Wednesday, 28 January 2015

Goodbyes

Well I haven’t managed to make a killing on eBay. Yet. In fact, I haven’t managed to sell anything. But there’s hope yet… My friend Sally Anne, who is an Expert, says it’s a very bad time of year to sell…

Meanwhile there’s been bad news on the work front - as of March I have lost my monthly column. Due to budget cutbacks, apparently but you never know. Still, at least I still have my monthly sailing slot, and have another new editor to work for which is exciting.

And a sad goodbye to Jane Collins, who runs the Star and Garter pub in Falmouth at the top of the High Street - the Teapot pub, as many know it. She has had this pub for the last 28 years, and during this time has accumulated 415 teapots of varying wonderful designs, as well as some incredible paintings of local staff and customers.

Jane sold the pub recently and we enjoyed several leaving parties. There were 3 official ones, then a Dregs Party on Friday where the first drink was free and thereafter £1 a drink. Then on Monday my friend Deb and I were invited to finish yet more dregs of wine.

“I don’t know what she put in the wine,” said Mr B later, as I giggled constantly about nothing, “but I could do with some of that.”

Sadly the pub is now officially shut, and dear Jane will be leaving this weekend. She will be sorely missed, not just as a landlady but as someone who was a kind friend to many, with a very big heart.

The new owners are shutting for 6 months - and then who knows what guise this pub will have? Whatever, Jane has made sure that the Star and Garter has earned a place in Falmouth’s history.

So here’s raising a glass to Jane - and whatever she does next.

Wednesday, 14 January 2015

Going, going, gone....

This was taken on the St Mawes ferry coming back last summer from a rather disastrous day out with Mr B and a sore knee, and a disgruntled Moll... but the weather was great.

Great excitement here - Flog It is coming to the Maritime Museum tomorrow so we will be legging it down there with a few of Mr B’s collection - you never know, we may get lucky.

On that note, I volunteered to sell a few things on eBay to try and make some money. I’m not very technical, and while I love the internet as a tool, I’m not one of those people who will happily spend hours surfing, so I’ve found it quite nerve racking.

Several kind people offered to help but I really need someone who can sit with me and look over my shoulder while I do it. Anyway I posted a few items. The first - an old printer - didn’t sell. But I realised I didn’t have the cables so that’s probably just as well.

Next, Mr B gave me a few old books he’d got at a car boot to practise with. I did my research but found that most people selling similar copies of these books offered free postage. This seemed crazy to me but I figured that if they were, I should. To cut a long story short, I sold one book at a loss. Good eh?

I was so disappointed as I knew it was my fault, and I’d wanted to surprise Mr B with my selling acumen (or something).

When he rang, he said, “I don’t know that you’re cut out for this,” which is what I thought. But then I thought - no, I won’t be beaten It’s only a learning process, and you learn by your mistakes (in my case, a lot).

So Sally is going to come and sit with me when I put the next items up for sale - and then we’ll see…. Watch out as Flowerpot takes ebay by storm.

Well, perhaps not by storm, but I can at least recoup my losses…..

Wednesday, 7 January 2015

A Blooming Good One


That long break has upset my system, as I suspect it has many other of us. Today I got up, showered, had breakfast and walked the dog, did an hour's work. But really I just want to be underneath that duvet...

And it's not because I'm feeling miserable - I’m just off to interview someone about a helicopter service for VIP super yachts - talk about how the other half lives - and something to take the mind off this grey wet weather. However, despite Mr B’s forecast of this being a Hard Winter (he says that every year, with great conviction), it hasn’t been. Well, not yet, she says hastily.

Here in Cornwall the daffodils are raising cheerful yellow faces to the rain. Crocuses are pushing their little green shoots up, and a bush of pink camellias is blooming two doors down. We saw primroses nestling in a wall just after Christmas. And the days are really drawing out - it’s not dark till gone 5pm which is fabulous.

Last year did not end well. Dear Pete’s funeral, followed by van problems and then a power cut. I hardly dared get out of bed on New Year’s Eve in case something else went wrong. But it didn’t, and while I had the quietest NYE on record (at my mum’s) at least I was very smug and not hungover the next morning.

And to start the new year, I’ve got a bit of new work which is interesting and has cheered me no end.

So a very happy new year to everyone and may 2015 be a bloody good one.