I haven’t found the paper version yet but Guardian online has a piece in today about the B&B and the Navigation Courses. Check it out here … http://www.guardian.co.uk/enjoy-england/navigation-skills-peak-district

As fruit growers round the country will testify, it’s been a great year for many crops.  Our apples have done really well after a spell of hand pollination by Annette, just in case the dire warnings of the absence of bees was right.  One of them, or maybe both, did really well and out poor little trees are straining under the weight of shiny red apples.  Elsewhere on the Jaret Estate(!), the tomatoes are looking great, the herb garden has had another good year and the honeysuckle, planted recently is looking healthy and growing well.

We were reinspected by the Tourist Board recently and happy to say we’re still four stars and we also had our EQM from the National Park renewed to – so we must be doing something right still.

You may also know that we were nominated as Local Food heroes, a competition run by the UKTV food channel.  We were in the top 10 businesses for the region but didn’t get through to the glitzy finals.  Thanks to all who voted for us and let’s try again next year.

We like to do our bit here at Jaret House – hopefully our EQM shows that – but it’s also nice when we get a natural endorsement.  Our herbs are in full bloom and we’ve been visited by scores of hoverflies, a few butterflies and a few bees.  Here are two I prepared earlier.

Nominations for Jaret House at the UKTV Local Food Hero website are coming in thick and fast. keep them coming. <http://uktv.co.uk/food/outlet/aid/623585> Cheers.

It was the first thing we ever bought … eight egg cups for the B&B long before we had even bought the house… but it’s taken 18 months for someone to order a boiled egg at breakfast.. Today that duck (was should that be hen) was broken.

Our two starlings have launched off into the big wide world. After taking the photos at the weekend, we had a couple of days away in the Lakes and came back to a silent nest. At least the rendering of the back wall can continued unhindered by squawking starlings.

Back in March, a large lump of render on the gable end fell off during a particularly heavy downpour … at long last work has started to repair the damage.  The old stuff has been removed at the side and the rest 0f the back of the house, and Fred is now beavering away putting the undercoat(?) on.  Hopefully all should be finished next week and we can decide whether we need to paint it or not.

Disruption to guests has been kept to a minimum and it’s looking better already.

We’re pleased to announce the arrival of a lovely pair of twins.  Mother and Babies are doing very well indeed and enjoying their diet of worms and flying things!

Another Bank Holiday over and another busy one. Superb weather helped, although yesterday never really got going, spent most of the day covered in a blanket of cloud (the day not me!). Cooler today but as I write this the sun breaks through, so hey who knows.