June Blog
It looks as if we will be able to welcome guests to our home again from next month. As we share our home it is important both for us and for our guests that we continue to take precautions, so I thought I would let you know what we are proposing.
Each guest or couple will have an ensuite bedroom, all of which have a television. For the time being we are not making our first floor sitting room available for guests, however we have a three-acre garden which guests are welcome to walk in and sit in, and the space means that you can safely distance from other guests. You continue to be welcome to use the ecological swimming lake.
A number of years ago in France we bought a lovely old blackboard and we will use this for the breakfast menu rather than handing out paper menus. Under other circumstances we would lay out a sideboard with cereals, fruit salad, fruit compote, fresh fruit and yoghurt. We will no longer do this but guests can order these along with their cooked breakfast. Breakfast will also be time spaced and guests will be allocated a table on a terrace for the duration of their stay. Tea and coffee will also be served to you at that table. Social distancing is being reduced and this means that if the weather is inclement our dining room is big enough, as is the table, for social distancing to be maintained and we will have a one-way system through the house, out of one door and in another.
When John and I are cooking or serving or cleaning a room we will be wearing face masks and gloves. This is for everyone’s protection.
We will continue to offer dinner enfamille and as we have the space, we can socially distance safely. Napkins will be paper and all dishes and cutlery will go through the dish washer. Being at home since March has enabled us to do things which we did not have time for prior to Covid. I have a memory as a child of collecting elderflowers and my mother made elderflower champagne, so this year we made some and last week we tried our first bottle. It is delicious and very refreshing. Dinner guests will be given a glass before dinner while stocks last.
We hope that we have thought of everything to ensure everyone’s safety and at the same time a relaxing and enjoyable stay. The garden surrounds the house which provides ample opportunity either to avoid people or to socialise at a safe distance. The garden has reached a degree of maturity which makes all areas interesting, even the new orchard towards our field is making progress and this year has quite a lot of fruit. Our latest flowerbed, styled the Covid Curve, is still in its infancy, as is the Birthday Bed but at least plants have still been growing during lockdown!
The early glorious weather has brought many things forward and we picked the gooseberries this week. There are already jars of gooseberry and elderflower jam and raspberry and gooseberry jam in the cupboard. The raspberries need picking daily and, on some days, I have picked twice, such is the amount of fruit and this year looks like providing a good fig, plum and apple harvest.
If anyone is considering visiting us and has any queries please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We enjoy sharing our home and garden but at the end of the day it is our home and we want to feel comfortable in our home as well as providing an environment in which guests can relax safely. We look forward to seeing previous guests again and welcoming new guests.