The Blog...

I had a great time over the weekend of June 20/21 and really cemented why we love living in Southbourne so much.

Besides the fact that it is so close to the road links and rail links to get out of Bournemouth, it is also a great location where prices still represent good value albeit in the right places, but I get the feeling that it is going to shoot up and have its own boom time very soon. The TV programme Location, Location, Location" may have something to do with it but we knew all along...

It all started off on the Friday night at my fave place, The Larder House, as it usually does. A couple of drinks in the courtyard to begin, now that the weather is being nice to us, and then into the main restaurant for dinner.

Aside from the recent Wheels festival, there has been a new micro pub opened by a great couple called David and Nicola Holland called the Wight Bear. If you stand on the cliff tops near us and look out towards the Isle of Wight you should be able to work out where the name comes from.

This is a micro pub, not a micro brewery, so don't keep asking them what they brew on site!

We wish them all the best as they are a really fun couple and deserve.

Having been to both Monaco and Geneva this last month on short trips, I can tell you that both are eye wateringly expensive, even compared to London.

Do we live in rip-off Britain? It's probably a relative term but I think we are pretty lucky and have choices. Our friends in Geneva have to drive into France to get their weekly shopping.

Europe does have warm weather tough.

I do feel for the smaller independent businesses at times, so I will make mention of The Team Rooms in Harrogate, just in case any search engine picks up on this and can direct even one extra visitor to it, then it has done its piece.

Whilst visiting Harrogate on business, which is a lovely place up North, we meandered around the shops and side streets and ended up in a small shopping arcade that probably had less than 10 units and a few of those were empty. Up on the first floor there was a small cafe that was empty, OK it had gone 5pm on a Saturday. I enquired if they were open on the Sunday as I needed somewhere for a group of us to snack as my sister and her family were coming down to visit. Unfortunately that weekend he wasn't but I got chatting and he said that today was a bit of struggle and I sympathised on the location as it would be hard to get a high level of natural footfall, especially if many of the units are empty.

What I found nice was that he immediately recommended that I consider another two independent places, stressing on them being independent businesses. Even when small businesses compete, it is important to support each other as well.

I've had tea and cake at Betty's team rooms, but sitting downstairs wasn't much kop and felt like a bog standard department store anyway.

Well, the name check goes out to:

The Tea Room
Westminster Arcade
Parliament Street
Harrogate
HG1 2RN

Tel: 01423 506663

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