Long time no speak!

First of all huge apologies!  I can't believe it has been over a month since our last post!  We have been busy both with Capsaicinoia and just generally enjoying life.  It took an email from a reader to remind me that I had let things slide a little.

So where are we now?

Capsaicinoia did our first Chilli Festival at Eastnor Castle in Ledbury on the 6th and 7th of May and had a fantastic time.  It was busy, fun and overall a great success!  We made lots of sales and got great feedback on both the products and the overall concept.  We learnt a lot too and came back with a list of things to do to ensure that the next one is even better.  The next one is the Somerset Chilli Festival
at Bath Racecourse on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th of June.  I can't be there as I finally am getting my new shoulder on the 25th of May but Matt is going to help Mike out.

What else have we been up to...

Mike had a birthday on the 25th April and to celebrate we went to see the Cirque du Soleil at the NIA with Ellana and then had a meal at Bank in Brindley Place.  He is now officially retired!

I saw the surgeon on the 23rd April and its all steam ahead for the 25th May......

We have met up with a few ex-colleagues through the month and the more we hear about how things are for them the happier we are to be where we are and doing what we are doing.  No regrets for sure....

We actually have a life now - we have had friends to visits and been to visit others to an extent that was never possible before.  Life is good!  When I flicked back through the diary to work out just what we have been doing since the last post most of it has been socialising!

Pre Eastnor - We had lunch in Leicester one day with one of Mike's ex colleagues, I had dinner out with my BF one night, we watched the Man U Man City match with some friends over a curry and went out for another curry another night with our neighbours. We had an American friend who lives in Belgium who we met in Vietnam to stay for a day or two and we took her on the grand tour of Birmingham including the Mailbox and our favourite Sushi place (Shogun Teppanyaki), Brindley Place and the Canals, the ICC and the new Library, a quick look at the Staffordshire Hoard, a beer in the Post Office Vaults, Selfridges and the Bull Ring.  Phew....

Post Eastnor - We had a fellow ex-sales manager and her family over for a West Indian Sunday lunch including my own recipe Rum Punch Ice Cream!  Finally, last weekend was spent with an ex member of my team and her wonderful family who spoiled us rotten with some wonderful Indian cooking.

Its surprising we have had any time left for work but throughout it all we have been slowly but surely expanding the business.  We are still trying to engage a good accountant and we have been gradually building up the product range and stock levels and are on track for 100 products by the end of the summer.  We have just started to develop our range of Hampers Hampers and Gift Boxes.

While things are going well with the business, the house sale is not really progressing at all. We have had a few viewings but so far no offers.  To be honest we are very much going with the flow now and pretty philosophical about it.  What will be will be.....or as the Scots say...what's for yae will nae go past yae......

Oh, and we have joined Costco on the strength of Capsaicinoia and bought a garage full of loo rolls and cleaning products a couple of weeks ago!

So that's us pretty much up to date!  We went up to Yorkshire for a family funeral yesterday and are catching up with ourselves before my op on Friday - I don't suppose I'll be typing for a wee while after that but hopefully I'll manage a one finger left handed effort soon....

It's official - we are Market Traders!

