Well we had quite a range of people staying last week, from a single female who lives in Beijing and who came to Rhayader to see a psychotherapist and who also met one of our ghosts as part of the deal (not planned) we were talking in the bar and I happened to mention some of the stories about various sightings.  She recalled her eventful evening when I saw her the next day on check out, she looked a little tired.  Apparently she had gone to her room and watched as the bathroom door swung shut, she ran from the room and let out a bloodcurdling cry, but noone was there to hear her.  She returned to the room determined to be brave and had a hot shower only to see a face in the misted shower cubicle which freaked her out more.  Her next ploy was to make her self busy around the room and keep talking to herself this kept her awake for most of the night and accounted for her rather weary appearance.  After hearing the story and not managing to keep my face straight I can only assume that she was blessed with a very highly attuned sense of imagination.   

We also had another couple staying at the same time, Margaret and Ken (not real names) who were with us for five days and Margaret was very severely handicapped.  She could only move her head, a ceoliac and quite a challenging customer but very pleasant and not in anyway bad tempered or irritable.  Ken her husband was a star, he did everything but not with any frustration or anger just pure love, it wasn’t a hardship or a chore.  You couldn’t feel sorry for them or take pity on their plight its just the way it was and I for one was humbled by their steadfast determination not to let it get them down.

Vintage car enthusiasts, twenty plus Morgan Cars dropped by for lunch. Then or so for a wedding anniversary;  the parents of Tony who we buy our mutton from www.elanvalley.mutton.co.uk.  We also had staying fifteen very loud and happy golfers who are bikers in disguise and more dogs and owners than you can ‘throw a stick for’, we seem to have become the billet of choice for folks entering their dogs into the four dog shows that take place in Builth Wells Showground and a very happy group of people they are, I can only assume that dog owners get a rough deal at other hotels based on their comments. 

Mid – October and we are starting to take Christmas bookings and this weekend the bikers are back along with half a dozen couples who are attending the cob sales (Welsh Mountain Pony Sales) and three couples walking and trying out our Welsh Tapas Menu, that and another party of twenty  will keep us all gainfully employed  for at least this weekend.

The organic food is going well and although I was very sceptical at first just doing it for the marketing aspect I can really taste the difference and more importantly so can our customers.  My current favourite starter is confit of duck leg with red onion marmalade followed by Organic Herb Crusted Rack of Welsh Lamb with leek and potato dauphiniose and a red wine reduction for desserts I have been making among other things a white chocolate and blueberry mousse. 

Simon our chef is away on holiday so I have been working in the Kitchen while watching the current Master Chef series in the evening and each time I watch it I think what a carthorse I am and how brilliant the competitors, and man they are young!  That place in Denmark has to be the most incredible experience and pure art on a plate, I have to look away and dream of how one might achieve such incredible standards.  We have also finalised our most recent newletter so if you fancy having a family get together or you are planning a big party why take over the hotel for the event.

In a mad moment we decided to redecorate the lounge before we get busy, yes November looks huge which is as bigger surprise to me as anyone but hey I’m not knocking it! Well every room we have decorated normally turns into a mega quest working round the clock and discovering many and various issues along the way, but touch wood we may even get it ready for this Friday just five days after we started.  We are also working on our re-branding with the restaurant being renamed as ‘Simply Welsh’ and the hotel renamed as just Brynafon.  If you ever think of buying a hotel make sure you have someone who is up to speed on the high tech world of marketing.  If anything has moved at a pace over the last two years then its online marketing and this stuff is not easy to get your head around. I am seriously thinking about running a seminar on the subject.   

