My Journey from Tyneside Shipyards, Engineering in Aberdeen to Hospitality
🏴 🏠 🏴
With a Little Help From my Friends
So how do we top our last thrilling blog post with talk of breakfast from Greggs on The Nook? Well first lets recap.. We mentioned a family who had travelled from the other side of the world. New Zealand to be precise. They needed a place to stay in an emergency. The accommodation originally bookedContinue reading “With a Little Help From my Friends”
An Old School House
After reading our last blog post just over a week ago an old school friend of mine of over 30 years got in touch. Our South Shields self catering places were doing well. Really well. We’d been fully booked for weeks. And with Boris allowing the nation out to play we are expecting a boomContinue reading “An Old School House”
Hospitality Engineering
I got asked if I wanted to do the Safety Engineering on a Scottish Space Centre yesterday.
I kid you not…
Landlords: We need your properties!
We are expecting a large booking in the next few weeks which means we will need at least one or 2 extra properties in Aberdeen to fulfil the order.
So if you or anyone you know has a property in Aberdeen which is empty please get in touch.
South Shields Guide: Where next? You choose!
Who recognises this view?
South Shields Guide: Littlehaven Beach
For todays blog I have done a straw man structure, hoping to provoke some comments and discussion and will flesh it out a bit more tomorrow before adding it to our South Shields guide on our website. Input welcome. I’m not really sure where to start with Littlehaven Beach (sorry ‘little beach’ guys, it’s whatContinue reading “South Shields Guide: Littlehaven Beach”
Our South Shields Guide: Introduction
Our South Shields Guide: Introduction
If you come here for work or any other reason I really hope that this personal guide helps you find some nice places to enjoy.
And the hot off the press results of the ‘what do you call the little beach’ poll!
Survival, Separation and Soften up
Survival, Separation and Soften Up
Aberdeen City Winter Woodland Walk
During the first lockdown, like many we slowed down. My kids decided to start spending half their time with me which we still do. We bonded more. And much of that was done in our family walks round our local area. The COVID rules were that we couldn’t leave the house apart from essential reasonsContinue reading “Aberdeen City Winter Woodland Walk”
Togetherness
This is a story about togetherness, Christmas and community spirit. Right here. In the heart of a hard working class town in the the North East of England. A special town. That is called South Shields. But it could equally have been Aberdeen! Which, despite some of the negative stories, a spirit which remains strongerContinue reading “Togetherness”
Thanks South Shields and Aberdeen
South Shields & Aberdeen.
Thanks a million.
Keep connecting.
We appreciate it.
Cheers.
Keep Moving Forward
We took a great booking last week. For 2 months from this Wednesday. From 2 great guys from mainland Europe. They are in the armed forces. And coming for mandatory training. A booking we can take and stay within the rules. Like we always do. It was a life saver for both parties. Many localContinue reading “Keep Moving Forward”
It’s a Wonderful Life…
Wow! The last Sunday before Christmas 2020. Traditionally a day of rest! Well I think we can all agree that tradition has went a bit out of the window this year. And here in the UK it is the winter solstice, the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year, whenContinue reading “It’s a Wonderful Life…”
COVID Levels and Guidance for Aberdeen and South Shields – our interpretation and application
Background: We have had some, let’s just say ‘unusual’ booking enquiries recently. Or to use a good Aberdonian phrase folk who are ‘at it.’ A 2 week enquiry to have some ‘time out over the Christmas period’ which then turned into ‘take it for 1 month and if my work is longer will take itContinue reading “COVID Levels and Guidance for Aberdeen and South Shields – our interpretation and application”
Necessary Evil Versus the Power of Social Media
Until the last year or so I have been busy building our small family business up. Literally almost brick by brick. But not quite! We’ve went from 2-3 places to 8-9, 250 miles apart in the last 2 years or so. Make that 258! That’s a fair few extra beds to fill. Especially when you’reContinue reading “Necessary Evil Versus the Power of Social Media”
Fish, Chips and Saveloy Dips!
Castles, Brazilians and photos.
Oor Wullie, landlords and video’s.
Scruffy Pigs, hedgehogs and bubbles!
22/9/20 Update
Well since the weekend when I wrote our last update we’ve received the first batch of photos from Adam and they are GREAT! We took more photos today, and a video walk though of all of the places so can wait to see and share them with you all.
Aberdeen Birthday Adventures; North, South, East and West.
Our latest update!
North East England Local Lockdown
There are new restrictions in place for South Tyneside as of today.
This is what these restrictions mean for our self catering business and our great guests
14/9/20 Sunday Afternoon Family Walk
This afternoon, well yesterday but you know what I mean, I managed to drag my teenage son and daughter out for a walk. I wanted to head into the highlands, or maybe along Deeside but the script from my daughter was to “walk into town.” So given that she accompanied me for a wee tripContinue reading “14/9/20 Sunday Afternoon Family Walk”
Things to do in South Shields Part 1 – Sandhaven to Marsden Kinda Circularish Walk.
