Welbeck Wedding Reminiscses

To be honest with you, I've been a little short on interesting material to blog about lately but last weekend Mr. & Mrs. Kevin & Abi Sutton booked in to celebrate their wedding anniversary having held their wedding reception here at The Welbeck Hotel in 1997.

It was great to see them here again, though I'm afraid I had to confess that my 50 year old brain failed to ignite my memories of their day which was a little disappointing.

As most of you will probably know, we are unable to do the full wedding packages now as we have no separate function room, though we are still be able to host small wedding breakfasts should anyone wish to book one.

Hilda and Sara Denver inspect the top table (Mum still is our gardener and Sara has now been here 22 years.)

I have to admit that I don't really miss holding functions, except for the weddings which although were really hard graft were very satisfying and enjoyable.

The return of the Suttons reminded me of one late Summer and early Autumn period when I seemed to recall doing there being a marriage for us to help celebrate nearly every week. I idly wondered if I was actually just imagining how many we did, so I dug out the 1999 diary and there were seven on consecutive Saturdays.

Happily, I know that at least two of the couples are still together as Mandy Clarke does Irene's eyebrows and Lynne and Glen Maloney have recently been here for Sunday lunch.

In fact Glen & Lynne's big day is probably the most memorable of all of them, as it was definitely the toughest due to the fact that our chef at the time, Stuart Murphy, dragged my mother and father and the head housekeeper, Marie Cassidy all of to London for his brother's wedding and the hotel was also fully booked.

Despite the fact that Irene also had our four children to look after as well as working and I was on duty from 5am until 3am the following day without as break, somehow we coped and the whole experience was fantastic even if at times we were hanging on by the seat of our pants.

We also had some staff tying the knot at the here, though sadly they weren't all to stay the course. I hope Marion and Andy don't mind me showing the photograph below on a blog and it was great to see Madeline the other week who was over from Ireland meeting another former Welbeck employee, Marie.

Of course, Irene and I also had our evening buffet and dance at the Hotel and as yet she hasn't filed for divorce. However, I'm probably lucky in that respect especially as I made the worst possible start to our formal partnership when I abandoned my blushing bride half way through the festivities and walked home without saying a word to anyone!

I'll try and dig out a picture of us and scan it later.

Here's a Tip - Don't back NO.6 in the 3:30 at Ascot

Yes, I know. And there's at least a dozen more along the lines of 'Don't drink don't smoke' but you get the drift?

There is little more contentious in the world of hospitality than tipping, gratuities,service charge etc. etc.

Personally, I abhor the practice of a 'Service Charge' being automatically added to a bill and I was fairly astounded to be presented with one recently in England and asked for it to be removed (though I did leave a decent tip.)

In this case, it wasn't even referred to on the menu, so I was doubly outraged to be asked to pay this ultimate stealth tax.

However, it is legal make this charge (though it probably should be referred to beforehand,) so the British Hospitality Association has written to the UK Government, asking them to legislate to make it a requirement to state openly how any excesses are distributed.

I think that this transparency is an excellent idea and therefore, am about to add our policy onto our website.

Following a recommendation to the UK Government by the British Hospitality Association, we would like to make the following statement:

There are no service charges added to any bills/invoices at the Welbeck Hotel & Restaurant.

All gratuities are given to the staff, including credit/debit card payments from which we do not deduct an amount to cover any commissions etc. to the banks/credit card companies.

Tips are pooled and handed to Irene (Proprietor.)

The total amount of tips received for the week are added up and divided between the staff and it is distributed according to how many hours they worked in that given week.

There is no 'points' system and all members of the workforce are considered equal.

The owners of the business are not shareholders in this system.

Family Fortunes

Time flies!

Astonishingly, on 5th October, I accrued a half century of years on the planet and perhaps even more incredibly, despite the ensuing alcoholic celebrations, I've yet to be thrown off it or even asked to leave!

Therefore, it seems like a good time for a family update.

It's hard to believe that it's now over 38 years since while on a day trip from Fleetwood, I dragged my Granddad around the Manx estate agents and we discovered and then viewed The Welbeck.

And we're still here!

My mother, Hilda still does the gardening around the Hotel but has retired from the business as such and she is very active in what seems like a hundred different clubs, plays canasta on Saturday, paints on a Wednesday, displaying incredible acting prowess, assumes the role of a 'Confused Old Lady' during Civil Defence emergency practices, joins her friends on their UK coach trips and still finds time for a couple of cruises every 12 months or so. I thought my life was hard work!

