairs, whilst serving drinks and preparing starters, making sure teeth are cleaned and stories read.

Dinner is served, Beck cooks, Tim serves and this goes on til well past 10pm, its rare that they get to bed much before 11:30

And in all this they still have to put away the shopping, fold and iron washing, put away laundry, spend time with the children, eat, keep a social media presence, answer zillions of emails, smile and chat to the guests and more importantly try and carry on with renovations.  Then there is the garden and the veg garden.......  and then making the homemade jams and chutneys that are served at breakfast or with the cheese course.  And of course just general maintenance, it just goes on

The filming with Channel 4 - Escape to the Chateau DIY (currently rerunning on More4 at lunchtime) new series due in October...... They have one night off a week - Wednesday as this is the day the boys are off school though they go to Wednesday club - but still they will have check in, turn down service and lock up, so not really a night off.

Oh and then there is the shop which needs to be kept stocked too

I'm sure they do loads more and this list could and should be added too but I can tell you after three weeks I felt like I was on a treadmill and I had none of the responsibility of ensuring people have a good time.  The reviews tell you they do.  The round of applause for a wonderful dinner was heart warming.  The guests that constantly tell us we should be "so proud of what they have achieved" - we are.  I feel like they are ducks - calm on the top and paddling like hell underneath.  Tempers fray.  But at the end they have achieved so much in the last 2 years.  They could cut corners but they won't.  Its the attention to detail that the guests love but these all take so much time.

The gite is coming along - still so much to do and with the Chateau so busy with guests, retreats, an elopement and such, there will be little time for them to work on it now until November.  But its watertight. The beams and ties sorted. Velux and dormer windows in.  The next job is to remove the existing floor and change the levels.  The new Fosse (sceptic tank) needs to happen, electrics, the list goes on …. Peter has been in his element - I think...… he's certainly been very dirty!

We are now home for a rest but they carry on until November when they go into winter weekends only.  I think they have leant a lot this year and hopefully can make some changes to give themselves some much needed time off for them and the boys.

What I will say is this is not a job for the faint hearted or anyone without the help of family (especially if you have young children) and friends.  Living the dream??  Instagram and Facebook would make you think so but it is HARD work and at the end of the day you won't make a fortune but you will be living in an amazing property ………. one day.

Good luck to you all, love you lots, it will be worth it. xxxx

August over and out

We start a new week, a new month, a busy month, but there is still time to reflect on the last week of August.  A cooler week which was a blessing.  One where you felt able to get outside and do stuff without fear of sunstroke or breaking into a sweat.

So what did we do? 

As previously mentioned the Monday was the last bank holiday of the year and hot.

Tuesday - I had a friend over for lunch and a catch up, and then Rachel and the children came over for dinner - Paella was requested. Whilst eating dinner we had an amazing storm which the kids thought was great, me not so, but it was the final break in the hot weather and the air felt less charged and just so much fresher.

Wednesday - we went to visit Mum, no real change in her though they are making her eat her meals in the main dining room and then keeping her down there rather than letting her just fester in her room (where she'd rather be), I'm sure the company is much better for her even if it is quite noisy.  Some dementia patients make a lot of sudden noise. 

After that we headed for Oxburgh Hall as I wanted to check out their gardens, but alas the hot weather had sent everything over and they were struggling to tidy up and deadhead everything.  It was a quick visit. Just a photo of the formal garden, the perennial walk is behind that hedge in the background

We also popped into Anglesey Abbey as we could go that way home and had a wander in the grounds before heading back, still lots of people about in the main areas, this is a very popular National Trust property

Thursday we spent in the garden deadheading and trimming up some of the larger shrubs, it proved to be a bigger job than I thought but we are tidy again and there is still plenty of colour in the garden for now

Friday we had the little ones for the day. I ended up with a really bad headache (kneeling on the floor, head down making bead necklaces with Jess) and took myself off for a lay down before it turned into a migraine

Saturday there was a Classic Car show in the village which we went and visited before heading off for a walk through to St Ives and back - usual route.  There was a good turnout for the show.  I love the really old stuff rather than the 70's stuff but still plenty of good cars.

Then Sunday, whilst technically September, but still part of the weekend, we had long time friends visit for a very overdue catch up.  Whilst we "see and speak" on social media and whatsapp its just not the same as a good face to face chat.

On the knitting front all the hot water bottles are finished and ready to be delivered to the Chateau.  I'm very pleased with how they turned out and have had lots of comments on Instagram

I cast on the September socks last night, determined not to leave myself short on time this month.  Rufus has asked for a pair, so this month will be for him.  He has very skinny legs so I am making the leg part of the sock in 2 x 2 rib and hopefully they will stay up!!

Plans for this week?  Today we are heading into Cambridge, Peter needs a haircut and we plan on a bit of shopping and a visit to the Chinese supermarket in Mill Road.  We have Jess tomorrow.  Meeting a friend and giving blood on Wednesday, that's as far as I've got this week. 

Whatever you are doing have a fun time.  Until next time xx