New for 2011! Shower screen

Earlier this year we decided to install a shower screen so that our guests can finally have a proper shower! We've had a few requests for a proper shower and I too have missed having one. But it wasn't an easy decision because we didn't want to lose the wood panelling or make the bathroom look smaller. Nevertheless, we decided it was the right thing to do and went ahead.

So 2 weeks ago I spent a weekend at Gannets:

• Removing part of the shelf along the wall under the mirrors
• Building a new frame at the end of the bath to support the riser rail and the shower screen
• Removing the wood panelling along the side and end of the bath
• Tiling the side wall and new frame.

In the last few days we have completed the work:

• Erecting the shower riser rail and shower screen
• Installing a replacement mirror.

You can see the results in the updated "Gannets" Facebook album. The relevant pictures are:

• shower screen closed
• shower screen open
• new view of the bathroom

So now we can offer a proper shower at Gannets! It's been a pleasure doing the work and we hope you enjoy using it.

Short visit to Gannets this weekend

Hello! This weekend Judith and I made a flying visit to Gannets. Thanks for your kind comments in the visitors' book. It's always nice to read of your happy holidays.

There's one or two things to tell you and also to ask you as you spend your time in the house.

1. Shelves under the TV

If you take a look at this photo, you'll see that things are neatly laid out across the shelves. Reading from left to right:

a. Basket of games and puzzles for older children and adults

b. Books

c. AV stuff: satellite receiver, DVD/CD player, amplifier, plus a selection of CDs

d. Holiday information

e. Books

f. Basket of games for younger children

If you play any games, read any books or use any of the holiday information, please put things back as you found them. Please leave things neatly for the next guests to make use of. This makes it much more pleasant for everyone.

2. Books and magazines

There's a selection of books and magazines on the shelves. There are books ranging from non-fiction such as the Bible and a history of Salthouse through to paperback fiction. Please do not remove any books from the house. If you wish to leave a book for others to read then you are welcome to do so if there's space on the shelves.

Similarly with magazines, if you have a recent magazine that you wish to leave then please place it in one of the shelves for books. Please do not leave piles of old magazines in the house as they are rarely of interest to others.

3. Lightswitch in the bathroom

Some of you had problems with this earlier in the year. Sorry about this. I had dismantled the old switch and cleaned it out, but it transpired that this was just a temporary fix. It has now been replaced and the new switch seems fine. Thank you for your patience.

4. Shower

One of your guestbook comments was about a lack of shower curtain in the bathroom. To be honest, the shower head in the bathroom was never intended for people to stand under, and is more for rinsing hair, etc, while having a bath. Our original intention was to convert the cupboard next to the bathroom into a shower cubicle (accessed from the bathroom), once the boiler in the utility room stopped working. Installing a new boiler in the garage would make space in the utility room for new cupboards that would free up the other cupboard to become the shower cubicle.

However, the boiler is showing no signs of dying! It just seems to go on and on. Rather than waste resources -- natural and financial -- replacing something that works, we prefer to keep it while it's ok. This means the cupboard is not going to become a shower cubicle any time soon.

Therefore, our plan is to remodel the bathroom so that we can install a shower screen for the bath. This will mean changes to the back of the bath and the mirrors, and will probably mean replacing a lot of the wood panelling with tiles. I hope to be able to do all that later this year so there will be a shower for the 2011 holiday season. That's the expectation, but I'm not committing to it yet, just in case I can't make the time. If you have any thoughts please let us know.

I think that's all for now! Do continue to give us your feedback about anything to do with Gannets. We're always trying to make it nicer for our guests. And if you can do the same by thinking about keeping things a bit tidier, it will be better for everyone. Thank you.

Peter

Another maintenance trip: Gannets looking lovely!

I forgot to update this blog after Judith and I spent a weekend at Gannets in April. I'm therefore putting that right now with a quick update on what we did.

Perhaps the most visible thing we did was actually to have a bonfire! We'd been gathering material for it for nearly a year, but despite several attempts I could never get it to light. This time, it went up really quickly and burnt up the wood very effectively. Because it burnt so hot, there was almost nothing left and little smoke while it was burning. And I managed to prevent it burning down the hedge at the bottom of the garden or damaging Anna's plum tree :).

We also repainted the bathroom and touched up other walls. Judith repainted the front windows and some of the fascias. I cleaned out one of the downspouts. And we washed walls, floors, paintwork, windowcills, etc, etc.

