I don’t know about you but lockdown has been a time of lists! Lists of chores AND lists of joys. There are the lists for the changes we are making before our guests return in April. There are fabric and floor samples to order, paper and paint to source, measurements to take and materials to match. These lists are all part of the exciting changes we are making to both Kestrel and Hunters Lodges ready for our reopening. It has been so exciting to plan and to list and we have a few quirky changes up our sleeves always thinking about comfort and relaxation of course. There have also been the lists to restock PPE and disinfectants because although we are getting ready to ease the lockdown our commitment to keeping our guests safe from Covid needs to stay in place.
There have also been the “little extras” lists. We’ve been coffee tasting, hunting down something special for our welcome trays and bathing in luxurious suds as we source new body washes, trying to decide which “flavour” we like best.
Then there are the outdoor lists. We are getting the garden ready for spring and in particular seed sowing for the vegetable garden. The garlic and onions are in, the potatoes are next and we are again hoping for a bumper year so our guests can enjoy “food miles free” goodies from the walled garden. Gosh, the seed catalogues generated long lists all on their own, one of my favourite sort of lists on a wet January day.
There are other joys too. Lists of bookings and the pleasure of knowing we will be welcoming back so many guests who are planning to return, some of them for the 4th, 5th and 6th time. There are lists of places to go and things to enjoy that we will share. New walks we’ve discovered, lists of places to eat, some new, some just old favourites and finally over the next 4 weeks there are the lists of finishing touches. Lockdown has been tough but I plan to look back over the lists and reward myself for all the things that got achieved - despite everything.