Mexico here we come

One thing we miss about running The Waverley is our summer holidays to Italy. To get the sun now we need to travel further and Mel (Julie's daughter) asked us to go with her and her family to Mexico. We couldn't turn down the opportunity of 10 days with 3 grandchildren (Lucy, Jacob and Charlie) and sun as well. Photo uploaded later. After 9 solid months 10 days isn't enough holiday so we are going out via Washington for 6 days and back via Philadelphia for 5 days.

Off with the woodchip

James and Mark arrived today, James still complaining about stripping the woodchip!! When they started it wasn't half as bad as they anticipated because it came off in sheets like cardboard. Surprise surprise it didn't rip half of the Victorian plaster off either. It appears that the paper was originally put on in 1955 (before Julie was born) and has had so many layers of paint applied in the last 53 years that it just pulled off in stiff sheets - a nightmare to bag up though.

We've done it!!

Just had email from Billy at GTBS to let us know that we have got GOLD!!
We're really chuffed, particularly as we are not only the first (and currently only) accredited business in Whitby, but that we have gone straight in at their highest grading of gold.

Feet up time - ha ha!!

The last guests have gone home today and we are now closed until New Year brunch. We're off on holiday in 3 weeks and the decorators and plumbers are coming 10th Nov to refurb 2 bedrooms and decorate the hall, stairs and landings. James, the decorator has been moaning since last year because he has 3 floors of woodchip paper to remove.