Prized moments...: Life changes & new horizons...

The last time I wrote a blog was February 2014....little did I know what I would be doing almost 4 years later!

Sometimes we see opportunities & wonder what it would be like, you know the type the " if only..." ones!... then other times you just think... no regrets, in for a penny in for a pound!

Have you ever maybe wondered who was mad enough to start a business in the middle of nowhere & what drives them?...how did they start?...& what does it take to keep them going?...I did I have to confess!

It must be possible, you see these remote places & they're thriving & often a haven to cherish & I have to say there are actually many such places...

Once upon a time there was a business for sale in the beautiful village of Lockton, in the heart of the North York Moors, a small village with nothing much else in terms of businesses apart from a small Tearooms & village shop with a gallery...which had been closed on & off for a few years. I came across this place through a good friend Helen... I knew immediately it had so much potential...if only...I mentioned it in passing to hubby, like you do, you know the type of comment that plants a small, but effective seed somewhere in the subconscious!..., it worked! (yeah really!) but he reckoned it would be impossible...well, unless you ask you just never know...so we started making enquiries & ideas started to formulate.

If you don’t already know, hubby’s a chef by trade, he’d vowed never return to catering unless it was his own business...can you see where I’m leading to yet?!…

...we weighed up the risks & after discussing with the kids the outcome was: kids were off to university & grown up...& would be leaving home soon anyway, so it was something for us & they wished us luck & if after 5 years it wasn’t working or it wasn’t what we expected then we could sell & know we’ve tried & no regrets... so pipe dreams started to became possibilities ...

We crazily put in an offer for the place, "why not" we said...whats the worst they could say...no?!...THEY SAID YES! really?!...with no time to lose we lept at the opportunity & it was all actions go.

My amazing art studio which I’d just nicely settled in to was about to be abandoned, the kids decided to stay mainly in Scarborough (I dread to think how many parties they had in that time!) while we set to work trying to get some order of semblance... with a minuscule shoestring budget & heaps of help from friends & family it started to come together... the banks dragged their heels on letting us have a small mortgage but thankfully the folks who owned the place were amazing & very accommodating...eventually, Beverley Building society (independent & tiny establishment) lent us the money... it was actually happening, we'd bought (in a fashion) a country cottage, complete with a rural business!

... I’m not often sensible, but rather than spend loads of money we didn’t have we kept the initial layout with only a few alterations & decided to see what worked & what didn’t...& then figure out how best to make it work... as an avid re-cycler & up-cycler it was a great opportunity to create new life out of pre-loved stuff... we wanted a comfortable yet original look... eclectic & quirky, accessible & adaptable... not asking too much obviously, especially on a budget of....er...well no budget as no spare money!

...so within 2 months it went from this...

...to this...

Needless to say ...we actually did it... blood sweat & tears...& much laughter...
we opened Easter 2014

there have been a few alterations over the last 4 years, the menus changed, some of the staff have change, our lifestyles changed, theres been a few layout changes (well we don't want folks getting bored now do we?!)

...& then there was no stopping us...

we didn't stop there...we listened to what folks were wanting & changed the menu accordingly...& then we decided to offer evening dining!... well why not!...Tag's Bistro was born, the name came to me at my usual 2.30am wide awake time, pretty obvious I thought, Tearooms And Gallery & I use tag's in my artwork a lot, simply really!

Its chef's chance to create one off menus & a chance to show off, its relaxed & the tables yours for the evening, the locals in the village are delighted & we're getting regulars from as far away as Liverpool now, folks are booking their holidays around the dates we offer & we even awarded a loyalty prize to some regulars last year!

It's hard to describe how you move somewhere & don't know a soul & yet you make the most amazing, womderful friends there & your job isn't really your job...its a lifestyle. The community has been so supportive & our customers are the best... no two days are ever the same & its a pleasure to work in such a beautiful location. There are loyal regulars & people who stumble upon us by chance to return at every opportunity... we've had dogs, cats, budgies & horses come for tea...& sometimes you can see chef running out in his wellies to help Chester ,the local farmer, catch runaway cattle ...

we've emersed ourselves & boy-oh-boy has it been a worthwhile & eventful journey!

...& the rural enterprise kept on growing...

The Loft Holiday accommodation...

As most arty folks know galleries are great, but very hard to keep afloat... so the decision was made to reduce the Gallery space to downstairs amongst the Tearooms & revert the space upstairs into “The Loft” holiday accommodation.. much more practical (& hopefully lucrative too!) we run this thru’ an agency ... http://www.cottages.com/cottages/the-loft-uk2142

I have to say non (& I mean non!) of this would have ever happened had it not been for our patient, forgiving & wonderful family & friends who have helped, supported & given so much of their time either physically or simply being there to let us vent off steam or share our success at ridiculous hours...or both!

...& still we keep adding to our venture...

We've managed to get ourselves an allotment...fondly knick-named "buttercup meadow" fresh homegrown produce for or homemade food is just the best, & how impressive with food miles...all of 50 paces!

we have a brood of 18 chickens amorously watched over by Alfonzo the cockerel, I have to confess I find them hilarious & marvel at how fab their eggs taste & look in our cooking too.

This last year has seen us look at our lifestyle & what we want or would like from what we do, I no longer work in school teaching & I'm hoping to recover my creative spark, its been a much longer break than anticipated from my art (over 3 years!) so its taking some time to get my head in the right frame of mind...I have a small studio in the house & have made the conscious decision to revisit old work ideas & re-develop & re-kindle my artistic self...

I'm still working on the Gallery aspect of the venture...we have mainly Village artists showcasing their work, well there are about a dozen artists living in the village...& a new guest artist once a season, but the village artists find it hard to service the gallery & not all the artists create work to put in galleries, it really needs an overhaul & what better time to start that than with the fast approaching Lockton Artists Open Studios in a few months...no pressure!...

I'm taking over "The Loft" upstairs to show my work, I'm still not ready to move away from my pebble obsession just yet so you'll still be seeing them around...you do see pebbles in the stream at the bottom of the hill from our house!... If you want to know more about the event & the artists taking part have a look at our new website ... Lockton Artists

Four years compacted into one blog!... from an idea to have a tearooms serving tea & homemade cakes, we've now got a rural enterprise...something of this scale we'd never even thought about ...

I suppose what I'm trying to say is, aim high, seek out the impossible...give yourself time...follow your dreams...take chances...take risks even...live life & most of all...

don't give up hope for you never know, some things are actually possible