On Thursday 17th November, Dave and I attended the 2005 Cornwall Tourism Awards at St Mellion Golf course. We were amongst the 11 finalists for best Self catering but had no idea that we had won an award. It was a fabulous evening, a black tie dinner with a 5 course meal, sourced entirely from Cornwall โ even the wine, with 330 guests, all from the tourism industry in the county.
Everything was done with flair and style and we felt privileged to be part of such a grand occasion. In fact, it was run on the style of the Hollywood Oscars with the winners announced in reverse order, so we had no idea until the silver was read out that we had actually won! Ann Nightingale (ITV 6pm newsreader) presented the trophies, which were made in Cornwall, using wood from Heligan gardens, glass from Hayle and a plaque made of Cornish tin and ours will sit proudly on the office desk in reception for everyone to see.
We are both very proud to have achieved such an accolade in the face of such stiff competition and it has rounded off a great year and a reward for finally finishing the last of the rebuilds at Bosinver after an 8 year slog!
Still on cloud 9, we had to struggle back to work the following day as we are still busy and had Friday changeovers to do but nothing could wipe the silly smiles off our faces.
Although the prize was given to Bosinver, it is a real team effort and we do recognise that it due to the efforts of all the people who work here and our superb tradesmen and suppliers, not just the two of us.
Weโve had a very busy season and were full right into November but the weather has been extremely kind and weโve seen many crisp, dry and sunny days this autumn. The beech trees have been spectacular with glittering golden leaves sparkling in the autumn sunshine. Winter jobs have been at the forefront lately, with some refurbishment of kitchens and bathrooms, minor alterations and upgrading in several cottages as always. Pentree is the next big job and and plans are afoot to begin in the first week of January to totally rebuild the interior and redesign the roof.
Christmas and New Year are looking very busy so Helen and I are getting ready to decorate 19 trees. We are definitely in the mood as it has snowed here nearly all day and it looks like a Christmas card from every viewpoint.
There is at least 8 inches of snow on my car roof and the texture is soft โ ideal for snowballs. However, the down side is that the roads are in complete chaos, people stranded all over the county and abandoned cars everywhere. This is a very rare occurrence for our part of Cornwall as the snow hardly ever settles.
I have had a brilliant year this year and passed my Yachtmaster exam last month. I did the theory last winter and passed in April but decided to take on the practical in October. Amazingly, I passed and it was one of my personal milestones โ so now I am classed as being capable of sailing a boat anywhere โ look out world!
Will be posting more news after the festive season. Merry Christmas to you all.
Pat.