Since the last post we have had a real push to accelerate the growth of Capsaicinoia.  If we move to Scotland in the Autumn (fingers crossed) we need it to be ticking over nicely as we will be giving 99% of our attention to the Guest House business and it might be a little more difficult to promote and manage logistically due to the remote location.
We have decided that the best way to do this is to boost sales and promote the business at the same time by doing some Markets and Chilli Festivals throughout the summer.
We took a trip along to the Wellesbourne Airfield Market on the Easter Bank Holiday Monday.
http://www.wellesbournemarket.co.uk/
It was a dreary day, wet and windy and we probably did not see the market at its best.  We had almost decided it was not for us when we stopped to chat to a couple of traders who ran a little gift shop in the Cotswolds and had decided to give the market a go.  They felt it was well worth the money and gave us some helpful advice about how to go about it.
So, we got home and it was all steam ahead to get set-up for this and the Chilli Festivals that are happening all over the UK from May to September.  Mike has put together a list of events that we want to attend and is gradually registering us for them all.  The first will be the Eastnor Castle Chilli Festival on the 6th and 7th of May.
http://www.eastnorcastle.com/special_event.aspx?id=246
It's fair to say we are excited about this.  Me especially much to Mike's irritation.
So what have we done to get ready for this?  Well firstly we have seriously increased our stock levels in anticipation.  A risky strategy as so far we have only sold a few bits and pieces to friends and family on the web-site.  Fingers crossed it will pay-off.
We have also purchased a Heavy Duty Gazebo and two Tables, some new Business Cards, a Banner and some 10% off Promotional Flyers (from our local Printers who are brilliant!),
http://www.paperandprint.co.uk/
a Cash Box, some biodegradable bags, price labels, a receipt book, a cash book and a big calculator.  Oh, and we have joined the Market Traders Federation to take advantage of their public liability insurance.  Ready to go!!!!
http://www.nmtf.co.uk/
We have also been gradually expanding the product range as funds permit but they are running low until we make some serious sales.  I managed to source and purchase some snazzy Chilli USB Sticks from a guy in China - that was good fun!  Let's hope they are as good as they look when they arrive.
We have realised that to increase our turnover quickly we also need to increase the average price of our products as well as maximising profits.  The main way we are going to tackle this is through the development of chilli lover Gift Boxes which will essentially be collections of our products in Large, Medium and Small boxes with varieties for Him and Her and in Mild Medium and Hot.  That is our next project after we are ready for the festivals.
We have also, changed from postage being included in our prices to getting the customer to select a postal option of their choice and pay for it on top.  This was largely due to the fact that including the postage in our prices made them appear high and the increase in the Royal Mail prices further exacerbated this issue - that was a bit of a slog sorting that one out but all done now.  Phew...
So here's hoping we have a successful summer...................................We need Capsaicinoia to start making money, the house to sell and my shoulder surgery to happen soon and to go smoothly.

Back home at last.

March has been a truly crazy month!  We got home on the 1st of April and yes, we have found the Guest House we want to buy.  Hoorah!
Funnily enough the place we went to Scotland to see in the first place, Polcraig in Lochinvar, turned out to be the best one by a long way.  It ticked all our boxes;

• beautiful location, remote and rugged but with enough tourists and other visitors in terms of fishing, hiking and shooting to give a good occupancy rate over the year
• immaculate condition with 6 en suite letting rooms
• good price
• thriving business 
• good owner accommodation

Essentially, we could walk in tomorrow and run it as it is with no problem and no need to change anything unless we really needed to or wanted to put our own stamp on the place in terms of decor etc.
We just need to sell the house now!  We'll probably need a little commercial mortgage just to top it up but fingers crossed that will work out OK?!?

Our last post was after the first week of the trip when we were really feeling very despondent, the weather was truly awful as were the businesses we visited.  The towns we stayed in Fort William and Oban were also a little disappointing as we could not see ourselves living there.  We'd almost decided Scotland and the whole B&B thing was not for us after all.

Things really began to change the day we left Oban to spend the weekend with my friend Jane in Inveraray.  She is the Castle Manager and works for the Duke and Duchess of Argyll.
http://www.inveraray-castle.com/
We decided to forget the search for the B&B and just have a nice weekend.  Mike had asked his Mum (she died many years ago but he believes she is always looking after him) to make the sun shine for us as a sign that we were doing the right thing and that Saturday was the start of a week long heatwave that saw the hottest temperatures in Scotland since 1957, coincidentally the year that Mike was born.  We had a fantastic weekend in Inveraray great location, great pubs and restaurants and lovely people.  We even saw a couple of businesses with real potential simply by chance!  However, again they all had a few points that were just not quite right.  Nevertheless, things were looking up and we began to to get our enthusiasm and positivity back.

After our rejuvenating weekend we headed back over to Edinburgh and, after a night in the Gordon Arms, picked up Mum and Dad to head north to Lochinver.


We broke the 5 hour journey in a place called Tomatin just north of Aviemore and Kingussie where we viewed another Guest House which was the most promising so far.  It would have been perfect but for the location and the layout of some of the rooms and bathrooms.  Things were still looking up.


