It’s been a very busy week and one we won’t forget for a while too! Last Tuesday our very old lift (installed in 1936) decided to grind to a halt, quite literally. As a result our porters have been running up and down the stairs carrying armfuls of luggage day in day out, before too long they will all have bi-ceps the size of Mike Tyson. I have been discussing the concept of “hidden hero’s” here at the hotel in light of the fact that we have a lot of staff who remain behind the scenes but still work extremely hard but experience very little acknowledgement or interaction from our guests. The two main departments that I am thinking of is the Housekeepers and the Kitchen team, however in light of the past weeks performance I think we need to add Ben and Stuarts name to the “hunky hero’s” list – well done to you both, you have worked tirelessly to ensure that the guests are inconvenienced as little as possible. Here is hoping that it is all back up and running (as planned) on Tuesday morning!!

To add to the excitement this week we had the band ‘The Verve’ in to stay over that last 2 nights, they were playing at The Eden Project last night and stayed with us here on the Thursday and Friday evening. What I find very interesting about some celebrities (and The Verve are one of them) is that they are such nice, down to earth people with very little expectations and allot of normalness (if that is such a word) about them. However, it is their ‘people’, on occasions, that can be a little difficult to please… You hear of certain celebs requesting that they only want red M and Ms or specific mineral water chilled to an exact temperature but the Verve band members were all really down to earth and very “normal”, what a breath of fresh air! After reading the rider that was faxed through prior to the bands arrival we were (to say the least) a little apprehensive, so you will be pleased to learn that it all went extremely well and all the members that stayed here were very well behaved. Not one TV was thrown out of a window and no ‘rock and roll’ antics were experienced at any point. I can safely say that the Verve would be welcome to come and stay here again at any time, of course I won’t be announcing the fact until after they have gone…..

My sister, her husband (Scott) and Louis came over to the hotel this afternoon for a spot of lunch on the Beer Garden they also invited our mum and Scott’s mum as a little thank you for all they have done in helping to look after Louis whilst Emma is working. The sun has been out for most of the afternoon and with the sailing boats out on the Estuary it has been a really amazing sight to see. All of the yachts had their spinnakers up and were going at a really good pace; it has been really exhilarating to watch!!

Next Thursday will see the judging if Fowey in Bloom and this year I have entered the hotel balcony and grounds, Tim our gardener has cleared the rockery as you walk down the steps to the Beer Garden and it is looking a lot more presentable. Also Alex has worked very hard on the balcony area to ensure that the baskets and tubs are colourful and presentable. Here’s hoping that all that hard work pays off!!

I am writing this blog in a different setting (and taking full advantage of our Wi-Fi here at home), I am enjoying a day off in the sunshine and more importantly in the garden! The sun is beating down, there is not a cloud in the sky and the birds are singing their little hearts out – I don’t think that I have felt this relaxed in a long time, bliss….. As you know yesterday was father’s day and I headed over to my parents house to meet up with them , Emma (my sister) and Louis (nephew). We all enjoyed a leisurely meal in the garden. It also gave me ample opportunity to try out my new digital SLR camera, I am now building up an impressive library of pictures. Oddly enough, and as you would probably expect, most of my pictures taken are of Louis. He is so photogenic and really seems to pose for the camera now, much to the amusement of the family. I can’t quite believe it but Louis will be 1 year old on Wednesday! Emma and Scott are planning a house party in the evening and hopefully a BBQ if the weather stays fine. I have started a bit of a health kick today, I have been reading up on the internet about super foods and the health benefits that can be had from eating healthily, drinking water and taking regular exercise. I can’t say I have been all that good with the exercise bit today, however I have bought enough fruit and veg to feed a small army. So far my intentions are good however trying to encourage Keith to eat Kale this evening has been a bit of a chore to say the least. Apparently “Kale is for cows!”, any one would think I was trying to poison him for heaven’s sake – I thought it was delicious! Another form of health eating is seeds and beans, and I have today called into the ‘Living food’ shop in Truro www.sproutingseeds.co.uk to be educated on what is lacking in my diet and what I need to improve my health. I must say I am fascinated in the nutritional benefits of what we eat, for my birthday in August I have asked my family to get me the Gillian Mc Keith books “You are what you eat” – hopefully this will not be a fad and I will be able to speak with a degree of competence , should anyone ask me! So photography and nutrition are my hobbies of the moment. Well after two really lovely days off I am back in to the hotel tomorrow, marketing will be the order of the day and I have a meeting with my colleagues at 1pm in order to discuss the hotels direction for the autumn and winter months this year. Thankfully the hotel is looking to be busy for the summer months with good occupancy already recorded for both July and August, I think we are all just hoping that the price of fuel does not increase anymore otherwise our guests will be cycling and sailing to Fowey. Well I suppose it could help with the parking limitations….