Lucy, Mum & I at my recent 50th birthday celebrations

My sister, Christine whom I featured last year isn't working here currently and now we have none of her branch of the family on our current staff, though her sons, Alistair and latterly Alex have both done their bit in the Hotel.

Nephews and Niece, Katie

If it's been a landmark 2015 for me, it's even more so for number one son, Matthew, who after leaving The Welbeck and all his other jobs in May 2008, has finally managed to attain permanent residency in Australia with his beautiful girlfriend, Gayle, as well eventually managing to break into computer programming which has been his ambition since before he could talk.

He too has a big birthday coming up as he turns 30 next month, so of course, he did what any upstanding, mature pillar of society would do and dyed his hair green.

Unfortunately, due to work commitments, not to mention having a 10 month old son, Elizabeth who ceased to be in our employ after TT 2006, could not make it over for my big bash, so earlier this week, we headed over to Stockport to visit her and her husband Rodders instead.

Elizabeth with Lucy's son Harry

For Irene, it certainly has not been a great year with the loss of both her brother, Anthony and her mother, Irene whom some of you may remember from her time living at the Hotel.

Although currently injured, she remains the only athlete in the family, following my retirement. No pressure then! Here's one from a few weeks ago when Lucy was a baby.

Approximately, 1,150 weeks by the way ;)

Everyone misses Lucy from the Welbeck, although she still does come and help us out whenever she's available. We were obviously disappointed to lose her but it's much better for her and Harry now that she has a more conventional position with evenings and weekends off.

Harry, of course is now at school and here he is looking all grown up and smart.



Our final full time family member, besides Irene and me of course, is Terence and he is off travelling to Australia and Asia come December accompanied by Lenny Musker with whom he first went to school back in the first year of the new millennium.

And today's quiz: Which one is Terence and which one was Michael?

The Welbeck Restaurant Pre-Carousel Dinners

As I posted some time ago, we will be offering 10% discount for dinners booked for Carousel which is being performed by the Manx Gilbert & Sullivan Society at Gaiety Theatre from 20th October for 5 nights with a matinée at 2:30pm Saturday.

We will be opening early at 5:45pm and the show commences at 7:30.

Reservations can be made by telephone on 675663 or on www.welbeckhotel.com/restaurant where you can also see sample menus.

The Society performs twice a year with a fund raising concert in March or April with their main show being in the Autumn but you can also book them privately or join them Fridays at All Saints Hall on Alexander Drive, Douglas.

By the name, you will gather that their 'raison d'etre' was to perform the popular Victorian operettas by Gilbert and Sullivan but for financial reasons, they have had to widen their repertoire and in the last few years have produced the very successful 'High Society' and 'Calamity Jane' which have helped secure their survival.

Carousel is a Rodgers & Hammerstein classic which includes numbers such as 'When the Children Sleep,' 'If I Loved You,' and 'June is Busting Out All Over' as well as the ever popular 'You'll Never Walk Alone,' which was a massive hit for Gerry & The Pacemakers in the 1960s.

Obviously, it was also adopted Liverpool Football Club as their anthem, though their supporters will be relieved by the knowledge that the Rodgers in question who co-wrote this epic, was Richard and not Brendan their recently departed manager.

Tickets cost £18 in the stalls and £20 in the Dress Circle with concessions @ £16.00 for senior citizens and £10 for children.

You can reserve your seats on: http://villagaiety.ticketsolve.com/shows/873538141/events?TSLVq=0668523d-d57f-45f8-a006-1b7c1e9985a0&TSLVp=e9391159-9a95-4122-b9a3-e09e849e9378&TSLVts=1444131928&TSLVc=ticketsolve&TSLVe=villagaiety&TSLVrt=Safetynet&TSLVh=9d23d1ec8213f17af5689df6e5b578e8

It is a strong local cast with Billy Bigelow being played by Matt Quinn, Julie Jordan by Jenny Quirk and Simon Fletcher is portraying Jigger Craigin.

On our first attempt at the pre-theatre dinners, one or two people didn't have time to have all three course but I think we have now addressed this issue and you should be able to enjoy your Carousel ride on a full stomach.

Welbeck Hotel & Restaurant One Hour Callenge - 10th Aniversary

Sunday 11th October sees the 11th Welbeck Hotel & Restaurant sponsored One Hour Challenge at the National Sports Centre, Douglas at 10am.

