Help!

We are fast being recognised as a good place to eat. Karen is turning out plate after plate of fine cuisine, but even with the help we have in the kitchen it is proving hard to keep up with the demand. We have prided ourselves on our ability to offer hot food seven evening a week, however, I am seriously considering shutting one evening a week until I can find additional trained staff. I have been advertising for a second chef, but so far no one is coming forward. I guess this is one of the downsides of being successful. It is all about balance. We have seen a drop off in lunchtime trade with the opening of the village cafe, this isn't necessarily a bad thing although

every little bit helps. It does allow more time for preparation of the evening menu. No one ever said it would be easy! We put pan fried bass fillet on the menu over the weekend and it sold out. Poor show really as I didn't even get a chance to eat any, still, think we have another delivery coming in today.

The East Prawle Cricket Team have announced their fixture list for the forthcoming season - see the links section on the right hand side of the blog.

Some of the characters I have referred to in previous postings are part of this team. I will provide match reports and details of their heroic on-field exploits (and some off-field) when available.

Curmudgeons R Us

Wyomissing is a borough in Pennsylvania, USA. It has a population of around 8,500 and boasts some marvellous scenery. In November 1965 it lost one of its inhabitants. Mr K. was dispatched to our shores, he says by his own volition, however I think he was banished for being too curmudgeonly. He now resides in East Prawle with his family, who I hasten to add are nothing other than friendly and nice to be around. Mr K. is like the voice in your head that never goes away. "Are you going to serve me or are you just going to stand there all expletive deleted night?" This may be followed by a pointed and equally barbed comment about the idea of a blog being something to do with posting on a regular basis - something I admit I fail to do! His voice buzzes around my head like an unwanted blue bottle. The only way I have found to soothe this savage beast is by serving him a fine single malt whisky. His current preference is Caol Ila (Gaelic for 'the Sound of Islay'). I must admit I have tried it and found it to be a fine wee dram. The smokey taste stays with you and it is very mellow as it slides down. Mr K. dispatches this nectar with relish and then insults me in a much friendlier fashion. You see, he has cultivated this image of being an old curmudgeon, but really he is quite a nice chap, although he will now abuse me to high heaven for suggesting as much. I look forward to his next broadside in anticipation.

Together At Last

Great news! Helen has secured a job here in the south west. She will be starting in May and at last i will have my family arond me. Sam, my oldest lad will continue to visit during his school holidays, but Max and Joe will be here full time with Helen. As I write this Helen is travelling down to the pub so that tomorrow morning we can visit Stokenham school nearby, to enrol Max.

I always thought the separation would be difficult, but now there is light at the end of the tunnel.

All I want to do now is arrange for my mother who is in here eighties to be able to come to the Provi' and see what all the fuss is about. She has doesn't walk or manage stairs so well these days, so staying in the pub or cottage would prove difficult. I am trying to find somewhere with facilities all on one level so that she can come for a weekend.

Things are on the up!

Provi' People

Things are running smoothly here in Prawle (I hope this statement won’t become known as my famous last words.) I have a set routine and with the odd exception of freezers breaking down, beer pumps not working properly and the one occasion where I ran out of wine, I am now finding time to plan ahead. We have the Easter break coming up soon and things here go mad. Busy is not a suitable description. It is full on all day and all night, a precursor of the summer to come? We are going to modify our menu and will attempt to encourage the ravenous hordes to book across two sittings. Also if the weather is good to us I will allow people to eat in the beer garden, where they can also enjoy a marvellous sea view.

We now have a regular clientele who use the Provi’ as a refuge from the drudgery of daily life in this village by the sea, a quiet and remote village with some of the most beautiful coastal scenery, a place where modern fast paced city life has no foothold... Sorry I was referring to drudgery wasn't I? Anyway, I now meet on a regular basis some very interesting characters. I’ll start by mentioning Tattoo Pete. Pete is a local fellow who spent time at sea and has also lived abroad in his time. He is also the only council employee I know who drives around in a Jaguar. I am reliably informed (and I have no personal knowledge of this) that he has tattoos over most of his body as well as several interesting piercings. I first met Pete when I was a customer rather than a landlord. My first impression was probably similar to most other peoples and decidedly wrong. Here was a thick-set chap with a goatee beard, tattoos all over him including his neck and ears. He had an earring that looks like a napkin ring in his earlobe and I mean in his earlobe, not just connected via a small pierced hole. Pete looks like he should be heading up a chapter of the most vicious Hell’s Angels you could encounter, but in truth he is a pussycat. He can be articulate, is very amusing and most importantly he is a nice bloke. It is quite funny when he is at the bar and a party of walkers enter the pub. You can see them exchange looks after they notice Pete and they obviously wonder if they have come to the right place. There is a scene in the Blues Brothers where Jake and Elwood go into a very nice restaurant to try and persuade one of their old band members to rejoin them. The patrons look on with contempt at the two anti-heroes, looks of disgust across their collective faces. Jake turns to one table and in a rasping voice says, “I want to buy your daughters,” “How much for your daughters?” I intend to get Pete to do this at some point in the future. Never judge a book by its cover is a truism we should all remember.

I look forward to the visits of Mr & Mrs B. Mr B. is a multi talented chap who can do everything from manage the software requirements of local businesses to repair fairground organs. He is also a doyen of fine ale. Before we first took on the pub, we had a chat with a few locals and they made it clear that if Mr B. likes your beer then you are not doing too badly. Now, Mr B. knows that I know this and takes great delight as he takes his first sip of a pint in saying, “Landlord, there’s a problem with this beer!” I always look worried and he smiles his knowing smile following it up with, “This beer’s very good, I may have to have more.” He gets me with that every time! Mrs B. is a lovely lady and is definitely the Ying to Mr B’s Yang. Together they add to the charm of this place and I enjoy chatting to them on their frequent visits to the Provi’. Over time I will introduce you to more of my locals.

There are more interesting and colourful characters here and I will provide more information on these soon.

