Well, it’s a bit of a surprise to realise the – very nicely – busy Easter we had this year is the first for three years. Covid. I need say no more. And now we have reached May – hurrah! All of the local attractions are in full swing and the enjoyable dry weather we have been having has brought with it a plethora of guests from all round the world. It’s been lovely to meet them.
And Talking Of Guests
We recently had a couple to stay who’d previously been the owners of the Somerville, back in 1974. They ran it for six years and had some fabulous stories to tell. Believe it or not, it was a 20 bedroomed B&B back then, but with no ensuite bathrooms. Just a little different from the eight bedrooms we have now. We have to say we were rather shocked when they told us how much they bought the Somerville for back then … a mere £40,000. Below is the estate agent’s photo of the property at the time of purchase.
New Things To Do
We are always looking for new things for guests to do in the Bay and we have a slightly alternative afternoon out to suggest: making your own bottle of gin at the gin distillery here in Torquay.
We had some guests give it a go a couple of weeks ago and they had a great time – despite returning a little squiffy. They distilled two bottles of gin with their own botanical choices, which they came back to the Somerville with. And, happily, they shared a tasting with us too. (Trust me, that’s not obligatory!)
If you fancy it, its £100 per couple midweek or £120 at weekends. That might seem on the dear side but you take home two 500ml bottles of your own gin plus you can consume whatever you can drink whilst you are making it – which makes it a bargain! Below are photos of your own still and the finished product. If you’re at all into your gin this could well be a perfect afternoon – especially on a rainy day.
Their web site can be found here.
Gardening Successes
Lastly, you may well know of our love of our gardens and we’ve been trying to plant perennials that are synonymous with the South West. And we have to say we’ve had a fair bit of success. Check out the photo of our Echium Pininana. It’s known as the Blue Steeple and you can see why! We planted this only three years ago and this spring it has risen to over 10 metres.
Next month we are heading down to Penzance to visit our friends at Surreal Succulents. These are the people who supply us with our Aoeniums. They won a Gold Medal at Chelsea Flower Show in 2021 and are hoping to do the same again this year. When you visit us, do come and look at our array, and perhaps take a cutting home with you.
And that’s it for this update. We hope to see you in the coming months.
