The hot tub move!

Shortly after James finished sealing the pond and filling it, we gave him his next challenge....to move the hot tub into a more secluded position.
All he had to do was dig a very BIG hole, put some cement in, build a wall and build a limestone rockery around the back!! Oh and put some fencing around it to make it more private. Simple!! Oh and do it all in soaring hot temperatures!
The photos shows the result so far.

Acres Room, new ensuite!

After some late nights and early mornings Karl finished, (as much as he could) the new ensuite, just in time for the guests to check-in on the Saturday 19th June. We did end up sending the guests out for a walk whilst i put the finishing touches together and serving wine on the patio!!
I should mention that these weren't my 1st guests in the new room...!
The night before, we had a slightly worryingly moment, when a couple arrived to check in to the Taylor Suite and they weren't the guests i was expecting!!
To cut a long story short i checked them in and then hoped and prayed the next guests weren't going to turn up soon. Karl then proceded to start painting the bathroom and i hurridly moved beds into the room, made them, cleaned and put all the 'bits n pieces' together eg. chocolate, kettle, cups etc.
However, the shower was out of action due to the sealant not being dry enough.
Happily, the guests were ok about everything as their mate (the groom) was in the Garden Room and they were ok to share his bathroom.
So, after much panicing and rushing about, it all ended well.

New Ensuite work re-starts

June 7th is finally here. The day Karl promised to come back and finish what he started 7 weeks ago.
Have been keeping my fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong. Don't know why i'm so paranoid!
Yesterday, Tuesday, we came across our 1st problem. The built- in toilet unit, with shelf, won't fit as intended. We have come up with a compromise but now i'm going to need a separate shelf. If that's all that goes wrong, then i'm a happy girl!
The photo shows the room before Karl starts 'messing about' with it!

Fireplace installation

After 5 years of struggling to get the lounge warm, we have finally found a logburner that fits perfectly and actually generates heat!
Just 2 weeks ago, Terry and i started talking again about getting the fireplace 'sorted'. We were sick of having a cold lounge, yet the fire 'looked great'. The problem was it never gave off any heat with the glass doors shut.
So, by chance, we received a leaflet through the post from a new company in Skipton.
I went to se the fire and actually saw it in action and i was impressed. It was also one of the warmest days of the year that i visited!!
One week later and they came to install the first one. I say 1'st' cos we decided to also change the dining room fireplace which was an open traditional fire. Weve never lit it since 1st moving in, as we were led to believe the chimney flue was damaged and would cost several thousand pounds to repair and make good with a flue liner.
So, within 2 weeks of 'talking about it', we now have 2 installed fires and i can't wait til the winter!!

Pond work!

It's been a while since our pond looked like this... 5 years in fact, when we first moved into The Grange.
Over the years we have clearly had a leak, which naturally has caused the level of the water to go down, to just below the pond lights. We've put up with it for some time, but after a cold harsh winter, the rendering has cracked and is looking a bit of a mess.
So, we've hired our friend James who has a wealth of talents to repair the damage and find the leak! No mean feat!!
We have a few wedding guests including brides and grooms staying over the summer so ideally it wants to be finished by then!

Rooms upgrade

After much moving of furniture and as a consequence only having to buy a new dressing table for the new en-suite, we are now putting the final touches to all the rooms.
The new 19" LCD TV with built in DVD arrived this morning for 'Acres Suite'. The old TV from here has moved into the Garden Room and the 'huge' portable TV from there will be finding a good home.
Terry will putting his DIY skills to the test this week when he attempts to put a TV bracket on the wall to fix the new TV. He has until Friday when the next guests arrive! No pressure then!!

Not a good w/e

So, after my cancellation on Friday, due to Volcanic ash, i decided to ring my next guests that were due on Friday morning for 2 nights.
Good job i did. They were settling themselves in nicely at The Grange at Hellifield and they weren't budging!
So, that's 3 nights lost bookings.
Just had a phone call this morning.... another cancellation due to the guest's friends being stuck in France!! Looks like it's going to be a quiet week.