The other thing about online marketing and software applications in general is that everyone wants to sign you up for the ‘WEBINAR’ we have been subject to two such events.  We met at my mums cottage hooked up the lap top to the flat screen TV and put the phone on loud speaker and joined by Beth our Labrador we settled in to the meeting.  All very high tech; with potential customers’ tuning in from across the country.  Ten minutes in to the meeting, which requires complete silence, the dog starts to snore, five minutes later Emma my daughter drops off and as the hour long presentation drones on its almost impossible to keep your eyes open.  The second ‘WEBINAR’ occurred soon after and I went into an immediate deep sleep only waking at the wrap up session.  So if you are having difficulty sleeping or fancy a ‘power nap’ in the afternoon just tunes into a webinar and relax!   

One of the things I got conned into when I moved to Rhayader was to join the Rhayader Chamber of Trade, on the first meeting I was voted in as Chairman, I thought it may not be too bad for a year but my fellow committee members passed a motion which was duly approved stating the minimum term was five years!  I do enjoy it, even though the meeting only have four attendees and we chit chat about various gossip and rumours in town, of which there are many.  It also allows me to set up meeting with all sorts of senior people as they think we are a serious group.  In the last few years  I have had meetings with The Chief Executive of Powys, to discuss job cuts in the area,  Kirsty Williams our Welsh Assembly member to talk about the Welsh Assembly’s priorities, various MP’s and executives and even the Chief Executive and Chairman of the Royal British Legion in their Pall Mall offices.  My current project is to start consultation about a proposed new road which could adversely affect the business in the area.

The week has been quite although we have a residential conference Saturday and three other meeting all on Sunday, then a full hotel for the following week. 

GB rally is due to come through next Friday and we have many of the foreign teams staying at the hotel for three days.  Last year we had great fun and everyone enjoyed good food and drink with some friendly banter.

The last two days have been manic twelve hours each day  in the kitchen on Monday and Tuesday with a full hotel both days along with a range of private functions and residential conferences, I get so focussed when cooking that the time flies by,  I am an amateur cook, and am always looking at recipe books and the internet for new ideas.  The latest book I read is the rather retro Gary Rhodes Classic British recipies.  Gary’s books are not for the faint hearted as they are full on professional menus which take great care to execute and in most cases can only be achieved in a professional kitchen.  I used a modified version to cook Venison Steak.  I reduced a glass of red wine completely in a large frying pan and then pan fried the steaks in a little butter and ground pepper before putting in the oven for five mins.  I made a wild mushroom, cream, red wine  sauce with a demi-glace mixture and placed the Venison of savoy cabbage and bacon along with the sauce.  The quality of the venison was excellent and fantastic value from our Abergavenny based supplier.

‘Jelly Jelly got new business’ I was greeted with on Sunday morning as our Thai housekeeper arrives late and hungover for work.   She said she had cooked spring rolls for a party and asked me what FAB-U-LOUS means, I said it means something that taste’s very bad with a rank smell!  She looked crestfallen but a half smile gave it away ... ‘awe you joke, what it mean?’  the remainder of the day, whenever she walks through the kitchen or spotted another member of staff she would tell them: ‘got new business selling Thai food!’  

Sean, my nephew aged five has taken to erecting a nine foot pole with a Welsh Flag on it in the garden when he arrives home from school, this has happened each day for the last three days, I guess it means he has a strong sense of  patriotism or a  very  vivid imagination. 

 When you look out from the kitchen backdoor you can see what weather we will get in the next hour as it fumes and swells in the lower valley ready to push and funnel the grey clouds through into Rhayader, there’s a picture called Rhayader Thunder which gives you some idea rhayader.jpeg.  The freezing rain comes in machinegun like salvos bouncing off gravel and instantly soaking all in its path; but as quickly as it starts it stops.  Talking of weather we have purchase an amateur weather centre and camera so that you can visit our website and take a look at the forecast and live pictures of the situation, sounds ‘cool’ but I sometimes think we could just put a grey picture with the forecast of ‘rain soon’ and get it right most of the times.