Signing on will start at 9:15am and the idea is to walk as far as you can in 60 minutes, the furthest ever was achieved by Steve Partington in 1990 when he covered more than 14km but this race is more aimed at novice walkers, although all abilities and ages are welcome.

Irene and I started together in 2005 when we were both novices. This was probably our discussion after a lap or two which led to me abandoning her and going on to win my very first race.

It could be argued that was a little naughty of me as sponsor but it's history now. We were the Welbeck 'Green Team' and in this picture you can also see the back of our daughter, Lucy (12 years,) our niece, Katie (9 years) in the background, Lyndsay Garbett (nee Walker) my sister, Christine Norris and in the distance, my mother Hilda.

We had a whole team out that day but as yet, I am unable to find the Welbeck Walkers photograph. Watch this space ;) Ha Ha! Here it is and to the embarassment of almost our entire family (Matthew & Elizabeth seem to have had great foresight) :

From the left: Harry Crompton, Hilda George, Christine Norris, Alex Norris, Alaistair Wood (nephew) Katie Norris, Michael George, Irene George, Lucy George, Terence George, Lyndsay Garbett

For younger or less confident athletes there is also a half hour race and one and two laps for the little ones.

We provide prizes (restaurant meals) for the top female and male novice as well as furthest on the day and I'll be making soup for all walkers, officials, marshals etc.

For more race details, see www.manxharriers.com

We look forward to seeing you on the day!

Mission Quite Possible Really - From South Harbour to Cow Harbour without Tom Cruise or Bear Grills

Blogophiles of long or even shortish standing will by now have realised that we but particularly Irene like boat rides and this year for one reason or another, we haven't managed very many.

Therefore, with a sunny day with light breezes in the offing, on Sunday, I was charged with the task of making this happen.

Initially, it looked like I might fail as Manx Sea Quest is currently out of action, the Karina finished for a couple of weeks on Saturday but by courtesy of Mr Google, I chanced upon Mike Keggen who runs http://www.isleofmandivingholidays.com but they had nothing going out on the Sunday afternoon and were booked up in the morning.

However, he did say that if they had other enquiries, he would give me a ring and that there was a minimum of six people at £20 or £120 to book the boat.

A couple of text messages later, I had gathered another 4 hardy souls and the trip was on! What I didn't realise at the time was that they have a brand new boat, The Kirree Varrey which takes up to 12 passengers so we could have have made things even more economical.

Cast ashore and marooned on our non desert island without any discs

In the past, I have always sailed from Port Erin but Keggen operates from Port St. Mary and he rang me in advance to inform me that he was bringing our time forward due to the fast ebbing low tide caused by the Blood Moon.

We were underway before 2pm and the plan was to drop us at South Harbour which was built to serve the lighthouses and we were marooned at about 2:10pm to survive with out any aid until our proposed rescue at 4:30pm. It is worth noting that there are no toilets, drinking water or retail outlets and we were unable to locate the ATM and the Costa Coffee.

I always thought that it was named after the part of the leg but in fact the name Calf of Man(Yn Cholloo in Manx) is derived from the Norse Kalfr which means a small Island adjoining a larger one and it was bought for the National Trust (which later became Manx National Trust and now Manx National Heritage) in 1939 by an Englishman, Mr F J Dickens and became a bird sanctuary and observatory in 1959.

There are strict rules for visitors who must remove their own litter and I'm pleased to say that I saw no rubbish whatsoever while we were there.

The two original lighthouses were built by Robert Stevenson in 1818 but these were replaced by the building on Chicken Rock in 1878 which must have been an incredible feat of construction as even on the mild days such as when we visited, it looks an inhospitable place.

Chicken Rock Lighthouse which is 1km out to sea.

In 1968, a 4th one was built, though it is by far the ugliest building of the four and it was operationally short lived when the Chicken Rock was reinstated as the sole light when it became automated in 1995.

For someone on the Calf for the first time, only having seen it by flying over or from the Sound Café area, the Island which has an area of roughly a square mile, looks quite barren and non-descript but nothing can be further from the truth.

In fair weather it is a beautiful, peaceful place despite the procession of aircraft overhead on the approach to land at Ronaldsway into the less prevalent northerly breeze.

Although there is a path around the Island, the East Coast part of it is less well formed and as we were being picked up at Cow Harbour (thus named because they used to swim the cattle across the Sound to take them to market,) we opted to visit the lighthouse side and then follow the main 'drag' past the only inhabited building, where the estate warden and the ornithologist live between March and November.

