It has been a fantastic sunny day after a really windy wet night.
We had to go into Kendal to try and pick some lights for the new bathrooms, it is a bit of a nightmare with all the regulations and trying to get different rated fittings that match.I think we have sorted out the ones we want, we will now try to sort out a price.

We tried to go across the ferry but when we got down there of course it was out of action, to be fair the level of the lake was high and it was still blowing hard.





The views were stunning today and Helen took these pictures at the ferry while I turned the car round.

Halloween tonight and we have some sweets ready in case any of the village kids come round trick or treating.
The ladies have had a scary pumpkin competition at the Sawrey Stores, not sure how many entries there were.

A damp grey day but very warm, the forecast on the BBC says it will be minus 6 by Thursday, I find that hard to believe.
Just the one couple left this morning on their way back to Belfast via Stranraer, their two friends follow them tomorrow.
Walt and Ann arrived this afternoon, they are a couple of our New Year guests, we had a chat and made them a cup of tea then we set off a walk and got back just as it was going dark.
Matthew is in Hawkshead today, I expect it will have been quiet down there.

No Way through this gate




I never heard the rally go through in the early hours but most at Buckle Yeat did.
A much better day on the weather front, it's like spring.

Four rooms left this morning and only one to check in, it will go very quiet in the next few days as we reach the end of the season.
Bill and Jill left this morning with the adorable Holly dog, I have been plying her with sausages all week (Holly not Jill) and this morning she let me stroke her head twice, the only problem was I tried to stroke her three times and that was one time to many, good job my reactions were quick, she must have been badly treated as a pup.

Hill Top closed today, that's always a major influence on the visitors to the village.

Matthew took Sarah, Frazer and Jen to Oxenholme to catch their respective trains, Lancaster, Glasgow and Southampton. A pity it was such a bad day yesterday but I think they enjoyed the break.

We had a good walk this afternoon round by the tarns and then down Cuckoo Brow lane into Far Sawrey.
It seems strange going dark just after 4.30 with the hour change.

Rain all day, just when Matthew has friends staying, they have made the best of it.
Liverpool have won again two on the trot, that's why I mention it,of course.
I am into down loading music, legally of course with some freebies on Matthews coke bottles.
A full house yet again, it starts to go quiet as the week goes on.
The clocks go back tonight, I hope the guests remember,they usually do, if not there will be some people up early for breakfast.



Sarah took these pictures today when her and Matthew took Jen & Frazer on a whistle stop, rain soaked tour of the south lakes.

It was a fantastic sunrise this morning and it was dry at first.
The rain arrived before breakfast was over and it has been raining on and off all day.
The village has been busy with families taking advantage of Hill Top's extra opening day.
Sarah along with two more of Matthew's friends, Jen & Frazer are staying for the weekend, they are all booked in at the Tower Bank Arms for a meal tonight. They arrived at Windermere station and Denis & Margaret who were out for the day called round picked them up, well that was the plan but Jen & Frazer's train from Glasgow was late and they were picked up at Oxenholme.



We called in at the Tower Bank for pint before tea and it was buzzing, just one couple yet to arrive, some regulars from Belfast they should be here around 10:30.

A customers unusal mode of transport yesterday.

After we had finished breakfast and the rooms we had to go to Barrow in Furness, I have an auntie who had been admitted to the hospital and we had 1000+ ceramic tiles to pick up for the new bathrooms.

When we got to tile warehouse the tiles were on a pallet outside, of course they had been drenched with some heavy showers and the boxes just dropped to pieces, great fun trying to manhandle them into the car,I managed to get half of them in and will get the rest next week.

Auntie Margaret looked poorly but was being well cared for and was quite bright.
Barrow lived up to it's nickname the windy city, it was blowing a hoolie down there.



This a floating restaurant in the dock at Barrow.
We did the weekly shop and headed home, the roads were very busy and as we got closer to home the wind dropped and the clouds gathered.

Last day of teas today,it has been the busiest of the week, Hill Top is staying open till Sunday but we are calling it a day.
There will be no walks tonight it is teeming down and the wind is getting up.
A full house again tonight a foursome from Derby left this morning, they kept calling me Duck, nothing personal I am sure.
No celebs in today just lots of wet souls.

A misty morning again but a lot cooler, as the morning went on the sun broke through and it was nice and warm, the clouds gathered around lunchtime and we had a few light showers.
The village is very busy and Hill Top car park was grid locked at one point.
Teas are not to busy again,lots of families about so we sometimes get invaded by large parties.
Heavier rain this afternoon so walk looks unlikely, Helen has just taken Heather to the ferry, her Mum & Dad are away for a couple of days so she is meeting some mates and they will be stopping over at her house.