I have excellent staff here at the Provi’. The kitchen is managed by Karen tucker a local girl who has made a huge success of our food operation. She works like a Trojan and has given our customers a marvellous choice of mouth-watering dishes that keep them coming back for more. Alongside Karen is Ian another local who is fast becoming a kitchen whiz in his own right. He is our lunchtime specialist. The bar is my domain, but I wouldn’t manage without the help of Martin who comes from the nearby village of East Portlemouth. Martin helps out on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and is a massive help during our busy times. I occasionally call on his assistance at lunchtimes, but this is not as easy for him as he educates his own children at home. So you see I am able to surround myself with erudite, colourful and intelligent people here at the Provi’.

BT - The enemy

So much for having a blog when you do not update it on a regular basis! So I am constantly reminded by one of my regular customers. In fairness, he is correct. I have been very remiss in providing you, my readers, with a sufficient level of output. I started this blog as a means to providing a cathartic journal for me to express my feelings about a major and significant change to my life. I took over a pub in a small Devon village and started to recount my exploits here on the web. Taking over the Providence Inn in December 2006 was a major gamble for my family and me too. So far, the gamble has paid off, but not without a few issues along the way. To date the single largest problem I have encountered is an organization that so many of us have the misfortune to deal with – British Telecom. Were anyone else to run their business in the same manner as this corporate abomination they would surely go to the wall through lack of custom and lack of efficiency. I am going to explain in detail what I have had to deal with. I am going to name names and I do not care if I upset anyone working for that organization.

We started here at the pub on the 1st December 2006. That same morning I contacted BT and was put through to the BT Local Business Department. I spoke to a very nice man called Roger Beech. I explained to Roger that I wanted to change the line at the pub to a BT account. The previous landlord had been using a different telecoms billing platform that I chose not to use. I explained this to Roger. The main reason, I said, was so that I could get a broadband enabled line. Oh, joy of joys! Roger was ecstatic. He explained that BT offer a service called BT FUSION. This service would provide me with my broadband requirement, it would also allow me to make internet based calls that would cost me no more than 0.05 pence per hour and best of all I would be able to use my mobile phone in the pub to receive and make calls, with the outgoing call cost being the same 0.05 pence per hour. Now, for all of you who live in or visit East Prawle, you will understand what a bonus that would be, as the only place in the village you can get a signal is outside the phone box on the village green. This sounded like a great scheme and I tentatively agreed to go ahead, but first I needed to make sure of certain things. In my previous employment, I had often run foul of BT, but this sounded quite straightforward. My biggest concern was that I had been using AOL Broadband at my previous address and had initially asked AOL to take over the account at the pub. I explained this process was going on as we spoke and Roger assured me that this detail, but good old Roger said that there would be no problem and that they, BT would sort out all of the finer points. With that, I said yes and he faxed through several forms for me to sign and return. The form filling duly completed I went about the business of becoming the new landlord of the Provi’.

I waited for a week and as no further contact had been made from BT, I thought I would contact my new friend Roger and check on the status of my order. My call went straight through to Roger’s voicemail, the message said he was in a meeting or away from his desk, but that was ok. I left a brief message and asked him if he would contact me and bring me up to date with the status of my order. Later that same day I realized that Roger had not called me, no problem really, after all he is a very busy man. I rang his number again and reached his voicemail, another message to call me and that was that. As you can probably appreciate, running a pub is a full on occupation and it was a day or two later that I remembered that he had not contacted me. I rang his number and got through to him on the first attempt. He apparently had not received my message? Somewhat surprised I asked him to let me know when I could expect to see the equipment necessary for my new shiny FUSION setup. He checked his system and was somewhat concerned to find a problem with line ownership existed. Apparently the line was still in the name of the previous landlord and therefore was not available for BT to upgrade. I explained that I had been present when the previous owner had contacted his supplier to cancel his contract and that furthermore I would not be using them. Roger was straight onto the case. He said I would have to contact the old landlord and check…. “No Roger!” “You will make the calls necessary, not me.” Anyway, after a while he rang me back and told me it was my fault! Apparently I had a broadband service from AOL. I quickly reminded dear Roger that during our very first conversation I had mentioned the AOL aspect and he had assured me that there would be no problem in changing the account and that he would sort the necessary details at his end and get back to me. A week passed and Roger had not contacted me. Had I upset my new friend? Was he ok? Perhaps he had been made Chief Exec of BT. I rang him and luckily only had to leave three messages before he called me back. He assured me that engineers were at that very minute en-route to switch the switches and make everything happen. Not wanting to rain on his parade I oohed and arrghed in the right places, but then had to remind him that I had not received any equipment to make things work at my end. Not to worry, we were all set for the Friday of that week and everything would be with me in time. I even received official BT paperwork confirming this. Friday morning arrived and the postman left me a few bills, but no router, software or mobile phone. Not to worry. I rang Roger and asked what courier service would be bringing my equipment. Now Roger sounded a little concerned, apparently he was due in a meeting and I was holding him up. I apologised profusely and reminded him that I was actually a customer and it was incumbent on him to help me in my hour of need. He suggested that he give me a number to ring, it was another BT department who are in charge of sending out the kit. Sorry Roger! That is a big no no. I am the customer; you work with your supply chain and find out the answer, then tell me what I need to know. In short nothing happened. As usual, he promised to get back to me and as usual he didn’t. The following week I tried on several occasions to speak to him as well as leaving messages, but by then he had given up on me. Now most companies have a contact number if you have a problem and I thought that it was perhaps time for me to utilise BT’s no doubt superior complaints system. I dialled a number and a very nice sounding recording gave me a choice of several numeric options – I pressed one, three, two, four, and three again and eventually was put in a queue. A young lady answered and I tried to explain my difficulties to her. She told me that I would have to go back on hold and that she would get back to me. Thirty four minutes later I gave up being on hold and had to open the pub for the evening session. I vowed to repeat the process on the Monday following. On the Monday I attempted a different tack. I contacted the number that was on the letter from BT Broadband and spoke to a chap in Mumbai. He was very helpful and explained that I couldn’t get the broadband connection because the line had not been enabled. Hang on! My old buddy Roger had assured me that the line would be changed over so surely Mumbai bloke must be wrong. I demanded to be put through to his supervisor without having to wait for an hour on hold. Amazingly I was put straight through to a Scottish sounding chap who promised to look into the situation and get straight back to me. I asked that he be true to his word as there was obviously a fault with the whole of the internal BT telephone network that normally stopped his colleagues from being able to return calls! He gave me his number and promised faithfully to get back to me. Within the hour he returned my call and explained that there was a tag on the line, “Well can’t you remove it?” I naively asked “I’m sorry Mr. Johnson, but we can’t do that. You have to ring 152 and ask them to do it.” Now I am all for helping where I can, but it seemed slightly unreasonable that I should have to make these calls, but in the interest of expediency I decided to do it. I made the call and asked for the line tag to be removed. I was informed that it would take a couple of hours and that everything would be sorted to my satisfaction. The week continued its steady course and no one had contacted me, no hardware had arrived and I was beginning to doubt my sanity. That Thursday in desperation I tried Roger again. He told me that he had done all he could and that it was in the hands of another BT department. Furthermore, he couldn’t contact them because government legislation prevented him from do so. That was it. I exploded into an apoplectic fit of rage and pointed out to this moron that he had prevaricated the whole time we had been in contact. He never returned calls and furthermore had provided me with no service whatsoever. As his customer I demanded that he sort this mess out or failing that get me put through to someone who could. After much bluster and buckets of bulls**t he finally gave me the number of another department who would sort out my issues. I contacted said department and spoke to a very helpful person who gave me an assurance that all would be sorted out by midday the following day. By the end of the following week I had a broadband connection and a router. I contacted the broadband department and explained that I thought there was a problem. Firstly I had not received my mobile, second, the router was fixed wire and surely for the mobile to work it needed to be a wireless router and finally, I had received a telephone bill that had local calls charged at 6.5 pence per minute and national at 7.5 pence per minute when in fact, good old Roger had told me I would be paying 5 pence per hour for all my calls. “I think you are mistaken Mr. Johnson.” My new BT friend told me. “We don’t provide that service.” Well, I explained in words of one syllable that he was somewhat mistaken as I was actually holding my copy of the contract that I had assiduously sent back to Roger on December 1st 2006. It stated that I was signing up for broadband and something called Fusion that would provide all the facets of this wonderful service. “Let me guess, that is provided by another part of BT and you want me to ring them?” Sometime around this point my eyes glazed over and I lost the will to live. I estimate that BT employs in excess of 5000 staff. I think during this process I have spoken to 4998 of them the remaining two being the Chief Exec and the one person who might have been able to sort out my difficulties. I cannot be bothered to bore you with more details, but in short it is March 17th I am on my third router, I have my third mobile and surprisingly I still do not have the service I am paying for. I wish a plague on BT and all its offshoots. I have no contact with Roger Beech although if you ever want to contact him I will gladly give you his number. Every moment I am not serving beer I am in dialogue with BT employees who seem at a loss as to what is happening. So you see the lack of blogging is not really down to me as the blame lies with British Telecom. As was pointed out to me the other day, BT stands for Bunch of Tossers.

