Staff Maintenance

February 26th, 2010 by admin No comments »
Staff Maintenance

Staff Maintenance

As much as I will probably be bashed about the head for posting about our annual staff party… posting this picture is an absolute must…!! The first picture you see is unfortunately aimed at any customer who visits in the days prior to our party… it is unfortunate, but alas, we would rather say we are having staff maintenance rather than “electrical problems” which we have done for previous parties!

Ok, I don’t know who is going to get bashed about the head more for this.  I did not start this thread, however, I have been itching to post it anyway.  The Boss (Craig, overworked Internet Manager – or so he says ;) )) is on holiday right now – so what are the chances of him reading this?? Hmmmm.

Decisions, decisions….

Oh, and the staff party was really, really good fun!

Oh dear.  My hand must have slipped.  This seems to have posted all by itself!

As an after thought – what other photos might end up on here is not even worth thinking about – so careful, Mr Dearden or you might just get a bash on the heed!

Further update:

I thought that I would ‘get in here’ first and post some safe pictures.  Last year, we had two staff members retiring – Petra, one of our bakers, who worked with the family for 26 years…. my goodness.  Petra worked in the restaurant from day one of her employment.  Sadly Petra lost her husband to cancer last year and decided to retire.  She was unable to make it to the Party, however, we wish Petra well in her retirement so she can spend more time with her family, particularly the grand kids!

Cathy has also retired.  This last stint of her employment was 11 years, however way, way long before that, she worked with us, so racked up about 15 years in the business.  She will be missed in the Filling Station team – she was really good at keeping the boys in the filling station in check!

Cathy being presented with flowers by Ken

I personally think it is lovely when we have members of staff that stay for years. We have had so many families working with us over the 45 years, and in some cases, we have had the third generation starting their working lives with us.  We like to think that we give all the kids that work with us a good start in life, and give them a bit of confidence that is needed to face the big world outside of Tyndrum!

I have to confess that I start to feel old when some of the kids come to work with us….We have a true family business, that’ s for sure! It’s interesting when you put new starts through induction – and take them on a tour of the business, introducing them to the staff… we do have a few staff who are related so it’s always advisable to let everyone know who is who!!

Iain and Fiona

The staff party is held every year and is our thank you to our staff for their hard work. We do appreciate the effort that they all put in, and it gives us all a chance to let our hair down for the evening!

As you can see by the photo on the right, we were having a pretty good time! On the left is my brother, Iain Wilkie (nice shirt and tie, bruv) and that is me on the right with my sensible face on…. I won’t say who was on the other side of the camera….. I was sticking my tongue out at him…. hehe!

I think I have managed to omit that important bit of information – the business celebrates 45 years this year. Goodness.

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Covering ceilings and other renovations!

February 25th, 2010 by Fiona No comments »

Trying to keep the mess to a minimum!

It’s still all go here.  The Restaurant ceiling has been done, painted and just needs little bits and bobs done to it to finish it completely.  In the middle of the renovations it was a bit messy and confusing for both staff and customers when the plasterers were making a mess! I have to say, the plasterers did an amazing job. Not only were they tidy, but the huge ceiling was covered in no time.

Getting Plastered!

Above, you can see where the plasterers were working.  All the surfaces were very carefully covered so that there would be minimum mess! I have to say I was pretty impressed! Once the plaster was dried, in came Alan and Kevin to do the painting – that must have involved one or two tins of paint, that’s for sure! What has resulted is a lighter, brighter restaurant.  We have to admit that there were one or two people that were very unsure about covering the pine ceiling, however now it’s done, everyone loves it! Here’s what it looks like now – and there’s Lesley Wilkie – one of the founding partners enjoying her breakfast – over on the left hand side!

Brighter Restaurant!

Now there are only one or two finishing touches to be done in the Restaurant, but the main work is complete – so well done team!

Next on the list is the Outdoor Store.  Last year when we moved it, we literally put the stock into the existing shop fittings.  As Catherine and her team have discovered, it has not been very practical, and what should have been a bigger shop with more space, ended up being jam-packed.

Last year, the Snack Stop and the Perfect Present swallowed up all the finances with their major re-constructions, so now it is the turn of the Outdoor Store:

The sectioned off Outdoor Store

The outside walls of the shop are being removed and replaced with slat walling so we have more hanging space so we can display a greater range of products, have a more logical flow to the shop and hopefully make a better shopping experience!A big bonus with this renovation has resulted in extra floor space that none of us had considered, so it’s all good!