At Tomatin we stayed at the Glenan Lodge Bed Breakfast http://www.glenanlodge.co.uk/ and visited the Distillary - much to the delight of Dad and Mike who both came a way with a bottle of 18 year old malt!  http://www.tomatin.com/

We then headed up to Lochinver and had a wonderful couple of days there.  After all the disappointment to was a delight to walk into Polcraig which is everything we are looking for and it felt good from the moment we arrived until the moment we left.  Cathel is a darling and we really enjoyed his company.  Mum and Dad had a great time too.  Mums family came from this remote part of Scotland and we took them for a drive to see the house her mother grew up in.  She'd love it if we bought Polcraig and Cathel has pretty much said the same.  Fingers crossed!!!!!  One of the highlights of this part of the trip was a visit to the Falls of Shin - Harrods comes to the Highlands and jumping salmon - thoroughly recommended!  http://www.fallsofshin.co.uk/

We had made up our mind that we could find nothing better than Polcraig and cancelled all out other viewings.  What followed was a whirlwind tour of Scotland with Mum and Dad.

First stop was Bonar Bridge and while we were there we spend a day having lunch with some old friends of Mike's who live near Beauly.  We also spent a day driving up to John O'Groats just because we could.  We spent a night in Forres while Mum and Dad visited some friends.  Their friend Gordon has had Motor Neurone Disease since 2006 and meeting him was one of the most memorable moments of the trip - a truly inspiring man.  If he can be positive and live life to the full every single day then there is absolutely no excuse for the rest of us!

From Forres we headed to Aberdeen for a few days where we stayed at the home of some other friends of Mum and Dad who kindly let us use their house while they were in Australia.  This was a couple of days of memories and nostalgia for me visiting my old school and teenage haunts.  By now the weather was unbelievable and we spent a morning on the beautiful beach at Balmedie in short sleeves. We would have been in sandals of we had brought them with us!!!

We then headed back to Edinburgh and spent a couple of days with another old friend of Mike's in Newington.  While we were there we visited the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens and had a great night out at a Karine Polwart http://www.karinepolwart.com/ concert in the Greyfriars Kirk.  We walked the length of the Royal Mile, a favourite pastime of ours before heading down to Leith where we had dinner and spent the night with my cousin Bill and his partner Ken before picking Mum and Dad up again and heading for home via Harrogate.

The trip ended with a fantastic weekend in Harrogate at my sisters where we celebrated Mum and Dad's 55th Wedding Anniversary and I was reunited with Fiona who has returned from Oz for a 3 week holiday before going back for her second and possibly final year there.  The whole family were there, both my sisters and their children and both my two Fiona and Matthew.  Mike's children were also all expected but all except Michael had to cancel at the last minute which was a little disappointing.

What a mad month!  It is great to get home although it has been hard to settle after such a long time away and also to not have had the house to ourselves after a tiring trip.  At the same time it has been wonderful to spend time with Fi after a year apart and we have done all the Mother Daughter things together like bra shopping and catching up with East Enders.  I think Mike has found it a little irritating....

Two other things to mention before finishing this very long post!!!

We have bought a car!  We have gone for a Nissan X-Trail as we have been advised that we will need a 4 wheel drive for Lochinver and we are planning to do some markets and festivals this summer with Capsaicinoia and will need a large boot for transporting stock and equipment.

Finally, Capsaicinoia is officially open and stocked with a full range of products - just waiting for our first proper sale now..........

The Search for a Bed and Breakfast

Well, we have not dropped of the face of the earth but rather have been on a serious mission to find a Bed and Breakfast on the West Coast of Scotland.  We left home on the 12th of March and spent a lovely couple of days with some friends in Biggar before heading north.
The car has been playing up and threatened to put paid to our plans but after several hours in garages in Wishaw and Fort William we finally started our quest on the 14th.
It is now Saturday the 17th and have seen 8 properties so far with a final one today at 11am.  Generally it has been a disappointing experience.  The weather has been grim as have many of the properties.  The market is depressed as are the owners some of whom have been trying to sell for several years!  Honestly, we have not seen anything we have fallen in love with with one exception and that is a little out of our price range and would involve a mortgage which we were trying to avoid.
We have pretty much realised that we won't get what we want for our budget and then it becomes a toss-up between borrowing to upgrade an existing business that we can afford, or borrowing to buy a business that is ready to walk into and start trading.
The search continues..................

Naga Chilli Vodka!

We have a had a great week since the last post!  Capsaicinoia is coming together and we have done most of what we need to do before we leave it alone for a few weeks and then launch for real in April.
Although we were not expecting to make any sales in this trial period it would be nice to make just one!