 
  

These are a couple of pictures Denis took at Tarn Hows the other day.

This is Billy starting out on his trek up the Tilberthwaite round, he and wife Jill got lost one year so he was taking no chances, it's a head torch not a sat nav system.

A bright dry day, this morning Denis started to strip down the wall tops and tidy them up for the winter. I took all the hanging baskets down and he will strip them out.

A busy coffee time then as usual these days it goes very quiet, we have Heather back on board today an extra pair of hands is always useful.
I think when it gets to Wednesday night we will call it quits in the tearoom, we are rapidly running low on certain cakes and they will not keep to next year.

When I lit the fire in Buckle Yeat this morning I noticed the bottom grate had collapsed, as luck would have a quick call to BSK and one was delivered this afternoon, that's service, mind you it cost over £20.

Waker,Graham and Dave went through the village with about 30 cows I stood and turned them from going through a gate opposite, I never had time to get the camera. The cows did what cows do all over the road right through the village, it's hilarious tourists are tip-toeing up the village holding their noses.

Just before we closed we had Vicoria Wood in for afternoon tea, she did not offer any dinner lady type advice.

It has been a really stormy night with gales and heavy rain, but this morning it had dried up and kept dry pretty much all day.
We have a full house again and not too much coming and going all week, teas were steady but not manic.
It was quiet in fact till the football started and of course it then got busy, any way Utd won and it hurts to admit but they deserved it. Willie came in later on we had a bit of a footy talk.

When we finished we headed up to Moss Eccles and did the regular round walk, on the way down we could see this massive shower coming to meet us, we met a few locals and had a quick chat but still kept an eye on the oncoming rain. We just got home and the storm arrived with a heavy downpour.



Not much on the box so me and Matthew are watching Real Madrid v Barcelona it seems a different class of game to the one this afternoon. having said that there is more diving than in an Olympic pool.

Pouring with rain this morning and some of the showers were positively tropical. Surprisingly most guests decided to leave their cars and walk, brave souls. It did dry up and there were quite a few people up and down the village. It is half term this week and we expect it to be a bit busier than of late.
Jill, Bill and Holly the dog arrived this afternoon from Essex, they stay twice a year for 8 days at a time.

When we finished we had a quick walk down to the fish farm, on the way we spoke to Jimmy who lives next door and Willie who lives up in the village and was taking the dog for walk, Jimmy was telling us he got up early the other morning to check why his security light was on and there was a fox in his garden, Jimmy was the once the huntsman for the North Lonsdale Foxhounds.

A dry start to Friday, so I took the opportunity to treat the front path and paved areas of Buckle Yeat with Algon. It is a solution you mix with water and then using a watering can just spray on any surfaces that are growing algae, the Algon then gets to work and in a few days it just eats all the algae and leaves the surface clean, it beats getting the power washer out.

Another job today has been the VAT returns, all up to date now, I just have to pay the bill before the end of the month.
Denis & Margaret have gone to Ulverston, they have taken their car in for it's MOT
and get a couple of new tyres.

I had to go down to Hawkshead this afternoon and in passing had a word with three likely lads busy constructing the new club house at the Hawkshead bowling club they tried to recruit me as a member, I have put a link to their site in the side bar.


This the boys when they did not know I was taking a picture


This is Alan,Gordon and Eddie when they knew I was taking a picture, to be fair the first one was brew time.

I have added another link in the side bar which directs you to the local weather forecast.

Torrential rain this morning and really dark.
A quiet breakfast, only 4 people in last night but full tomorrow and then full till Thursday, its half term next week and the final busy week.

I had a phone call or two to make this morning re the bathroom refurbishment we are planning for November, I think it is all in hand now, the flooring people were here yesterday to measure up for the new floor covering.

A quiet day in the village, not many visitors up down to Hill Top.
We ad a good long walk down the dub and through to Cunsey bridge we then went past Overbeck so named because it is built over a beck, we then went up past Fellborough on to the Ferry road and then at the top of ferry hill took the footpath that leads behind the church and then across the fields into Near Sawrey a good 2 hour hike.




Football later on tonight hopefully Liverpool can get a good result in France.

It's another fine day and I think Denis must be on a keep or get fit kick, he has gone for a walk with Margaret for the 3rd day in a row, so he should as well.
We have two rooms to check in today and one was here about lunchtime.
Derek & Vicky left this morning, that's them till next spring,they have booked their 5 visits for next year.

I was just having a look back on the blog this time last year and it was strange to see how the leaves had turned and the grass had stopped growing, a bit different this year everything is the bit later.

