Rob on August 30th, 2005

Had a surprise visit from Andy from the New Harp this morning, seeking to borrow a ladder. He had done that which we all do at least once. He had inadvertently locked himself out. You know how it is: someone comes to the door, you go to see who it is, you stand on the [...]

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Rob on August 28th, 2005

The first week of the new New Harp comes to an end, coinciding with the departure of its liveliest customer, who has been in residence in our Stable Cottage since Tuesday. Known to certain of her friends as the Good Pub Guide, because of her ability to know one when she sees one, we consider [...]

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Rob on August 25th, 2005

A new character visited Aspen House for the first time this week. She goes by the name of Tessa, the Welsh Terrier. Her real name, in Dogspeak, is She Who Shields Sun With Big Eyebrows, and she brought along a couple of minders, whose real names, allegedly, are Chris and Jan. She Who Shields Eyes [...]

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Rob on August 21st, 2005

Lovely weekend for a pub opening! The weather, though some deterioration was forecast, continues to stay bright, sunny and hot. Just what you need when running a pub that has lots of seating outside. Looking out of the window, we notice that the New Harp is busy, as it was last night on its official [...]

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Rob on August 19th, 2005

Full moon again and, as always, there was a spot of madness in the air. Or, to be more precise, over the road at the pub. Yes – you’ve guessed it! The New Harp is open for business. Tomorrow, officially. Tonight, however, the new landlord and landlady, Andrew and Fleur Cooper, held a private party [...]

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Rob on August 18th, 2005

Pride, as they say, comes before a fall. I think I can endorse that, following a brief excursion to Hereford this morning. It was an emergency run really. A lampshade in one of the rooms had broken, and we had to go to a particular shop in Hereford to buy a replacement. While Sally was [...]

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Rob on August 17th, 2005

We all know what happens when we get a taste for something – we want more of the same. So, having had a couple of days out in July . . . Sally and I thought we’d try it again, just to see if we still like it. Actually, we just fancied a coffee at [...]

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Rob on August 14th, 2005

Sitting up on the patio yesterday, enjoying a well-earned rest (yes, folks – another one!) we caught sight of a blackbird hopping through the flower border. We couldn’t help wondering why we hadn’t seen Upf’rit, the blackbird with the broken wing, for such a long time. Logic tells us that any bird with a faulty [...]

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Rob on August 10th, 2005

Now, we don’t want you getting too excited . . . but we have some positive news on the New Harp. The new owners arrived yesterday to take up residence and word has it that they will be open for business within a couple of weeks. Today they are busily rushing around, emptying white vans, [...]

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Rob on August 7th, 2005

Ta-ra! The future is here – broadband has finally arrived in Hoarwithy. Well, actually, it arrived on 23rd July, but we have only just got around to hooking ourselves up to it. First of all we had to wait for confirmation that our exchange had been enabled and that our line was ‘ready for take [...]

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