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Looking forward to having all our lovely guests stay again! We have never shut and have been open to essential business travel only, however, we have had a tiny fraction of guests to what we normally have so it will be lovely to have people stay again. We can’t wait to meet all our new and returning guests to come and look forward to a busy spring and summer. We offer a cheaper package too for anyone who just wants a base without the breakfast basket! The room has a fridge, microwave, toaster and kettle so it is easy enough for anyone wanting to self cater and save on the cost of a normal stay. Please do get in touch direct by emailing us on oldschoolhouseellenhall@gmail.com or phoning me on 07966222341/01785850946 to book! We are filling up quick!

So we are open again here at The Dorm! We have missed having our lovey guests stay with us and we can’t wait to welcome guests again this summer. Things are a little different to make your stay even more safe and comfy, however, we are positive you will enjoy the new changes and embrace them with us to ensure everyone’s safety through these difficult months.

Stay safe and stay positive 🙂

Our 3 lovely ladies have been very busy since they have started laying eggs again. I really do miss their eggs over the winter months – they do not lay in weather that is too cold for them and neither do they lay on dark days. Right now though they are back in action and enjoying a free range around the garden before the bulbs come through. Looking forward to some more garden adventures this season as we get busy tidying the front of the property – creating ourselves a front garden in an area that is currently concrete! Can’t wait! Happy Spring everyone.

Well Spring starts here! it’s finally March and we are looking forward to a busy season meeting lots of new guests and having some familiar faces return – our favourite kinda guests! This week I have planted some lovely daffs… joining the hundreds of bulbs that will hopefully start to flower soon in the garden… This month, work has also started on the School Hall gable end whoop whoop – which has been missing since out arrival in 2015. This is part of what we are calling ‘phase 2’ (phase 1 was the recycled roof). Our aim is to get the building watertight, sandblasted and windows repaired this year ready for architects to design Master Sebastian’s future home.

This blog post is dedicated to the lovely Pat Marsh – you are a treasure. A one of a kind Angel – so thank you for starting the ball rolling or should I say the cement mixer mixing. 

Well this Summer has certainly been busy at The Old School House. I have managed to land a new job starting in September, Sebby has graduated from Grennhall Nursery and is heading to big people’s school soon and the BnB has been chocker! This is wonderful news as having been open for just 1 year, we are now seeing many a repeat customer – these are our favourite sort of customer! The chickens are doing well and have fully settled in laying eggs every day. The lavender is hanging to be dried, the raspberries are fruiting gradually and the apple tree is in full bloom so this Autumn should bring a good harvest! We are off on hols soon to The New Forest, one of our favourite places. Hope everyone is having a good summer too!

So in the month of May, we made the decision to look into keeping chickens! It wasn’t long before Juliet Bravo, Jessica Fletcher and DCI Jane Tennison were coming home to roost. All 3 are totally different in character. Jane is our red headed friend – a Buff Orpington, apparently a bit of a lazy layer Staffordshire chicken farm said! She is my fave at the min! The other two are Cream Legbars which lay blue eggs! Again quite lazy layers but they all make up for it in taste I can vouch for that already! It is really lovely to be able to offer all our guests freshly laid hen eggs for breakfast! Delicious!

 

So after 12 months of being in business, we finally had enough profit to part fund the roof recycling! All tiles have been removed, cleaned and recycled and the old school bell hangs once more where it belongs! Next plan is to tackle the exposed gable end… for those that are not aware, our BnB business is funding this renovation project to help give my differently-abled little soldier Sebastian ground floor living accomodation and a future proof home. If you want to take a look at Sebby’s blog please do as it tells his and our journey so far…

‘Tis the season to be jolly… fa la la la laa l la la laaaaaa… Wishing all our lovely guests a happy Christmas and New Year 2017 – may it be your best year yet love from us three at The Old School House. Looking forward to next year and all the adventures it will bring…!

Over the summer we have been busy making use of garden goodies and turning them into delicious jams. Rowan berry jelly – who would have thought? Raspberry jam, strawberry jam and marmalade. Yum yum! This weeks job is to harvest our apple tree and have them pressed by the experts at Shugborough – can’t wait to taste – perks of this job! This morning we have been designing a little specials menu as a treat for our guests that stay for several nights… here are some American style blueberry pancakes…!

We have enjoyed a couple of weekends of good weather – these have enabled us to give the front of the Old School House a lick of paint to match the Dorm.  We have changed the colour of the windows to a pale pistachio – think it looks lovely! Just need someone who is not afraid of heights to do the upstairs and the eaves now!