My promise to you is that very shortly you will start to see regular posting about my pub adventure,

For The Benefit of Mr Keltz.

Don't worry about the title and I'm happy to pay due deference to the Beatles for the abuse - he

knows what it means...

Sorry, it has been a while now I know. I’ve been surprised at just how busy I am, don’t get me wrong folks, it’s great, but time just flies by and before you know it another week has passed. The pub is doing rather well. The local villagers are very supportive and the Euchre team have been a blessing with their home matches here at the Provi’. The food has really taken off now and we are getting lots of diners in. Karen Tucker is working wonders in the kitchen with a varied and appetising menu. She really knows how to cook that girl, her food is getting recognised in other villages and we are receiving lots of bookings based on recommendations made by previous diners. The biggest problem is staff. We are desperately in need of a second chef, but can we get one? That’s a big no at the moment.

I have also acquired a new role for myself. I am now the East Prawle correspondent for the Kingsbridge & Salcombe Gazette. I have made a couple of submissions to the paper already and have the honour of having my ugly mug pasted at the top of my weekly musings. On Monday evening this week I attended a meeting of the Prawle Fair Committee. Each year the village holds a fair to raise funds for the Community Hall that sits next to my pub. I sat in the hall and thought back to what I was doing last year at that time. I decided that I was either sitting in my old home watching a football match on the TV or possibly doing some telecom related work. Yet there I was on the 26/02/07 listening to a serious discussion about the best way to hold a guinea pig race! Welcome to Planet Prawle.

Tomorrow evening the village cricket team are playing a darts match against a team from the Pig’s Nose. The Pig’s Nose is the other pub in the village and it is famous for its music evenings some very well known bands play there. I just hope their darts aren’t as good as their music.

I am getting to know various people in the village and whilst they are a diverse bunch, they are also a very warm and welcoming group of souls (as long as the beer is okay.) I really enjoy their company especially when a heated argument is on the go. More often than not it is about local and national politics but on occasion it can be caused by a stupid townie asking a dumb question about foot and mouth disease. (With apologies to Tim, Richard, Sarah, Shawn, David, Louise, Julian and Brian.)

Helen and the boys came down last weekend and we took Charlie for his first walk out in the big wide world. We went to Lannacombe beach which is close to East Prawle. The beach sits at the foot of a valley and all the rain water that runs down and from the valley cuts through the beach and runs out to sea. Well, just lately we have had a large amount of rain and as a result the stream was flowing very fast. I crossed at a shallow point and Charlie dutifully followed. Now, shallow is a subjective term. I am five feet ten inches tall, Charlie is approximately ten inches tall, and I guess the extra five feet can make a difference. When he surfaced he looked quite surprised in the way that only puppies can. I must admit, I found it hilarious as he paddled, flapped his ears and tried anything he could think of to get out of the water. His tail acted as a rudder and he floated by my feet looking totally confused. We got him back to the pub soon after and he seemed fine despite his aquatic adventure.