Last Sunday evening we went to the Warwick Arts Centre to see Ruby Turner.  She was truly amazing and it was a great night.  Very talented, soulful and professional with an excellent backing band.  She delivered a 2 hour programme of soul, rock and gospel including a moving version of "Stay With Me Baby" as a tribute to Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston.  She was down to earth and really engaged with the audience who initially appeared pretty staid and middle aged but by the end the whole place was rocking!

http://www.rubyturner.com/

http://www.warwickartscentre.co.uk/

On Thursday we had tickets to see Rebecca Ferguson that we bought some time ago and we decided to make a day of it - just because we can!

We headed into town for lunch at Asha's.

Asha’s Executive Lunch
£12.95 per person
Price includes a beer, glass of wine, soft drink or water
Starters
Please choose from one of the following
Kebab Platter
(Chicken Malai Kebab, Lamb Seekh Kebab, King Prawn Tikka)
or
Vegetarian Kebab Platter
(Paneer Ka Soola, Aloo Tikka, Papdi Chat)
Main Course - Served as soon as Starters are finished
Please choose form one of the following
Chicken Tikka Masala
Lamb Roganjosh
Panjim Fish Curry
Kadhai Paneer
Accompanied by
Pulao Rice
Vegetable Raita
Papadoms
Selection of Breads
Tea / Coffee

Great food, great location, good service, good value for money - what more could you want?  Oh and the sun was shining!

http://www.ashasuk.co.uk/

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering round town looking for potential products for Capsaicinoia.  We found a few things including a great little cookbook by Dan May which we are definitely going to stock.

The highlight of the afternoon was a tasting session in Selfirdge's of the Master of Malt Naga Chilli Vodka.  OH MY GOD!  We tried a tiny taste initially on the end of a straw and after that a little sip.  It nearly blew our heads off!  The heat went on and on and on.......About 5 minutes afterwards we actually experienced physical effects like abdominal pain, sweating and lightheadedness.  Try it if you dare!!!!

http://www.masterofmalt.com/vodka/100000-scovilles-naga-chilli-vodka/

We went to have a cold beer to cool our mouths and recover and found for the first time the delightful Post Office Vaults pub.  Birmingham's newest free house selling the largest range of foreign bottled beers in the city as well as 8 perfectly kept real ales.  I had a Kriek and Mike a Freedom Stout.  Lovely!  Definitely worth a visit.

http://www.postofficevaults.co.uk/

We ended the day at the Rebecca Ferguson concert in the Symphony Hall.  She was supported by Jay James Picton who has just released his first single "Plat it by Heart" and was surprisingly good for a support act and got a good reaction from the audience.  Apparently, five years ago he had never sung or played a note and now Booker T Jones, Roger Daltrey and John Legend are all admirers of his unique soulful voice.

http://www.jayjamespicton.com/

Rebecca was brilliant.  She looked and sounded beautiful.  Her voice is smooth and soulful, her songs are emotional and sincere, she engages with the audience with an endearing humility, ever grateful to the people who helped get her where she is today.  On the downside she only performed for an hour and with retrospect still came across as a little shy and restrained at times.  I'm sure with more experience and audience reactions like the one she got in Birmingham on Thursday night she will grow in confidence and develop a stronger stage presence and a longer repertoire.  I'd definitely pay to see her again.

http://www.rebeccaofficial.com/gb/home

Watch Mike's Beard Grow.

Well the beard growing episode  has come to a sudden end.  We did make 4 weeks and this was indeed the minimum requirement but a sudden bit of news about the application for Barbadian Citizenship has necessitated and emergency shave.  Basically 3 passport photos were urgently required.  So feast your eyes on the final images of Mike with hair - probably a sight that will never be seen again!

Watch Mike's Beard Grow

3 weeks ago Mike made a rash promise to his grand-daughter that if she got 70% in her biology test he would not shave his face or head for a month.  She got 80% and the general consensus is that this means 6 weeks without shaving.  A couple of people have even said they'll make a donation to charity if he goes through with it.  Some friends of ours post a picture of their baby next to a large teddy bear on Face Book every week or so called "Watch Quinn Grow".  So, to "steal with pride" a Pfizer expression I have stolen with pride the idea and proudly present "Watch Mike's Beard Grow".

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3