The back wall of the Outdoor Store

We have actually started the renovations two weeks ahead of our original plan.  Yet again, we have managed to capture the local tradesmen (that’s Andrew Riley in the picture).  What we didn’t bargain for was Catherine being on holiday – so when she comes back, I think she might just get a wee surprise!  It has been hard work this week for the team – ably led by Fiona, Catherine’s assistant manager.

Thank you to our customers who are having to put up with the banging and  sawing going on! We hope to have a completed Outdoor Store for you to enjoy very soon!

New products coming soon….

February 12th, 2010 by Fiona No comments »

Irene, Lynne and I are just back from the Spring Trade show in Birmingham.  The show is just huge – we went down to Birmingham on Sunday and came back up on Thursday.  There were 17 halls of everything from DIY (shudders inwardly) to gifts, games, clothes, scarves, bags… you name it, we saw it all! We go down to the shows with an open mind and comfy walking shoes.

The day starts with a good breakfast (needed) caffeine (also needed) and a bag packed with note book and a sense of humour! By 3.30 each day, you have given up the will to live, or walk another yard.  The day’s topped off with a meeting over a glass of wine/gin/whisky (whatever your tipple) and the day’s finds discussed.  So many people think that going to these shows is a breeze.  I have to say that it’s quite the opposite.  It’s a hard graft, and you need to concentrate! It is worth it though! To be able to purchase the newest exciting products makes the visit worthwhile!

It would take a huge blog to explain the lot, so I will put in a couple of products that I have bought, that I really am looking forward to having on the shelf!

Over the years, I have collected loads of vacuum mugs.  I have a cupboard full in the house. Don’t get me wrong, you may think that vacuum mugs are just vacuum mugs. They’re not.  They have to be leak proof, indestructible, keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold.  That might seem obvious, however, there are some not-so-good ones out there !

I have been hunting for the best mug  for sale in the business – Lynne found it, I ordered them, and I got an email today to confirm that they have been shipped.  I would have to say that is really efficient! So here we go, arriving soon in the business are Contigo mugs.  Fun, funky colours and ones for the kids too! I will be grabbing one of these mugs and testing them as soon as they arrive…. I will also be making sure that the kids ones are tested too!

Continuing on a practical vein, we have picked up an amazing new line of snack boxes.  Dishwasher proof, microwavable parts, a wee sauce pot – a practical size and a clever bag to put the box in that opens out as a wee picnic mat. From Black & Blum, we thought these were amazing. Have a browse through the Black & Blum site, we will be stocking a lot of their products!

Joseph Joseph is a cool supplier of well designed product.  New products this year include lovely salad bowls for those barbecue days, scales and pepper mills! Watch this space!

We have coming games for the kids – big and small, lovely handbags, scarves, jewellery and lots more. We will also have a new line of kites on sale in the Filling Station – the range will include kites for toddlers, to kites for those who are more experienced.  I will update on here as soon as we get them in! As much as there are hundreds of products available on line, we will have new products on line for purchase as soon as Craig is able to add them – he has a bit of a to do list at the moment, as do we all…

We still have a lot of goodies on the website on sale, so hurry before special offers end!

In the meantime, my feet have stopped squealing and my brain has made a marginal recovery from our trip.  I needed a ‘dark room’ day today – which followed the 11 hour sleep that I had last night! Shouldn’t ever complain when we have been working hard to get new goodies for our lovely customers! Enjoy!

Winter Maintenance….

February 12th, 2010 by Fiona No comments »

Hello all!

It has been all go at the start of this season.  We have been busy doing our usual round of improvements in the business.  The biggest one has to be in the restaurant.  The ceiling is being replaced to make way for new lighting.  The original pine ceiling which has been there for the best part of 35 years has been covered over. I know, it was a nice cosy look, and we were all really fond of it, however, the only way we could change the lighting was to cover it over.

It has been a bit of a strange transformation, and some would say optical illusion! As soon as the work started, it was an odd feeling.  The ceiling being lowered, automatically made the ceiling ‘look’ higher.  Hmmm. It’s amazing how much brighter the place looks without the pine, which was pretty guaranteed, but really, it’s nice and already I don’t miss the old ceiling!

We would like to thank our customers who have come in and followed the necessary detours that were set up to keep you (and the staff) safe whilst the workmen did their thing… One day in particular it was pretty tricky whilst the plasterers were in, however, everyone was very patient, if not slightly lost at one point when we all had to enter and leave the restaurant by the queue!

