Is being busy the key to happiness?

Have you ever volunteered for anything before? If you have then you will know that once you put your hand up it tends to stay up for a very long time. The last few weeks have been hectic it say the least!

Added to the usual business of running a Bed and Breakfast Les and I have been heavily involved in the local Twinning. We are ‘twinned’ with a small town near Rennes in Brittany called St Grégoire. This year is our 10th anniversary and last weekend we had nearly 70 French people visiting Holywell to celebrate the fact. We had a fantastic weekend, but the organising has been incredible and all those involved worked so hard to make it such a success. Finding new hosts is always a challenge but this year we managed to find lots of new lovely people willing to give up their weekend to entertain our French friends. All of them have said they enjoyed the experience and let’s hope they develop lasting friendship like Les and I have over the years.

Unfortunately during all the excitement I have developed a bad knee and have had to curtail my antics at Erddig house volunteering with the education department for a while, which is a shame as I enjoy working with the children so much. I also help with Flintshire Tourism and try and keep their website up to date. It was Lucille Ball who said ‘If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it’. My days are full of cooking, cleaning, making beds, organising, planning, negotiating, chatting, shopping, typing, emailing, telephoning, checking and booking, meeting, greeting and ironing. Oh and trying to find time to knit and paint and garden and have time for friends and family. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. When you hear me moan that I am a little stressed or under pressure – don’t sympathise too much as really I’m having a blast.

Some years ago before working for myself I used to sit my office in Chester bored with the job I had been doing for many years. It had become repetitive but at the same time increasingly demanding and I felt resentful of the time I spent there - I constantly wished for something different. So when our life changed and we started running our B and B we also started getting ‘involved’ with more and more things locally.

I thought I was busy then – huh! Busy I maybe but enjoying the madness of it all! So be careful what you wish for it may just come true.

Black Banana Cake

I made Nigel Slater's Black Banana Cake today - with my own addition of a little rum. It was delicious. We had a meeting for the Twinning Association and realised I didn't have any cake to give them or our guests. This recipe sounds horrrble but is yummy. I love Nigel Slater he always makes things look so simple and his recipes always turn out well. http://http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/black_banana_cake_52982

Not a bad life really

As we head into yet another Bank Holiday weekend and towards the end of May – it has been a great month for us, when we have enjoyed both work and play. Despite running a busy B&B Les and I do get the work/life balance right sometimes, and May has proved to be a good example for us. Although as we go forward into the summer months we know there will be more work than play! But that’s the beauty of our lifestyle choice and we so enjoy meeting all the new people who come and stay with us from around the world. Our visit to Bodnant Gardens last Sunday was spectacular and we always feel so privileged living so close to such a great place. Gardening has featured heavily this month with still so much to do but we did manage a trip to Chester for some shopping and dinner too.

We recently got back from a long weekend in St Grégoire in Brittany. We went with the Holywell and District Twinning Association and a group of about 35 went by coach from Holywell catching the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo. It’s a wonderful weekend and starts off well on board ship with a fabulous meal and a good night’s sleep. Arriving in St Malo refreshed on Friday morning we drove to St Grégoire a small town just outside Rennes. There is much kissing and Bon Jouring when we arrive and we quickly head off with our host families to renew friendships and in some cases make new ones.

We had the first of our three hour lunches in the garden of our hosts house and starting practicing our bad French as they in turn practised their English. It’s amazing with just a little effort and a good dictionary the range of topics we covered over the weekend. Off to another hosts house for another meal in the evening with 24 of us sitting in their lovely garden - the Champagne flowed, the bar-b-que was lite and we all had a great time.

Saturday we had a trip to Fougéres, a very pretty town with a magnificent Castle which we toured in the afternoon. We spent a lovely time here and had a great lunch in a local hotel. Sunday we spent with the family and they took us to a Fois Gras farm in the middle of nowhere. Which was a bit strange as we had a tour of the factory and even met the poor old ducks who were being fed corn and whose livers would eventually be the Fois Gras. We then had lunch with 130 French people in a huge barn – obviously we started with Foir Gras and then had Duck Breast as the main course! They sold everything in their shop; from every part of the Duck, the wine they served with lunch and the cheese. Only the French could turn such an operation into a commercial enterprise. It was enough to turn many people vegetarian I am sure.

Sunday evening we had a farewell get together with all the hosts and guests and enjoyed another buffet, more wine and some really good Folk music, and plenty of dancing. We always sing a few Welsh songs and the Breton national anthem is sung to the same tune as the Welsh National Anthem so we always sing it together at the end of the evening.

We left on Monday morning with more kissing and a few tears with promises of seeing every one again next year in Holywell. It will be the 10th anniversary year and we will need to put on a good weekend for our Gregorian friends.

Because our ferry wasn’t booked until the evening we travelled to Bayeux and had a look around the British Cemetery and all felt emotional reading some of the 2nd world war grave stones – so many young people died so we could be free. A really emotional visit for everyone. We had lunch (did we really need more food?) and then a trip around the Tapestry – an incredible thing of beauty and colour still after all this time. We then drove up to Arromanches and had a look at the Mulberry Harbour and went around the museum. It was a lovely day and after a picnic we drove along the coast to Caen for our overnight ferry back to Portsmouth.

Twinning is a great experience and having been part of the Holywell one from the beginning we have made so many friends both in France and locally through the Association.

In fact tonight we are hosting a party for everyone who came on the trip with us so I really should stop typing and start preparing for the Soirée.

Twinning Weekend

What a fantastic weekend we had with our French friends. Holywell Twinning Association celebrates 10 years next year with St Grégoire, nr Rennes in Brittany. During that time we have spent some fabulous times both in France and Wales. This year’s visit could only be describes as 'excellent' as we had such lovely weather. 35 weary French men, women and children arrived on Friday 21st May at 1.30pm and they were welcomed with many kisses from their host families. It was lovely to see our friends again and we spent a very pleasant couple of hours eating (and drinking) in the garden – catching up and practising our French.

Later – whist they rested I rushed around the kitchen like a thing possessed – preparing a buffet for 17 (I had thought it would be nice to have a few people round for the evening). Greeting the French with glasses of Pims was quite amusing – but they loved it. In fact some promising to buy some on the return boat back to St Malo. What a great night we had - in the garden till gone 9.30 as it was so warm.

A rest for me on Saturday as the guests departed for a lovely day at Caernarfon Castle and then on to Portmeirion where they had lunch in the Castell Deudraeth. No cooking for me at all as we finished up last night’s leftovers for lunch (I love leftovers) and we were invited out to dinner with other Twinning hosts. The only problem – the French complained it was too hot – after all they were in Wales!

Sunday we took our guests to lunch at the Glas Fryn in Mold where we all tucked into a good lunch and then up to Moel Famau for a much needed walk . Sunday night was the usual get together for everyone (about 65 of us) and we had singing and more food and plenty of wine. A very early start the next day – and we said goodbye to our French friends for another year. More kissing but with a few tears this time and promises of learning more French by next year!