I am really looking forward to Helen joining me on a permanent basis here in Prawle. She makes the journey every weekend and considering her New Year’s Day exploits she doesn’t complain, but it is hard going. Our Sunday lunch time sessions are usually a nice time, but I dread the clock reaching three o’clock as that is the time that she and the boys go home.

More soon….

The Emergency

Today has been a steady day for the pub. No records were broken, but we sold sufficient beer and food to make everything good in the world, well certainly in The Provi'. We did however, have a major emergency. Charlie, our new puppy was off his food and as the day progressed he became more and more lethargic as well as suffering from a nasty bout of sickness. At 10.00pm I felt it necessary to take him to the vet. I have Sam, my 14 year old son staying with me this week and together we took Charlie to the vets in Kingsbridge. It was quite worrying, the little chap was not his usual puppylike self and the vet determined that Charlie had eaten something that did not agree with him. After an injection, some pills and a nasty looking cream that I have to force down his throat (not to mention a hefty dent in the wallet) we brought him back to the pub. He's laying quietly at my feet as I type this. I hope he'll be back to normal tomorrow.

More soon.

Something like normality?

January and February in East Prawle tend to be quiet months for the pub. We obviously look forward to the summer as a time of great opportunity and hopefully financial reward, but the early months offer their own benefits. For me, the main one has been the opportunity to get to know my locals. The fact that we have been well supported is something I have referred to previously, but I am now finding out more about my customers and their lives. There are a large number of second homes here and many are rented out as holiday lets, but we still have a thriving community and they all work hard to make the village a good place to live. We have a community hall that hosts various events, ranging from Parish Council meetings through to the local painting club. Recently the Prawle Party took place there. This is an annual event that allows all residents from children upwards the opportunity to get together in the community hall and have a bit if fun. This year numbers were down, but I think that was mainly due to there being a Burns Night supper at the same time. Helen and I enjoyed it and I have to admit to having more glasses of red wine than perhaps I should have.

The weekends have been very busy. Our food is being taken very seriously and we receive lots of bookings for Fridays and Saturdays. On a Sunday lunch time we offer a traditional roast dinner and that is gaining in popularity with each passing week.

We have changed some of our drinks around. Dispensing with Carlsberg, Blackthorn and Murphys; replacing them with Carling, Guinness and Strongbow. We have kept the Grolsch as this was proving to be popular.

More later this week...

Our New Member of Staff

There's so much to tell about all that has happened throughout January and I fully intend
to bring you all the latest information, but for now I thought I would introduce you to our newest member of staff; Charlie.

Charlie is an eight week old Chocolate Labrador and he is keeping me busy cleaning up puddles and messes whilst I attempt to pull pints and take food orders! He's a great little chap and he is already making himself at home in the Provi'. He sits behind the bar below the till and keeps me company.

Pictures of the car

Max called the car Mr. Bottle, we have no idea why, but it sort of made sense. Sadly Mr. Bottle is no more as you can see.

Journey to Oxford

I left the pub at approximately eleven o'clock on New Year's Eve with my mind in a whirl. Was Helen trying to spare me worry by saying that they were okay? Surely, if they were okay, why the need to go to the hospital. The journey took place in a daze. I took a couple of cans of Red Bull from the bar and also bought a packet of ProPlus tablets from a garage en route. The road was empty and the weather was clear, at least this was in my favour. I had my mobile phone handy and hoped that Helen would be able to contact me with an update, but I knew that she had left her phone in the car and the fire brigade had not let her return to it. Although I had drunk the Red Bull and taken a couple of the Pro Plus tablets I was still very tired, I had slept less than four hours in the past forty one hours and I was aware of how hypnotic motorway driving can be. It took about two hours to reach Bristol and by the time I got to the Gordano service area I was very close to falling asleep at the wheel. With discretion being the better part of valour I decided to stop for a small nap and cup of coffee. I pulled into the car park, dropped my seat back, set the alarm on my mobile phone for fifteen minutes and shut my eyes. At this precise moment my legs started to cramp. I was in agony and I hobbled out of the car. Now you have to remember that it is approximately one thirty in the morning and anyone who happened to be watching would have seen a man who is now bent double, fall from his car and proceed to hobble around the car park like a demented duck! So much for sleeping. I eventually managed to get my legs back to normal and straighten myself up. I went to the men’s washroom, splashed cold water on my face and then headed off again onto the M5. I drove for an hour or so; all the time I was worrying about what I would find at the hospital, my mind was creating all manner of scenarios that are too painful to put down here. Eventually I stopped at the Leigh Delamere service area on the M4. Rolling to a stop I didn't even bother to put the seat back, I simply set the alarm, closed my eyes and drifted off. My mobile phone started ringing and I awoke with a start. It was still dark, so I figured that I hadn’t slept too long. Looking at my watch showed that I had only been asleep for five minutes! It was Helen, checking up on my progress. I didn’t want her to worry so I didn’t mention my tiredness, but decided I should press on. I drove for the next hour and a half until I finally got to the hospital. I rushed inside and was pointed to a treatment unit where I was told Helen and the boys would be. I found them in a side ward. The two boys were top to tail on the bed fast asleep and didn’t appear to be injured. Helen was sat at their bedside and looked tired and worried. I won’t bother detailing the next couple of hours as it was all very emotional and trying for Helen. She was in a very self accusatory mood and nothing I could say would change her outlook. To me it had been an accident, a bad one granted, but an accident all the same. They were all okay and able to come home with me. That morning I took them back to our home in Northampton and set about sorting out the insurance, vehicle recovery and a myriad of other details that this sort of thing throws up in its wake. The car was taken to a local garage for assessment and later that day I went to see it. I was staggered at the state of it. How anyone could have got out alive is beyond me. Anyway, I arranged for Helen and the boys to come back down to Devon with me later that day and we attempted to get back to normality.