We set off up to Moss Eccles on one of the old favorite walks, you sometimes think lets go somewhere different but with these fantastic walks on our doorstep we maybe sometimes take it for granted living in one of the most picturesque parts of the country, I would not swap places with anyone. As we got the tarn it started to rain but only a light shower.
Matthew is due back from work any time, he has been in Ambleside today.

Margaret managed to get Denis on a long(ish) walk yesterday and he took this shot of Windermere to prove it.





A grey day after a bright start these are some pictures I took yesterday.










This afternoon the sun returned and we went a walk we have not done for years, we went down the Dub Lane across the Hawkshead road and up through the woods to High Dale park, it has been a while since we went this way and there has been some serious tree felling.





We came back down on to the road near the fish farm and then back home, it was a good walk and took about 2 hours.

Sorry to rave about the weather, but again it has been an absolute corker.
We had a full breakfast room and a few guests left and although we had a room free we got a phone call early on and let the room to a couple who were touring around, when they arrived it turned out the lady was American and her husband Danish and they live in Denmark. They had made a detour to visit Blackpool because she had heard so much about it, she told me she will not be returning to the Golden Mile.


A family arrived at the Tower Bank in this vintage car, I was one of many people taking a picture.


A view of the more select part of Near Sawrey.

After a walk we called at Buckle Yeat to make up the fire, a gentleman came into the car park asking where Hill Top was, I recognised him as the guy of "Flog It" the TV program,of course I asked him if he was going to "Flog It" I bet he has never heard that joke before!!


I missed the chance to get a picture I should have said I wanted to "Blog It"
I have to admit I did not know the gentleman's name but have found out he is called Paul Martin and the BBC are doing a program in the area very soon.

This morning it was misty again, Gary had just been with breakfast for these sheep.



Another fantastic October day, wall to wall sunshine.
Matthew has gone to Lancaster for the weekend to see Sarah at the University.
The football scores were disappointing but at least Liverpool got a point. We had a walk up to the tarns after work it was stunning.


The Tarn Hill playground is really looking good with the grass getting back to normal after all the work.

It was a real misty foggy morning early on but the sun soon burnt of the gloom and it has been a fine sunny day.


Waiting in the gloom for some breakfast.

I got the lawnmower out and cut all the grass at Buckle Yeat, at home, and Denis & Margarets,it surely is the last cut of the season.
We are at full capacity tonight 13 guests on Friday 13th.
There is an article in the Westmorland Gazette about the new Beatrix Potter film which is due out on 5th January (Denis's birthday)Rene Zelwegger is being tipped for an Oscar nomination,early signs of how much hype will accompany the film, great publicity for Sawrey.


A couple have just checked into the Tower Bank Arms, they have brought with them a pet pea hen in a cage, it is a bird they rescued as a chick and it now thinks the lady is its mum, Anthony is glad to report it will sleep in the car.


Mine host @ TBA Anthony with his latest guest Claudia

We called in early doors for a pint at the TBA, it was very busy, the owners of the pea hen aka said Claudia was well and had settled down in the back of the car.

Rain again this morning but it dried up later, that seems to be the pattern, still very mild though.
Shopping as per usual today, Kendal of course, lots of teenagers roaming around town today, there must have been a teacher training day I guess.
Just one couple checked out and one in tonight with just one room vacant, full tomorrow.

The two single guys in mid-week took one of our keys back to Blackburn, anyway he rang last night and will put it in the post.

Football was awful last night, I just think the England players think they are among the best in the world because they are paid the most money, it never works like that. The newspapers are all blaming the manager but then they have blamed every manager up to and including Sir Alf.

This morning I left home for the long trek to Buckle Yeat and was shocked by how warm it was, not long after we got to work the heavens opened and the thunder and lightning began, it went as dark as night the rain was torrential, a good test for the drains.



The electrical supply was a bit dodgy and at one point went off all together, brilliant I thought right on breakfast time, but luckily it came back on straight away, not so lucky in Hawkshead however, Matthew said they were off till after 10.15am.
After we finished this afternoon, the rain eased and we went a short walk to Esthwaite Water, the becks were in full spate
.

Walt and Ann two of the New Year gang were due today but Walt is under the weather and so they had to cancel leaving an empty room but the two guys who checked in yesterday asked to stay one more night so we could accommodate them.
It has been a bit dreary today but dry.

Jan & Jeff left this morning for a long drive back down to London, their 9 days went so fast.



Chicken curry for tea, I better take the generator home, the last twice we had curry for tea we had a power cut!

The Tower Bank stays open all day now and it is amazing how visitors have got to know and how many people are turning up all afternoon.