My chef Simon has not been well, so I have been cooking most of the week, and the tip of the week for any budding chefs or if you are thinking about buying a Christmas present for your significant other half well what better than a 'Rothenberger x2 Fire Gas Torch', its an awesome piece of equipment, one click automatically jets a three inch searing hot flame of Map/Propane mix at what ever you want, used by professional gas fitters to weld pipes, its the perfect kitchen accessory!  Don’t bother with those fiddly little gas thing designed for domestic kitchens or even your regular gas torch, the Rothenberger is the business.  It can finish off a pie tops, do crème brulees  for fun or fry an  egg.

Well our wedding couple returned from Seville and dropped in to say thank you to everyone and to collect the wedding presents that they had left the week before.

The weekend saw yet more bikes, but not bikers as you know them, we are not a ‘hells angel’ hang out or a pie, mash and mug of tea shop, no the chaps and occasionally ladies are all of a certain age mostly professional and on the long march between fifty and seventy all have expensive bikes, BMW 1200cc off road/ on road seems a particular favourite and they love good food and wine and come back time and time again.  I used to call my friend's Porsche Boxster that he acquired when he was sixty his 'menoporsche', its seems to me that maybe fast cars have been replaced by fast bikes for men approaching a certain age.    

Next week I plan to try and get ahead of the planning game we are trying to open up the car park onto the A470 and rebrand the hotel to attract more restaurant customers, that and make one of our conference rooms into a visitor centre to again try and attract more ‘foot fall’ into the hotel but its just taking so long, so I am hanging up my ‘pinny’ and getting down to some serious office work before we take a short break and get ready for Christmas.    

Goodbye porridge and lycra, hello to oily cloths and vintage bikers.  That’s

 the line up for this weekend along with an OAP’s tea party and a wedding for 60 people, could prove quite challenging.  Our Glyndwr Way walkers have left along with their beautiful Labradors and our mystery man remains for the sixth day.

We picked up a car today after our own spontaneously combusted on the motorway, well just off the motorway near Runcorn’s gas storage tanks.  Both the police and the fire brigade were keen to put the fire out and drag the carcass away with alarming speed.  Just forty minutes separated us from driving at 70 mph to seeing the burnt out wreck being towed away and Linda and I being deposited a Runcorn Railway Station to find our own way home - just very bizarre.  The new car has been named “Claude” by my four year old granddaughter.  He’s a bit of a cross dresser, a ‘road warrior’ on the outside and buxom Swedish blond on the inside, strangely, its a combination I quite like.

Negotiated a new deal with an Organic meat supplier www.graigfarm.co.uk so we will be selling great Welsh quality meat which is fully traceable and none GMO; unlike the carrots we bought from the market last year, we just picked up the box but when we opened it the carrots were a very, very orange in colour all uniformly 22cms long and 5cm in diameter and imported from China!

Talking of food the wild mushrooms in the Elan valley www.mushroomforage.co.uk have been fantastic this year.  Our Thai housekeeper has spent hours picking them.  She cleans them, drops them in boiling water before slicing and storing them in the freezer.  There is also a guy who sells us Damsons every year so we made Mutton and Damson pie and I’m off to give the rest to my daughter to make Damson jelly. 

Interesting a diverse mix of people at our Hotel this weekend, the three intellectuals two professors and local computer wiz all mid to late sixties booked three nights accommodation. Very into astrology, commented that as a country hotel in Wales this would be a perfect the spot for an astrological conference as there is virtually no light emissions and the sky on Saturday was just awesome.  Had a ‘sky jack’ machine which is a GPS system for locating and identification of stars, very impressed.

Nine cyclists doing the Cambrian race  88 miles round some serious hills starting in Rhayader and crossing through the Elan Vally all Lycra and porridge and breakfast at the ungodly hour of 7am on Sunday not to many people in Wales up at that time I would imagine.

Two retired people walking the Glndwyr Way  over five days with two young Labradors.

Three tapas couples (welsh tasting platters) who stayed the night and a single chap who runs a pub in Swanage on some kind of retreat.