New Year's Day

As mentioned previously, I was up early on New Year's Day to get breakfast for our overnight guests. I have to say that Karen Tucker came to my rescue and helped me with the fry up - That woman is a godsend. Three and a half hours sleep had not left me feeling on top of my game, but there was plenty of work to do. The cleaning up of the bar area was the first order of the day and my brother-in-law Melv assisted me in removing all of the debris left over from the previous evening's revelry. This done I started to replace bottles in order to be ready for the lunchtime session. The cellar needed attention too. I removed all of the empty barrels and made sure that the temperature was okay in there. I couldn't afford to let what beer I had left (half a barrel of Spitfire) get abused. This was going to have get me through until my next visit from the dray man. Lunchtime was relatively quiet. We had a few people in and when we shut the doors at two thirty I prepared to say goodbye to Claire, Steve, Kelly and Alex. They had been a massive help and it had been wonderful having them around during a really important phase of my time here as landlord. They left at about three o'clock and Helen and I sat by the fire with the children and Mon and Melv. I was feeling quite fed up. The whole Christmas/New Year thing had been incredible, but now it was over and it all felt a little anticlimactic. Furthermore I was about to say goodbye to my family and although I would see them the following weekend I was still feeling down. They left for Northampton at four thirty after lots of hugs and kisses. Max, my four year old had a 'Jedi Knight Light Sabre' and was prepared to use the force if necessary! It would soon be time to reopen and I was hoping that it would be a quiet evening. Mon and Melv were staying an extra night and this softened the impact of saying goodbye to Helen, Max and Joe. I had given the kitchen staff the night off and planned on getting an early night myself. If only I had known! From seven o'clock that evening people started to arrive in steady numbers, it was obviously not going to be the quiet night I had planned. By eight o'clock I was flagging, but Mon and Melv kept me plied with coffee and apart from my concern with having only one beer available, everyone seemed happy. I had spoken to Helen earlier on to check on her progress and I figured she would be home between nine thirty and ten. It always takes longer with the children on board as you have to stop for more comfort breaks. Anyway apart from needing a bottle of ProPlus pills to keep me going, everything was ok in the Provi'. At nine thirty the telephone rang and I expected Helen to tell me she was home. Instead I heard her say, "Tim, don't worry, we are all okay, but there has been an accident." My heart missed a beat and the most fearful images raced across my mind. A vehicle had come towards them with its lights on main beam. Helen had moved to the left thinking the other vehicle was too far over towards her side of the road and we think she suffered a blow out. She then lost control of the steering and careened across to the opposite side of the road hitting a tree; the car spun and then rolled over ending upside down in a field. Thank God for seat belts and child seats! I was stunned and couldn't concentrate on what was happening. I told Melv and he took over behind the bar for me. I had to wait nearly an hour before Helen was able to talk to me again. She told me that they were all being taken to the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford for checks, but that they were relatively unscathed. I made the decision to go to them there and then. I'll tell you more later on this week as I have to go now and prepare the bar for tonight's session.

East Prawle At Christmas & New Year

Well, I’m back. Sorry for the delay – BT has a lot to answer for, but more of that later in the week.

December 1st came around really quickly, Helen and I arrived in East Prawle on Thursday 30th November and had meetings with various suppliers as well as trying to make the most of our free time before becoming the new landlords of the Providence Inn, henceforth referred to as The Provi’. We visited our neighbours in the Pig’s Nose and then took some time out preparing for the adventure to come. Paperwork needed sorting and we also had to finalise the menus with our head chef Karen. Arnie, the outgoing landlord was given a great send off by the locals that evening and we popped in briefly to raise our glasses to him. I watched him taking the pats on the back and best wishes from his regulars with interest. I wondered to myself if I would be in that position at some point in the future, or was I about to make a major mistake. The enormity of what was about to happen hit me like an out of control train! I put those thoughts aside and Helen and I went back to the cottage to get an early night in advance of our new start. I didn’t sleep too well. Had I done everything that needed to be done? Had I contacted all of the suppliers? Had I…..

I awoke on Friday and remembered that Arnie had arranged to show me how the cleaning system on the gas assisted drinks worked. I shot across the road ready and primed for action. The pub smelt of stale tobacco and spilt drink, there was actually something comforting about this, it seemed right in a peculiar way. I stopped and looked around me, John the cleaner and generally good egg had yet to start his daily routine and spent a few seconds taking everything in. I was about to go to the other side of the bar and claim dominion over the stock, fixtures and fittings and for the first time say, “What can I get you?”

Although we opened at lunch time, things were very quiet. Our first customers were Mr & Mrs Crawford from Strete and we welcomed them with the first drink on the house, fortunately neither of them had a penchant for pints of Brandy! Helen put the closed sign up at two thirty and we went to our room upstairs where we had to start unpacking and sorting out our belongings, how did we (read I,) ever collect so much junk - Who says you can’t fit a quart into a pint pot? Before we realised time had moved apace and it was time to open for our first evening as landlord and landlady of the Provi’. Five o’clock prompt and the sign said OPEN; two chaps came in at half past and stayed for one drink, oblivious of the naivety of their server. At six thirty two locals who we knew came in and wished us well, they couldn’t stay long and soon we were on our own again. Helen went upstairs to make herself look presentable and left me alone in the bar. At eight o’clock I stood alone behind the bar in a nicely pressed suit wondering if it had all been a mistake. No one was in the pub, had they all decided that we weren’t worth the effort? Maybe they all had hangovers from the previous evening’s revelry. No need to worry, at a quarter past eight the door opened and people began filing in and it continued that way for the rest of the evening. I can honestly say that we met some truly lovely people; we were wished well and made to feel comfortable amongst the locals from the village and surrounding area. Helen stayed with me until the following Monday, sadly she had to return to Northampton and I won’t pretend it was easy saying goodbye, but at least I knew that I would see her again the following Friday. I soon got into my stride and found that I really enjoyed being on the working side of the bar. Arnie the ex landlord has proved invaluable to me. His assistance has helped me through a few tricky moments when I found I hadn’t got the faintest idea of what to do when certain things went wrong.

As you may have read in a previous posting, the food side of our operation has kicked in and been really well received. The girls in the kitchen are working like Trojans (no horses on the menu – honest!) they have created a range of excellent dishes and people are coming back for more as well as spreading the word to their friends and associates. As we all know, a personal referral is worth far more than any other form of advertising. We also do Sunday roasts and they are going down a storm. Talking of storms, we have been battered by winds reaching speeds of over 100 miles per hour, torrential downpours and pea soup fogs, yet somehow, here in Prawle that all seems ok.

