Bye bye blogger!

We've moved! Have a look here for all future blog postings.

The fax of life

Our fax machine is old and tired, so I've spent the past couple of days setting up a fax server on the computer. Partial success so far - it sends (as long as the file is of a particular type) and doesn't receive at all. So that's something to keep me occupied in all this free time I have:-(

Painters were here today and they have finished stripping the flood damaged back wall of the function room. One of the cellars underneath appears to have been plastered - the other one hasn't been yet.

The coke machine has been fixed (new fan) and I need a new part for the dishwasher. Not the same one as last time, but with the same general result (detergent all over the floor). The part will be with us tomorrow by which time I'll be safely up in Edinburgh again.

Bookings continue to arrive with several bookings for parties of golfers coming in. Someone's doing something right and for once it looks as though it might be us. Last night's laterooms debacle turns out not to have been their fault... or ours. Work that out if you will.

Very early rooms

We took a booking yesterday via our internet selling agents laterooms. The booking was for the 11th of March.

The guests turned up this afternoon.

Go figure (as my US friend Frankie would say)

Meanwhile all the mechanical devices in the hotel are conspiring against us. The coke machine has gone up in smoke again, the dishwasher is squirting detergent all over the floor again and the smaller washing machine is making ominous grinding noises,

Still, the Welsh rugby fans were mightily impressed with the renovated hotel. Some of them have been coming here for 30 years and knew the place when it was not at its best. We look forward to seeing them again in two years time.

An area the size of Wales...

Every two years lots of Welsh people come here to watch the Scotland v Wales game. Some go to Edinburgh to be there in person and the rest watch it on tv. The group we have this weekend last stayed here 6 years ago and seem to be pleasantly surprised by the improvements.

Meanwhile we took a booking for May tonight thanks to a recommendation from someone called Julie who works at the antique shop further down the High Street. Julie, I'm sorry to say that I haven't the faintest idea who you are, but thanks for the recommendation anyway.

We've also taken a booking for a golf party in September. Despite all the rude things we say about them it seems that visitscotland has its uses.

Snow in Jed today, but nothing like the quantity they've had in England. Or Wales.

Hair raising driving!

Here's someone you don't want to run into, although he's more likely to run into you...

Removals

Our furniture has been in store for nearly three years. The reason we didn't bring it down here was mainly because there was nowhere to put it. There still isn't, but the owner of the place it was being stored wanted the space back, so it all had to come out.

There still isn't anywhere to put it, but with the residents' lounge almost habitable, a lot has gone in there. There are numerous boxes of magazines, books, china and other things that you collect when you live somewhere for any length of time. We've put most of them into room 1 which is currently a stripped out shell and will remain so for the forseeable future. And we're going to freecycle some of it too. If you haven't heard about freecycle have a look here.

Progress has been good this week. The function room ceiling has been plasterboarded as have the two cellars underneath. The big meat hook had to be removed to allow the new plasterboarding to go in.

I won't mention the rugby.

Try new Blogger beta - It's rubbish!

As you'll no doubt be aware if you've been trying to access any part of it today.

Things seem to be going well at the hotel. I say seem to be because I'm not there through the week. But the function room ceiling has been removed and partially reinstated and the new ceilings are going up in the two cellars that got flooded. In fact the main problem is getting some electrical work that was missed in the November done before everything gets covered over again.

Meanwhile here in Edinburgh I had an exam for the WSET level 2 certificate. Tomorrow we're doing canapes at the cook school which I'm sure will be popular in Jedburgh.

(Pause for laughter)

Bookings continue to come in. Many through our website (revised and updated version shortly to appear) and some through laterooms. We're going to upgrade the single rooms as letting rooms. These will not officially exist as visitscotland do not allow rooms with shared facilities, but they will be there as extras if anyone turns up after we're full.