Chaplin House B & B

Visit Lincolnshire Funding Shock

We were dismayed to learn that Lincolnshire County Council has decided to cut its funding to Visit Lincolnshire.  This seems such an ill thought out response to the need to cut budgets.  Tourism generates a lot of income for Lincolnshire, and it is government policy to promote and develop the tourism economy, so it is surely shortsighted to cut the funding to Visit Lincolnshire who do such a good job of marketing Lincolnshire as a tourism destination.

At Chaplin House B & B, we have benefitted hugely from our membership of Visit Lincolnshire: attending the conferences and training sessions, and the support from the staff, have all helped us to build our business up from nothing in 2004 to a thriving, award winning  B & B in 2010. 

• What do other tourism businesses think of the cuts? 
• And how can we best support Visit Lincolnshire in their fight for survival?

Frozen Jellyfish!!

We had a great Christmas break away from Chaplin House B & B and travelled up to Wentbridge House Hotel in Yorkshire.  On Christmas Day we went for a magical walk up the Went Valley.  The little river was partially frozen over and we came across these ice sculptures which looked all the world like frozen jellyfish.

There was such a depth of hoar frost covering everything that it looked as if it had been snowing.  The sun caught the ice crystals on the ground and vegetation so the whole landscape was sparkling.

Lincolnshire Colder than Antartica!!

Apparently, with an overnight temperature of -14 degrees last night, Lincolnshire was officially colder than Antartica which was only -10!  At Chaplin House, we managed to keep warm but we did have an issue with frozen pipes which David has worked at valiantly all day to thaw out.  The temperature has not risen above -6.2 all  day so it's not been easy!

    Looks picturesque, doesn't it?  But like Anne Widdecombe, it's time for it to go.

 Lincoln Christmas Market

    We were very sorry that the Lincoln Xmas Market was cancelled, both for all our disappointed guests and for the traders who will have lost a lot of money, but it did seem the right decision, given the atrocious weather conditions. 

What do you think?  Was it the right decision?

Making Leaf Compost at Chaplin House

It's been a bright but chilly late autumn day here in Lincolnshire and we've been out in the garden at Chaplin House raking up the fallen leaves and stashing them into bin liners, there to sit for a year or two turning into wonderful leaf mould to condition the soil.  It's an oddly therapeutic activity, feeling a bit like storing up goodness for the future.

     One or two of the trees still have leaves on them, but most of them are now bare.

         

 

 

 

So far, we've filled 24 bags and stored them at the bottom of the garden, there to remain undisturbed until 2012.  With luck, there are probably enough leaves to fill another 6 or 7 bags which feels like quite a haul!

            

 
 

 

 

And here's some we did earlier!  Wonderful compost from our efforts two years ago now spread on our small veg plot, waiting for the worms to do their work.

Desmond and Leah Tutu's Peace Choir!

 

The excitement is building!  I, David, am a tenor in Choir Invisible, the Desmond and Leah Tutu Peace Choir, which is an a cappella  choir of 70 – 80 voices .  It’s the perfect contrasting companion to the pleasure of co-running Chaplin House B&B. 

The music is mostly soul, gospel and African but our Director, Sally Brown, varies this to keep us on our toes. Or should that be on the tips of our larynxes?

For our Christmastime concerts we have learned some appropriately beautiful new music.  In December, after two concerts in Nottingham and Oakham this month , the choir is on its way to France.  We will sing at the Menem Gate, where many soldiers passed through on their way to the trenches. A  World War 1 witticism was ‘Tell the last man through to bolt the gate’.

There will be two other concerts in Belgium before the choir returns home.

If there is ‘magical’ still in the world, it is in the intricate harmonies of the Choir Invisible voices. 

 

 

 

  

  



Walking by Tennyson's Brook!

  Wonderful walk in the Lincolnshire Wolds this afternoon!  We set out from Hagworthingham in glorious sunny weather and headed off on an undulating walk across the wolds and were treated to views of buzzards, bullfinches and sparrowhawks as well as many small song birds - magical.  Bag Enderby was the half way point - we just love the place names round here as they make us think that hobbits probably live nearby!  And then back across 2 fords to Hagworthingham, a total distance of about 5 or 6 miles before we went home to Chaplin House for tea - a short 20 minute drive.

  Here's David closely consulting the map.

Just beyond this point, we entered the wood you can see in the background and crossed the River Lymm although at this point it's more of a stream than a river.  It is possibly the stream that inspired Tennyson's lovely poem 'The Brook' and it certainly fitted the central part of the poem:

I chatter over stony ways,

In little sharps and trebles,

I bubble into eddying bays,

I babble on the pebbles.