Christmas was soon upon us. Helen came down with Sam, Max and Joe and for me it was perfect. My wife, my boys, our new pub and new friends as well. I found Christmas Eve to be quieter than I had anticipated, but I suppose that I was basing this on my being in towns rather than villages in the past. Don’t misunderstand, it was still a very good night and we enjoyed the company of all who visited. It was really something when the local carol singers performed for us. Mince pies all round seemed the least we could offer in exchange. The following morning started with the boys opening their presents and they had a great time. Then it was time to prepare for the Christmas lunch time session. We were open from twelve o’clock until three. So many people came and stayed for the duration or like others moved between the two village pubs, there was a lovely feel about the place with smiles all around. Eventually we said goodbye to our last customers and cleaned up. Karen Tucker had kindly left me instructions on how to get our own Christmas dinner ready, so I kept popping back and forth between the bar and the kitchen. I needn’t have bothered. She suddenly appeared and proceeded to take over, finally producing a fine feast for us all, she even set a table for us. What a star that woman is. I secretly think she was terrified of the chaos that I would bring down on her kitchen domain had I been left to my own devices! At least this way she could keep an eye on me. On Boxing morning I had to take Sam, my eldest to Bristol where his Mum picked him up and took him back to Northampton. He had had a good time and even made a few bob as a glass washer.

The following week was busy with locals and visitors and we gradually prepared for New Years Eve. I was slightly unsure how best to approach this event. I had been told that the locals often wear fancy dress and this left me uncertain if Helen and I should join in or not. In the end we decided to try and look smart and hope that the locals wouldn’t mind. My sister and brother-in-law; Mon & Melv joined us as did our close friends Claire & Steve and their daughters Kelly & Alex. I loved having people close to me around and it proved invaluable in the days that followed.

New Years Eve was a bit of a conundrum for me, I felt that we would be busy, but at the same time had to work out the correct amount of beer, wines and spirits to order. I also had to factor in the bank holiday Monday when I would normally place my order for delivery on a Tuesday, I hadn’t got the faintest idea of what to do, so I tried to approach it from a more logical angle (well, more logical for a dunce like moi!) I looked at the previous years’ sales, added an amount based on what was suggested by my locals and then added on a slightly conservative amount for good measure. I actually then started fretting that I would end up tipping beer down the drain for ordering too much…

The night started with the arrival of approximately fifteen young chaps dressed in women’s clothing. They all had a pint and then headed off to their next port of call. They gave me a hint of what was to follow. We saw all manner of costumes through the course of the evening and what a night it proved to be. All of our locals turned out in force and spent the evening enjoying the beer and good company. There were some amazing costumes and a large number of gentlemen turned up in finely tailored dinner suits. Now I have to admit surprise at the number of men who turned up in women’s clothing. Some of these fellows are local farmers, but boy, do they make fine women! Too well in some cases – you all know who you are! By eleven I realised that the consumption of alcohol was inversely proportionate to the amount left in the cellar. Panic bells started ringing in my head. I hadn’t got my sums right. Shortly after midnight the Dartmoor IPA ran out, this was soon followed by the South Hams XSB, a local brew that has been well received here. Still the assembled party drank on. We were now down to our last barrel of Shepherd Neame Spitfire. Bottled beer proved popular as did the top shelf. All around were smiles and good humour, everyone was on top form and we couldn’t have wished for more. Our friends helped too. Kelly did a sterling job glass washing and I have told her she can work here in the summer if she wants. Her Mum, Claire served alongside Helen and our ever trusty barman Martin. With apologies to Martin, I must say that the three girls behind the bar were a far better sight than the normal male contingent of which I include myself. We sounded the chimes of Big Ben and then everyone sang Auld Lang Syne. I stood back and took it all in. Sorry for sounding feeble, but I actually had a tear in my eye. Everyone was happy, but they were happy and enjoying themselves in our pub. I had experienced a Christmas and New Year in East Prawle and it was one of the best experiences Helen and I have had in a long time. We found ourselves amongst friends, family and I think it is safe to say, new friends as well. Our last customers left the pub at a quarter to four in the morning. Helen, Claire, Steve and myself each had a glass of our preferred poison and then headed off to bed. I had to be up at eight that morning as we had two chaps staying for breakfast!

New Year’s Day turned out to be far more dramatic than I could have ever imagined, but that will have to wait until later this week when I post again. I still have lots more to tell you. Hopefully I’ll have a few decent pictures to post too.

We've arrived!

Well, here we are in East Prawle! Helen and I opened the Providence Inn to our first customers on Friday December the 1st. It still hasn’t fully sunk in that I am the landlord. I am getting to grips with things and intend to provide you with a full and detailed account of our first few days behind the bar.

I must apologise for the brevity of this posting, I am currently using a painfully slow dial-up connection and am hoping to get broadband up and running in the next few days. Then I’ll post a few pictures of the surrounding area and tell you more about my first impressions as a Prawle resident and publican. What I can say is that all of the people in the village have been incredibly welcoming and supportive, I am desperately trying (and failing) to remember everyone’s name, so thanks to one and all. Friday this week is our first night for food and I’ve put the menu below – let me know what you think

Looking forward to posting properly soon

Tim

------------------------------------------

Starters

Home made Soup of the Day
With crusty bread
£3.50

Homemade Chicken liver pate
With toast & salad garnish
£4.50

Prawn & Salmon Pots
With toast & salad garnish
£4.50
V
Garlic stuffed mushrooms
Served with toast
£3.95

Main Courses

Local Rib Eye steak
Cooked to your personal preference
With grilled tomato, mushroom, peas & chips
£11.95

Homemade Shepherds Pie
With vegetables or side salad
£6.75
V
Riccota & Spinach cannelloni
With side sald

Local pork sausages & rich onion gravy
With creamy mash, onion rings & vegetables
£6.50