We passed rather than scaled the highest point on the West coast which is 415 feet (128m) above sea level and managed to reach the North of the Island without major incident.

En route we saw a hen harrier which was too quick even for my twitcher chum, Paul to capture on film and also a sparrow hawk, a gannet, some cormorants and the usual collection of various gulls and rooks.

Sparrowhawk at Cow Harbour

Most Islanders are used to seeing seals but at this time of year, when the water is probably at its warmest, they are having their pups and I have never witnessed so many of them and they were very vocal.

Scientific name: Bloody Weird Looking Mushroom

We had passed the ornithologist and exchanged greetings earlier in the day but the estate warden caught up with us at this point for a chat. His job for the day was a butterfly survey and he turned out to be a very affable chap, though for us it was hard to contemplate the level of isolation that he and his colleague (from Barcelona) live in, though they are connected by internet these days.

Bradda from the Calf

One of my friends asked how often they made it to the mainland but the only times he left were take his two weeks of holidays at his native West Country (GB.)

Our rescuers arrived just after the appointed time and we enjoyed the return sail and the subsequent attempts to dislodge a yacht which had been caught out on the rocks by the more than usual lack of sea.

A brilliant day, rounded off with a nice dinner in the Shore on Gansey Bay.

Thank you to Marie & Paul Jackson, Karen Chiarello & Robert Currey for joining us. Mushroom and Sparrowhawk photographs by Paul Jackson Post Script: We had guests that went to the Calf Sound yesterday and saw dolphins! Just our luck to miss them

New Sweets & Desserts Menu From Roberto D'Ottavio

As referred to yesterday, our Head Chef Roberto D'Ottavio has created a new Sweet & Desserts menu:



Tiramisu

Charlotte Creole

Apple & Blackberry Crumble

Strawberry Cheesecake

Panna Cotta with Mixed Forrest Berries

Fresh Fruit Salad (GF)

Double Chocolate Fudge Cake with Black Cherry Chocolate served with Cream or Ice Cream (GF)

Selection of Davisons Manx Ice Creams (GF)

From the Cheeseboard:

Chateaux de France Brie

Crockwell Farm Stilton

Selection from Isle of Man Creameries

Irene & Michael Pioneer Port Erin's New Bridge For Some Extreme Blackberry Picking

Our new Head Chef, Roberto D'Ottavio is now firmly established in the Restaurant, so recently we decided that a change of Sweets & Desserts menu was a little overdue.

Remembering last year's glut of blackberries at the beginning of September last year, I had the bright idea of adding them to the apple crumble.

On Sunday afternoon, we left a sunny Douglas and headed down to Port Erin.

Parking on the upper Promenade, we were a little non-plussed about how cloudy it was in the deep South West but we decided to walk to Bradda Glen via the new bridge at Spaldrick which was closed in 2005 following a landslip.

Spaldrick Bridge

As we meandered along the coastal footpath (well as much as you can meander along such a narrow way), it was noticeable that most of the fruit was barely formed, never mind under ripe!

Meayll Peninsula

I am pleased to report that the Bradda Glen Cafe which re-opened 2014 seems to be doing a brisk trade in Sunday lunches and we stopped there for some water and a coffee to count our booty . It didn't take long even for me to reach to 7 & 2/2 and I was beginning fear that our the menu would need changing to 'Apple & Traces of Blackberry Crumble.'

Port Erin Bay

However, following our refreshment, we wandered along the lower cliff and began to find more of our quarry but it either required leaning over the flimsy fence or climbing up the bank.

Pretty Spiky

Never let it be said that I don't suffer for our art and I came a distinct second best in my battle with the gorse and the brambles as you can see from the photograph but our trip finally became fruitful.

Martyr to the Crumble

Toasting our success, not to mention the fact that I needed anaesthetising, we again visited the cafe and as the sun had finally appeared, we were able to enjoy a beer, whilst looking at the truly amazing views of the bay.

Saw this little beauty - Anyone with Knowledge of Nature identify it?

Keep following. Tomorrow, I'll show you the new menu :)

Tom Bozzie Bosworth Shows Us Who's Boss at the Bowl

Last weekend we were lucky enough to be visited by international athlete, Tom Bosworth (the new 'Bozzie' moniker was bestowed upon him by Gabby Logan of the BBC recently) fresh from his performance at the Athletics World Championships held in Beijing only a couple of weeks ago.