We also noticed that the oil tank had begun to weep, and have arranged for it to be replaced. We've also made plans to replace some of the lead on the roof where it's stretched and torn following the hard winter.

Overall, I think Gannets is looking sparking for a new year's holidays and we hope you'll all enjoy your time there this year.

Don't forget to let us know if you think there's anything missing at Gannets, or if there's something that would make your stay better. In the past we've thought about a shower, an extra bedroom, a conservatory, a rooflight over the kitchen -- all sorts of ideas. But if you have a view on anything please let us know so we can prioritise our changes.

all the best

Peter

February visit to Gannets

Hello again!

Judith and I have just returned from a few days at Gannets. The weather has ranged from sunny to misty to snowy, but always chilly! Fortunately, thanks to the insulation I've installed and the good central heating, Gannets is always warm to return to after a quick walk over the marsh to the beach. We always wanted Gannets to be a year-round holiday home, not just for the summer. With double glazing and lots of loft insulation it works beautifully.

The purpose of our visit was to prepare Gannets for the year. Things we did included:

1. Meeting our new cleaner. She's really nice and understands the job. Our previous cleaner tended to be a bit slap-dash at times and we became unhappy with things. I think the house will be consistently cleaner now
2. Tidying the garden a little. I tried to get the bonfire started but it was too damp. One day this year, perhaps! Judith did a good job of pruning the shrubs in the front garden
3. Learning of what's happened to Greanacres. That's the house at the bottom of our garden. It was occupied by a nice old lady who has sadly died. It's now been sold and we're awaiting news on the plans of the new owners. We've put a letter through the door asking the new owners to contact us. We'd like to preserve the sea views and also the quiet of the area -- we don't want our guests being woken at 8am by builders all through the Summer :). When we get more information I'll post something here
4. Replacing the mastic round the bath and along the worktops in the kitchen and utility. I felt the mastic was looking a little tired. It's now all nice and clean for the year
5. Cleaning all the carpets with our Vax
6. Repainting the 2nd bedroom. It's a much brighter shade of yellow now, matching the downstairs wall
7. Easing the front door. It used to stick a little, and of course it swells in the winters. I've eased it in several places and now doesn't stick at all! Much more welcoming, I think
8. Checking the state of the leadwork. The snow has attacked it some more at the back of the house and I think it will need some remedial work before next winter. We'll get some experts to take a look and let us know. I don't think we'll see any leaks but I'd like to make sure it's as good as possible.

I plan to return in late March to do some more painting: bathroom, stairs, and all the white doors. Plus some polyfilling as well.

We also noticed that the large barn conversions in Bard's Hill haven't sold yet, nor the barns with planning permission in Cross Street. We will be very sad to see those barns converted as it's so great to have a working farm in the village. The cows were looking good this week, steaming in the cold conditions.

On the subject of houses, the house opposite the duck pond sold last year and has now been extended at the rear. The builders were there this week building a low wall across the front garden. This appears to be to separate off the parking area from the lawn, but it seems rather unnecessary. Still, we'll see what it's like when it's done. The house is certainly improved.

As always, do let us know of anything you'd like to see new, or different, or better, at Gannets. We aim to make our guests happy and comfortable at all times so we're keen to hear your views.

Peter

Christmas holidays in Norfolk

Hello everyone,

Judith, Anna and I spent a few days at Gannets before Christmas. We really enjoyed the break -- the peace, quiet and beauty of North Norfolk -- but we did experience some unusual weather!

Unusual? Snow! I've never seen snow on the beach at Salthouse, nor the salt marshes frozen over. It was that cold. For several days we didn't really drive out. The coast road wasn't too bad so we went to Cley for food (Picnic Fayre and the smokehouse -- wonderful!) but didn't go further. When we thought it had got a little better, we ventured into Holt via Cley (we didn't try to climb Bard Hill straight out of Salthouse), which we found to be totally white and ungritted. Interesting driving, but gorgeous :). I've added some photographs to the "surrounding areas" album on Facebook (linked from the Gannets homepage) so do take a few minutes to marvel at the snow.

While we were there we did manage to take delivery of a new mattress for the double bed in bedroom 1. It's a new pocket-sprung mattress with lots of lovely padding. We had one night on it before having to leave. I hope our guests will really enjoy this added luxury!

That's all for now

Peter