At this point – I wanted to put in some of the photos, however, my camera has been hi-jacked and they are going to have to be put in at the bottom of this. That’s after I delete the 500+ photographs off of it that Craig took this week – pfft! I would write another caustic comment, however, it would only get deleted and I have already been given a row for letting out a *sigh* at the thought of having to delete all the pictures!

I have been away at a trade show this week, so I am looking forward to seeing the painted ceiling.  That’s another wee quirky bit – we do like to use local tradesmen, (they can be as rare as hen’s teeth, however, we have found them!) so, Alan and Kevin have been doing the deed.  They do tend to use 6″ brushes for all their work, so I did say to big brother, Iain (a bit tongue in cheek) that I hoped they would be using rollers for the job…. Apparently all the ‘cutting in’ was done by an 8″ brush, and yes, the rest thankfully has been with rollers! So, we hope all our customers will enjoy a lighter, brighter environment.

Other restaurant changes are some new items on the menu.  The bakers have been busy experimenting with cakes – of particular mention cup cakes – oh dear, we have to sample them.  What a scunner that is… The team in the kitchen have been cooking up some nice new soups and pasta dishes to tempt you! More details of mouth watering delights to follow!

Remember if you are up walking the hills, skiing or generally visiting, the Snack Stop is open until 9pm in the evenings selling amazing pizzas, hot snacks and drinks.  By popular demand our delicious pastas are also available! We are bringing back scooping ice cream for those of you with a sweet tooth too!!

Happy New Year!

January 8th, 2010 by Fiona 1 comment »

The Green Welly Stop family would like to wish all our customer best wishes for a prosperous and healthy new year.

Welcome to our new Blog.  We were having some technical difficulties with our previous blog – I can’t explain what the problems were other than it was a ‘pain-in-the-whatsit’ administrating it.  If you are that intrigued ask Craig – I am sure he will be delighted to explain!  Being quite cunning, our esteemed Internet Manager had ‘delegated’ the administration of the Blog to me.  I think he waited until I had a full blown whine before taking the decision to start again! So here we are!

I can’t believe it’s a new year already – 2009 went by in a blur. It was an adventure packed season with the new layout of the business.  All in all, we have been very pleased with all the changes we have made.  Both the Outdoor Store and the Snack Stop have benefited from the extra space! The Perfect Present may have been reduced in size, however, we have been really pleased with the popularity of the gifts on offer.  We have intentionally been buying in gifts that suit everyone – we don’t want the boys to be left out now, do we? Whilst I have your attention, for those of you who don’t already know, we have a sale on! Hurry whilst stocks last! Grab a bargain!

Winter is hitting everyone hard this year, so do remember if you are coming down off the hills and are needing some fuel, come into the Snack Stop and fill up with home made soup and freshly prepared pizza!

Freshly produced pizza

The Snack Stop is open from 4pm-9pm during the winter months – do come in and sample our amazing fayre – I have to admit that I am having to ration my pizza consumption – they are so good – lovely crispy base with some smashing toppings to choose from – I have great difficulty resisting the BBQ Chicken to be honest! In the mean time, my other half is in Pizza heaven!

For the next month, if you are in The Green Welly Stop  you will see that we continue to upgrade and improve our business for you.  After our huge summer project of extending the car park, we are not doing so many winter ones, however, at last we are going to improve the lighting in the Restaurant.  At the moment there are holes in the ceiling and wires dangling out… hopefully it won’t be like that for long! There are plenty other projects going on behind the scenes, that’s for sure!

Very soon, the team and I head off to the Spring Trade Shows.  Here we will be trying our level best to buy in the fun, funky and unusual gifts for you all.  I will update you on our new purchases as soon as I have news of them.  If you cannot visit the business yourself, then we will try our best to have our new stock online as soon as it comes in!

Known to be a blether, I am going to sign off for now…. I have a ‘to do’ list and if I don’t do it, I know I will be in trouble! Keep warm everyone, and we look forward to welcoming you to the business in 2010.  If you are venturing out on the roads, drive safe! Oh, I was meant to be signing off…..

Later :)

Fi

New Blogging area

December 22nd, 2009 by admin 1 comment »

Hi folks,

This is our new look blog – integrated within the website itself.
We’ve just deleted the whole lot of old posts, nothing major, we didn’t have a huge amount anyways…

Some of you know our Blogmistress, Fiona. For those that don’t know her, I’ll put up a wee post confirming who she is, and I may even post a picture of her too. (in a professional workmanlike photo) of course!

Stay tuned.

Craig
Internet Manager