{"id":1216,"date":"2025-03-17T21:32:27","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T21:32:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/?p=1216"},"modified":"2025-03-17T21:47:22","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T21:47:22","slug":"spring-has-sprung","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/2025\/03\/17\/spring-has-sprung\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring Has Sprung"},"content":{"rendered":"\n


Spring is here \u2013 hurrah! After a very rainy January and February, fingers are firmly crossed for dryer times. We are now open full time again and seeing guests both new and established is an excellent accompaniment to brighter weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Looking Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

And looking ahead in a different kind of way, we have been putting our thinking caps on to find ways to reduce our carbon footprint. A good and relatively simple step was replacing our plastic complimentary White Company products with a pump system, thus cutting out a lot of plastic packaging. We have also stopped supplying slippers \u2013 it just seemed a dreadful waste as they were used for one or two nights and then thrown away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turning to shower gel, hand soap and conditioner, we have chosen Natural Remedies for their vegan and plant-based ingredients and recyclable packaging – as well as the lovely aroma of Sage and Nettle! Overall, they say that 95% of the ingredients they use are of natural origin. Of course we rather like them; we look forward to hearing what our guests think \u2013 do let us know.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Natural
Natural Remedies<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n


We\u2019ve Been Branded!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n


They say you should always brand your business so with that in mind we decided to give the breakfast room an update with some \u2013 we thought rather delightful – place mats for the tables, with our logo in the top right-hand corner. And in case you\u2019d like a reminder both of your stay with us and the English Riviera, we also have some for sale.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"The<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

We Couldn\u2019t Resist<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n


Now, as some of you will know, we\u2019re quite partial to the right antique \u2013 one that will fit in well with The Somerville. When we saw that two five-foot gold palm tree lamps had become available from a five-star hotel in London\u2019s Mayfair we couldn\u2019t resist! We were sure they\u2019d look amazing in the drawing room and, so far, all of our guests have agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Golden
Sorry about the photographer!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
\"A
Not something you’ll see every day<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

And there\u2019re more! A Congreve clock is one we\u2019ve wanted for a very long time and now \u2013 success! Dating from the 1960s, they work by a ball bearing running across a track and knocking a bar which moves the time on. Let\u2019s be honest – they are dreadful timekeepers! But who cares \u2013 they are mesmerising to watch.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"A
Striking! (Sorry, but who can resist a pun.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n


<\/strong>Local Artist, Modern Art<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We are always keen to support local artists and we recently came across a chap called James doing some rather eclectic pieces. He\u2019s an artist and digital designer living in south Devon and his work is inspired by the peculiarities he finds in his surroundings. His art usually incorporates new technology, digital and traditional methods and techniques. Although he studied art and design at art college and university, he often prefers to learn by simply experimenting. Throughout his professional life James has created designs for some well-known companies and individual clients, but his energy is now focused on creating stunning works of art to sell to a broader audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is a taster of one of the 4 prints we have bought – we know its not our \u2018usual\u2019 style but thought it would look fabulous in the corridor as you enter the front door.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Donkey
Donkey Hote<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ups And The Downs<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Keen to try a new route, we recently decided upon a rather epic walk from Brixham to Kingswear. In summary: 11 miles and LOTS of ups and downs! It took us six hours to complete and it is certainly not for the faint hearted. However, there\u2019s a lot of sheer beauty along the South West Coastal Path as reward, and you can be pretty sure you will only see a few fellow ramblers as you go. Do remember, we are happy to advise on local walks \u2013 strenuous or less so! Just ask.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Steep<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n


And that\u2019s it for this update. Until next time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter and Helen<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Discovering Something More<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1219,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1216","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uncategorised","8":"entry","9":"override"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1216"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1216\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1235,"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1216\/revisions\/1235"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}