Deep fried Cod
With chips & mushy peas or side salad
£7.50

Chicken in a honey & mustard glaze
With salad or vegetables & potatoes of the day
£7.50
V
Mushroom & Pine Nut tart
With salad and Chips
£6.95
sweet selection

Homemade Apple pie
£3.95

Hot chocolate fudge cake
£3.95

Treacle Tart
£3.95

All of the above are served with custard, cream or ice cream

A selection of local cheeses
Served with crackers, celery and grapes
£4.25

Langage Farm Ice Cream
2 scoops of:
Chocolate Overload – White chocolate ice cream crammed with white and dark chocolate buttons, with ribbons of divine dark chocolate sauce
Strawberries & Cream – Clotted cream ice cream with the taste of summer
Farmhouse clotted cream vanilla ice cream with the taste of Devon clotted cream
£2.25

Ice Cream Sundaes
Fresh strawberries with homemade strawberry sauce and strawberry ice cream
Bananas with chocolate ice cream and homemade fudge sauce
Pineapple with vanilla ice cream and homemade chocolate sauce
£4.95

Self Indulgence Time

I will be moving to East Prawle permanently on Wednesday 29th November and prior to this I have a mountain of tasks to complete. However, not all of the tasks are onerous. On Thursday last week I took my car back to my head office in Norwich and that evening went out with all of the staff for a farewell meal. I have been very lucky to work with a fantastic bunch of people over the past eight years and they have become good friends who I am sad to say cheerio to, although I am certain that many of them will soon venture to the village for a weekend of good food, good beer and good company. I was given a marvellous leaving gift of a bottle of 18 year old Glenfiddich, which had been personally labelled for me and this was complimented by a pair of crystal whisky tumblers that had each been engraved with the following; Eastern Telephones 2006 - Landlord and Eastern Telephones 2006 Friend. They will be well used with the contents of the first gift, although it will be an occasional nightcap rather than a regular tipple. It has been suggested that I could end up like a child in a sweetshop surrounded by all that alcohol in the pub. I am aware of the temptation, but confident that I can get my highs from seeing the pub become a successful venture. I also owe it to Helen and the boys to be sensible in their absence.

I arrived back in Northampton on Friday afternoon feeling very tired, but there was no rest ahead for Tim! Helen and I went to the flying club ball. It is known as Wings Night. Each year all students who have gained their Private Pilot's Licence are presented with their wings at this function. I really felt pleased for the recipients as they were presented with their shiny gold wings and shook hands with the Chief Flying Instructor, whilst posing for a photographer. I can remember getting mine after the hard slog of training, being congratulated by your peers after such an achievement is very uplifting (excuse the pun). Being able to take an aircraft into the sky is such a liberating experience and provides so many amazing adventures. I have taken Helen to France and the Channel Islands as well as numerous trips around the UK. Earlier this year we hired an aircraft from Exeter Flying Club and flew along the coast and over the village. It is as beautiful from the air as it is on the ground. Anyway, back to Wings Night. We had both planned to leave early because we knew that the weekend was going to be taken up with packing boxes and sorting everything out for the journey south. I haven't mentioned that Helen was also tired after a late night on Thursday, she had been to the NEC to see the famous Spanish Riding school in action -We sat at a table with friends who were all interested in the impending move to Devon and we happily talked of our plans whilst eating a very good meal. I hadn't realised just how interested people were. We spent the whole evening chatting with our friends about Devon and when we checked our watches it was 12:30am! We got home at 01:30 and my eyes were shut before my head hit the pillow. It was worth being exhausted because I had spent quality time with good friends and colleagues who were genuinely interested in my well being and future endeavours. I realise more now, than ever, just how important and valuable good friendship is.

So! Two nights of self indulgence and now it is almost upon me. The real pub adventure is about to start. I am excited and anxious, I am worrying about Helen and the boys not having me around. I am trying to think of everything that can and will happen, but I also realise I am at the point where what will be will be. I have to say goodbyes to friends and family. I worry about my old mum who is in her eighties and not in very good health, and all the time the clock is ticking, bringing me ever closer to Wednesday.

I am not going to post for a while. I will start my new life at the Providence Inn - East Prawle on Friday 1st Decemebr 2006. My next post will follow shortly after and will tell you how I coped with my first customers and how I feel about being there. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has left words of encouragement through comments, the guestbook and on emails.

Wish me luck - Tim

I need a TARDIS

Time And Relative Dimension In Space - One of the best known acronyms to the TV generation. For me it is the necessary tool to solve my immediate problem. I am hiring a van on Monday to carry my belongings to the village. The problem is that I really need the space of an articulated lorry to hold all my junk! A sage lesson in ergonomics if I can pull it off. If you live in the village you will probably hear the chugging of the engine from afar. I'll be arriving on Monday night and off again on Tuesday morning and then back to stay on Wednesday.

Karen T has given me her shopping list for the kitchen. I thought we needed a couple of wooden spoons, but apparently I miscalculated. In fact we also needed a kitchen. I'm joking really. Arnie has actually left a well equipped kitchen and we will be operating from there by the end of our first week.

Things to do before I leave for Devon

I have spent the past week trying to tie up loose ends. Some were work related others social. I count myself fortunate to have a good number of close friends and I have been trying to see them, or at least talk to them prior to my departure - you would think I was on my way to the moon!

On Saturday I went with Helen and the boys to London for a day out. There was the train journey there which the two young ones loved thoroughly, although Joe was somewhat concerned that we didn’t see the Fat Controller! They were even more thrilled with the cross town jaunt on the underground trains. We walked along the Thames embankment down to Whitehall and then up by the Cenotaph to Trafalgar Square, by way of a McDonalds (sorry Jamie Oliver!) Nelson looked mighty dapper atop his column. The last time I was at Trafalgar Square it was very dreary looking. I think Mayor Ken’s anti pigeon crusade may be showing positive results. We then headed back to Euston and caught the train home. This may seem very dull to some people, but when you are about to say goodbye to your children and not see them for long periods of time it is worth savouring every moment with them.