 

With many a curve my banks I fret                 

by many a field and fallow, 

And many a fairy foreland set

With willow-weed and mallow. 

 

I chatter, chatter, as I flow

To join the brimming river,

For men may comeand men may go,

But I go on forever.

Walking along the Foss Dyke canal, Lincoln

 

Yesterday was a gloriously bright day and I took the opportunity to walk from West Common Lincoln along the Foss Dyke canal which links Lincoln to the River Trent in Newark. 
This photo was taken just 1 mile from the city centre! One of the joys of Lincoln is that it is a small city so beautiful countryside is never far away. I stopped off at the Pyewipe Inn for a coffee before heading back admiring the beautiful views of Lincoln Cathedral across the meadows.

TypePad Dummy!

I've been working today on really trying to understand how to blog!  It's gradually coming together and there are now some new features on our blog such as what we're reading, and there are even a couple of widgets - wow!!.  It's beginning to feel less daunting but watch this space because over the next few days there should be some changes to how the Chaplin House B & B blog looks and reads.  And many thanks to Martha at www.machinequilter.co.uk for all her fabulous advice!

Merry Shopping!!

Special Offer: Christmas Shopping two night break!

 

 

 

 

How about some hassle free Christmas shopping, browsing in small independent shops or antique shops for presents with a difference?  Why not book a couple of nights at Chaplin House B & B and then be free to explore after enjoying a wonderful breakfast? 

Chaplin House is offering £10 off a two night shopping break during November.  The offer includes tea and Margaret's homemade Chaplin House mincepies on arrival, a double en suite room for two nights, our delicious local and organic breakfast and a small Christmas gift - all for a total price of £120 instead of £130.

You could stroll down  Lincoln's Steep Hill, dropping into the boutiques and second hand bookshops before pausing for coffee or lunch at the Cheese Society shop and cafe, www.thecheesesociety.co.uk.  Or drive through the Lincolnshire Wolds to the delightful market town of Louth with its elegant eighteenth century buildings and good selection of small shops.  If antiques are your thing, then either head for Horncastle and enjoy searching through its wide selection of antique shops, or spend the day at Hemswell where you will be spoilt for choice.

For an exciting range of contemporary art and crafts, visit  the National Centre for Craft and Design at The Hub in Sleaford.  There are exhibitions to enjoy as well as beautiful items of jewellery, textiles, glass and ceramics to purchase before relaxing in its riverside cafe, http://www.thehubcentre.info.

 

The Dambusters: Fact and Fiction

The Lancaster, and sometimes Spitfires or Typhoons (very much not W.W.II) fairly often grace the skies over Martin, the village where Chaplin House Bed and Breakfast is situated. 

On Sunday, we sat down together to watch a Dambusters programme on BBC 2: Dambusters Declassified. We were intrigued by new information: that an attack on the dams was not originally Barnes Wallace's idea; that there was more to Guy Gibson than a wartime tough guy, and that  bombs-away sights were homemade by the crews. However, local shots of the memorial in Woodhall Spa and other local landmarks made it more personal for us.  David remembers seeing the film of the Dambusters as soon as it came out in 1954 and has consequently never forgotten the name of Guy Gibson's dog which the Wing Commander sometimes called Nigsy. A dog could never be so called nowadays.

Martin Shaw's research and reenactment of the raid made us deeply aware of the difficulty of the undertaking and the awfulness of war as so many ordinary Germans were drowned.  The programme was thoroughly engrossing.

Unanswered, however, and still causing puzzlement, is why the Dambuster's memorial is in Woodhall Spa, Chaplin House's nearest town, yet 617 Squadron's base was at RAF Scampton?  Any answers?

OK then, for a bit of fun, a small quiz. 

1.  Why is the Dambuster's memorial in Woodhall Spa rather than at RAF Scampton?

2.  What was Guy Gibson's dog actually called (Clue above.)

3.  What was wrong with the film's portrayal of the bomb - classified information still in 1954?

4.  Name the three dams hit, two of which burst.

5.  What did the crews have for breakfast?  (Maybe an award winning, Chaplin House breakfast, would      have contribruted to the wellbeing of the Lancaster crews.)

After you've looked at our Lancaster photos, why not check out the following websites:

www.dambusters.org.uk

www.raf.mod.uk/bbmf

www.lincsaviation.co.uk

Lancaster at rest at East Kirkby

Start engines?

I don't think I'll fly today!