At 25 years of age, he is making great strides (if you'll pardon the pun) in his chosen event of race walking and apart from the Dehli Commonwealth Games in 2010, this was his second major championship, following the European in Zurich last year, so he was relatively pleased with his position of 24th 20k racewalker on the planet (8th European.)

He is currently holder of the British national 5k (3.1 miles in 19:00 minutes) & 10k (6.2 miles in 39:36 minutes) records that he completed in times that many decent club runners would be proud of and it is surely a matter of time before he eclipses Ian McCombie's 1988 20k standard.

Tom was joined on the Island by Welsh athlete, Bethan Davies and together they used the Welbeck facilities to chat to local walkers and officials on Friday evening before holding a training session on the Saturday and then racing in the Manx 20k Championships on Sunday.

Saturday's Training Session

They are both enthusiastic, polite, modest and refreshingly honest. Despite being the only member of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team in China without lottery funding, Bozzie acknowledges that there is no point in whingeing about his lot and that he must continue improve his performances to smash through the barriers preventing financial recognition.

Bethan Davies, the women's 20k winner by a huge margin. 98 minutes was not quite as fast as she was looking for but she has recently moved house and also works full time. She recently set the British track 20k record.

He is very much a late developer, as illustrated by Olympic Chief Judge, Manxman, Steve Taylor who read out a result from the u15s when neither Bosworth's time nor his position in the race gave the slightest indication of what was and what hopefully will be to come (he has already qualified for the Rio Olympics 2016.) It is a reminder to us all to keep trying and working at achieving our dreams because winners are not necessarily the ones who initially seem most talented.

Tom Tom Drums. Tom Bosworth helping local rising star Tom Partington to a massive personal best in Sunday's 5k race

Having completed his competition early, Eurosport took the opportunity to invite him to be their expert summariser both during the Women's 20k and the Men's 50k and he made a decent fist of his second stint on the microphone, having made his debut in Switzerland in 2014, though personally, I'm hoping it will be a long time before he will consider making that career progression.

Tom racing towards 20k(12.4miles) victory, barely breaking sweat in 94 minutes, a time that most athletes would be very proud of but 12 minutes down on his best mark.

The great hope is that he will also help to inspire the next generation and there is some evidence that despite a long fallow period in British walking, that there is a healthy future for our event in these Isles.

Of course like most sports people, Tom gratefully appreciates any sponsorship that might come his way. One of the avenues he would like to explore is training at altitude which can be very expensive on his budget, so if you feel you would like to contribute you might like to look at his website: http://www.tombosworth.com/

With thanks to Steve Partington, Robert Currey & Richard Wild for the photographs

Tracey's a Good Egg!

Last year, I blogged about the success of our egg supplier, Tracey from Close Leece Farm, winning top honours at the Southern Agricultural Show and wouldn't you know it, this time around, she's gone one better and claimed first prize at the Royal show at Knockaloe last Saturday 8th August

As well as farming free range hens (and that means free range in the field, not a cage with the door left open,) she also rears Tamworth pigs and Guernsey Goats.

In fact, Tracey didn't even realise that she'd won the rosette for her ovular excellence because she was preoccupied with her Channel Island charges for which she also claimed a first prize!

When we caught up with her, she was preparing the goats for the Grand Parade from which the the overall show winner would be picked from and her main fear was that they'd have to carry them because they're none to keen on walking.

This came as no surprise to me because it's been 6 years to my knowledge since we last had a Guernsey walker competing on the Isle of Man, despite threats from Phil Lockwood, even though many of us have raided their Church to Church Walk.

However, unlike my chums from Sarnia Walking Club*, the goats came good and promenaded before the crowds.

(With apologies to my non-racewalking readers and any Guernseyans of a sensitive nature)

To return to my theme, Tracey is now offering Tamworth Pork, Goat meat and is hoping to produce Goats cheese at some stage in the future. She's certainly a busy lady.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Close-Leece-Farm/351679441591007?sk=info&tab=overview

Despite my ribbing, Sarnia Walking Club hold some really well run events, though they don't receive the kind of support we are lucky enough to get on the Isle of Man, so I highly recommend Guernsey as a place to visit for racewalkers.

Their Church to Church race has been running continuously since the 1930s and is one of the last proper open road courses in the British Isles. All levels of athlete are graciously received, so don't let it fade away. You still have time to enter this year!

https://churchtochurch.wordpress.com/

https://sarnia.wordpress.com/

Stuart Le Noury of the host club winning his first Church to Church in 2011