Easter Risings

I really don’t want to keep talking about my brush with Covid so, I promise this will be my last musing. I’m finally starting to regain my energy and, with some way to go, get back to my usual energy levels. Today, Ripley Market was my first event since I got ill. I definitely felt woolly headed and made lots more mistakes than usual but, I got through it. Customers were wonderfully supportive and, I feel like we got through it together. It was lovely to hear that we had been missed over Christmas and there were lots of customers who said they were so happy to see us that they were equally happy to sit in the sun while we got our act together. I am extremely grateful for this level of support.

So, Ripley today was glorious. What great weather we were given! Mike and I were certainly not expecting such a beautiful day after listening to the hailstones on our loft windows overnight. Nonetheless, there we were in Ripley discarding the many layers we had dressed in at 7 that morning. Wonderful! If you joined us, you may have noticed that we were constantly serving and so the time went very quickly. Today was the first time we had hot cross buns for sale and, of course, crumpets were on the menu again now that I have perfected my holes! We recommend coming along early for homemade crumpets, homemade marmalade and a hot cafetiere of freshly ground coffee. We will be back again next month.

In the meantime, next weekend we are preparing for an Easter Saturday at Horsley Farmer’s Market. Due to my health and our desire to maintain a healthy work life balance, we have decided to dedicate our time to two markets a month plus the ever-increasing private bookings and festivals. Therefore, we look forward to seeing you all on the second Saturday at Ripley and the third Saturday at Horsley. Next weekend, we will have our usual plain and fruit scones plus some specials to be announced on the day. We will be baking more hot cross buns and some Easter themed cupcakes for all those special family gatherings.

Our family life is so busy at the moment. Not only is it our four year wedding anniversary next week but for the first time, we have acquired some one-week-old chicks. That was three weeks ago and they are now like petulant teenagers! Looking after these babies plus the usual adult chickens, two mouse-hunting cats, one Labrador, 3 sad looking fish, a teen, a tween and a hubbie has put my head in a spin. However, we’re all managing pretty well and I cannot tell you how much joy I feel every day when I see these chicks getting stronger by the day.

Easter is of course a Christian celebration of the rising of Christ. I think, whether you are a church goer or not, it is also in nature a celebration of new beginnings. We feel it in our bodies as the days get longer and warmer. Instinctively we know that it’s time to come out of hibernation and make new plans. Whatever those plans might be the light re-motivates us. This is where I come in. My brain is constantly whirring with new business ideas but especially at this time of year. Sometimes I have too many ideas and particularly since there are many aspects to our little business. For example, did you know that we hire the blue caravan for private events by the hour; we can cater scones, cakes and sandwiches for parties of up to 100 people; we have 100 sets of vintage crockery for hire; we make and deliver tea boxes; we sell refill loose leaf tea at the markets and bring our tiny tea shop to the markets twice a month? Did you know? How can I keep people informed without risking information overload? Back to the thinking board!

If you’ve got this far, thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts. I’m still working on our newsletter (yet another idea!) but keep an eye out for discounts on the member’s page of our website. You can also find our calendar for the month. I don’t know about you but, with aIl the madness in the world, I’m making the most of every day and staying thankful for all the good vibes around me. Thank you for being part of this positivity.