Today I went with Helen to the stables where we keep our horse; Sailor. He is a bay thoroughbred gelding who stands 16,3hh (that’s 5’7”.) He was originally a Point-To-Point horse, but he only has reverse gears, so he never won anything. Helen got him when he was eight and enjoys hacking out on him along the local bridleways. When he was younger she did some eventing on him and even has a few rosettes to prove that he isn’t really a donkey in disguise! He is now 20 and we love him dearly. I never sit on him for fear that his legs will splay in four different directions. I am, however responsible for the more important part of owning a horse, in fact I even have a coffee mug to prove it. It says No.1 S**t Shoveller! Next weekend will be the last time for a while that I will see the old boy. I go up most mornings at six o’clock to muck him out, but that duty will fall to Helen soon, although I am sure she will find someone else to do it for a fee…

I can reveal the name of one half of the culinary duo that are going to tantalise the taste buds of our future patrons; Karen Tucker. Karen lives in the village and has an excellent culinary pedigree. I am currently helping her put the finishing touches to our menus and believe me, the food will be great. Karen is ably assisted by another local lady and some of you may already know her, especially if you like chocolate puddings (that’s the only clue you are getting as to her identity!)

Aside from that, it’s been boring stuff such as VAT registration, Inland Revenue forms and supplier account opening. I have had to speak to the Police in Totnes about my licence and they have said that they will pay me a visit. I’m sure I paid that parking ticket, honestly officer!

Earlier this week I received a really nice email from a lady called Betty. She lives in New Zealand but spent part of her life in Torcross. She emailed me to say that she was of the opinion that Euchre was introduced by the American Servicemen stationed in the area during the war. I am quite interested in that period and its effects in the South Hans area, so this added another patch to the quilt of wartime history that touched the lives of so many people from the area.

I finish my current employment on Thursday and will be spending the night with my colleagues. I think I may have a headache on Friday! I am going to maintain a connection with my friends at Eastern Telephones. I hope that they will come and visit, but I am also going to do some consultancy work for them too. So if you need any Telecomms advice, give me a shout. The downside is my car will have to go on thursday too. I do have Land Rover Defender, but Helen wants to keep that with her, but don't worry. Tim has a vehicle lined up. It is a white Suzuki Vitara Jeep. Yes, that's right. I will be driving a cross between a car that Ken and Barbi would love and something a hairdresser with a problem would have. You have been warned.

I am going to be in the village from the 27th November and will be there permanently from the 30th.

The deed is done!

Well there's no turning back now! We have signed the legal documents and we are all systems go for the 1st December. I felt slightly embarrassed as people who I did not know told me how pleased they were to hear that I was to become the new landlord of The Provi'. I have a good memory for faces, but I am an absolute disaster when it comes to remembering names, so I hope I will be forgiven the odd slip up on that front. I can't say enough about how friendly the locals are in East Prawle. Helen and I are relative strangers, but everyone, without exception, has been so kind and generous with their words of encouragement. We are both grateful and we hope to get to know them more in the coming weeks.

I am very excited by the food side of things at the pub. I was shown sample menus by my chefs at the weekend. I want to be able to tell you who these culinary wizards are, but as I haven't asked permission to use their names here I will stay intentionally vague for the time being, but suffice to say, they are really enthusiastic and professionally competent and most importantly, villagers too.

One chap who I found very engaging used the word, pulchritude, in a discussion about a freshly poured pint. I love words and their meanings and admire anyone who has the courage to enhance a conversation with a choice word or two that is not in common usage. I think I may make a note of unusual words used in the bar and give a prize each month to the person who has used the best word, in the correct context (in my opinion) that month.

I have made a decision regarding the beer at the pub. Initially I will keep the existing brands on, certainly until the new year, but I am going to try and get a local guest ale on before Christmas. I have spoken with a local brewer and think we may have just the thing to sit alongside the Spitfire and Dartmoor IPA. Hope that's not famous last words?

Driving back home today was a rather strange experience. It dawned on me that I won't make this particular journey with Helen and the boys again for the foreseeable future. The next time they come to East Prawle their journeys to and from will be minus Dad!

Euchre

I am intrigued by a game played in the pub. It is called Euchre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euchre) and there are leagues in Devon where the game is hotly contested. I have watched it being played and must admit that I am yet to fully understand it although I intend to get to grips with it soon. It is interesting because as you move through the country pub games vary. Where I currently live we have the standard games of darts, pool, etc, but we also have skittles and crib leagues.

Getting there gradually...

We are getting nearer to December 1st and things are slowly falling into place. We have spoken with various suppliers and hopefully will maintain a relationship with existing ones too. All things being equal, we will be able to sign the lease documents next week. There was a slight hiccough on the legal side and I learnt a valuable - and very nearly costly lesson. However, all's well that ends well. It is important to Helen and me that the pub be a focal point for the local community. We recognize that the other village pub enjoys the patronage of many of the locals especially when they put on musical events that I know are very good indeed, but we hope that we can encourage some of villagers to visit us on occasion. There is always an element of uncertainty about a new landlord. Will the pub dramatically change? Will it be good or bad? Will the beer be worth drinking? All of these are important questions and I hope we can assuage the concerns that people will have. Here are some of the things that I can promise in advance of serving my first pint.

1. There will be a warm welcome for families.
2. Dogs will be welcome too, as long as their owners don't make a mess!
3. There will be no juke box, but you may have to endure some of my taste in background music!
4. I will continue in Arnie’s footsteps by supporting the Air Ambulance as my charity of choice.
5. The food served will be basic pub fayre, cooked by locals and most importantly; using locally produced ingredients.
6. I would gladly welcome approaches from anyone who feels they may have items of interest for me to purchase for the catering side of the business. My email address is: tmybr@aol.com.

I took Max, my four year old to school this morning and his teacher told me that he had been selected to be a Wise Man in the school nativity play. He was thrilled and I was really pleased for him, but I felt slightly saddened when I realised that I would miss his first performance due to being in the pub. What made it worse was when I was told that his mum would not be allowed to video him because of concerns regarding the video getting into the hands of paedophiles. We really do live in a sick society! I will be so pleased when my family join me permanently in East Prawle.