You can think of this blog tracing our recent lovely coastal walk as Part One in a Series of Things to do in South Shields which I will be adding to continually in future posts.
I hope that you like it and it and if you do please tell all of your friends.
Cheers, Colin.
Don’t let the bed bugs bite: A day in the life of a self catering operator. 11/8/20
Just when planning planning next social media post guest who checked in last night texts to inform you that he has found and duly squished a bed bug!
Fox and Matilda’s Home from Home
These 2 little bundles of energy are called Fox and Matilda!
Do you want to hear their story?
Staycations
The reintroduction of the quarantine rule for Spain has reinforced that STAYCAYTIONS are the way forward for UK holiday makers for the foreseeable future.
Who needs to go abroad when we are blessed to live on such an island so rich in natural beauty?
Sporting Tales and Highland Adventures
In July we had a fantastic lads trip into the highlands.
A bunch of us left Aberdeen at 4am in the morning to climb Ben Nevis.
We got to the base of Ben Nevis for 8am, were up and down by 3pm and propping up the bar not long after that!
Guess the UK’s top trending place to visit in 2020
Did you know which city was the only place from the UK to be listed Airbnb’s top 20 trending destinations to visit in 2020?
Bet you can’t guess!
A Victorian Townhouse Restoration
Just after the new year of 2016 I bought this Victorian townhouse maisonette in my old hometown of South Shields.
I also wasn’t really sure what I was going to do with the place so I decided to live in it for a while first.
I didn’t want to hurry into any rash decisions which I would regret later.
Our 3rd (Mid July-ish) Update
I’m sitting on our decking writing this on my laptop.
The sun is blaring down and life feels good.
I normally feel terrible when my time with Sonny and Lola is coming to an end (tomorrow they go back to their mams after 2 weeks with me) but don’t this time for some reason.
We’ve had a lovely little staycation holiday.
Joe was a Bricklayer
My Granda’ was called Joe.
And Joe was a bricklayer.
From a hard working class area.
And he was a hard working man.
Loved by all of his family.
The rock.
A Very Different Summer Holiday
So here we are at the end of our summer holiday! The last morning before we drive back up home.
And its been a funny one to say the least.
In the week or 2 leading up to it we didn’t even know if we would be allowed to come!
Thanks to all Key Workers
When lockdown came it felt a bit like when you fell forward off your bike seat as a kid and you landed on the cross bar.
REET between your legs.
Ouch!
A rare event but very painful and there seemed no way to make it feel better.
But we felt lucky to be in a position to be able to potentially help those in need of accommodation.
Happy Post Lockdown!
For someone who didn’t really enjoy social media, lately I’ve tried really hard and persevered to let people know about our self catering places and seem to be finally be getting something going and some traction.
Single Dad Smiling
When we got to Legoland we discovered that it was CLOSED!
The kids were devastated.
I tried to soften their disappointment by suggesting a cheeky look in the hotel.
The hotel was SUPERB.
“Some serious dad brownie points are on the table here,” I thought.
A new Project
My personal life wasn’t exactly idyllic at this point in time.
I’d just lost my contract as a design fire and explosion safety engineer with Shell due to the oil and gas 2015 downturn and needed a project to focus on.
And you are now looking at it!
Lockdown Rejuvenation
So it’s Sunday!
And tomorrow Sonny, Lola and I travel to the Lake District for a short holiday with my Mam!
The first time we’ll have seen her since Christmas.
So today is the last day to finish off our latest self catering place in Aberdeen!
Do you want to hear about how it went?
Post Lockdown Optimism
Sorry I haven’t been as prolific at getting these blogs out in the last week or 2.
I’ve been busy.
A lady called me 2-3 weeks ago.
Someone I had no links to.
So she saw something I’d shared on Facebook about our self catering homes.
And she was impressed about how I was trying different things in these trying times.
Look after your Regulars
A lovely lady called Angela who runs a B&B in Aberdeen and helped me out when I lived out of the area and came back to spend time with my children.
She gave us a lovely homely place to stay for our precious weekends together. I will always remember her warm hospitality.
She also taught me a valuable lesson.
A 40th to Remember
My 40th was coming up.
I felt that I needed a bit of a blow out.
So organised a bar crawl around the harbour area of Aberdeen on Saturday night.
But before Saturday came I had a wee adventure to tackle…
A Trip of Noteworthy Mention
I decided that the rest of 2013 would consist of getting as much fun packed into my time off work as possible.
Kicking off with our first proper trip away in the camper.
There was no set plan, just to head west or north from Aberdeen, wild camp as much as possible and wing it!
Load of Bollocks
I’ve always fancied writing a blog.
Well for a good few years anyway.
And since then an old friend asked “Why are you writing the blog?”
Well I’ll tell you.
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