A Snippet of Life

Anybody out there who currently lives or has ever lived in a village will know exactly what it is like. Especially those lucky villages that still have the whole package which includes a pub and a village shop that both act as the hub of the place and gossip central. This is my home life and working inside said village shop, I get a spectacular insight into this game of Chinese Whispers. If anything significant ever happens in this small insignificant habitat, it is hilarious how the stories can change and grow.  Throughout the day as various witnesses enter the shop, more and more information is given. Some of which is instantly dismissed as the source was perhaps unreliable or the information given is so ridiculous that it cannot possibly be true, but with what information we keep, a story starts to form.  This goes on throughout the day until the best storytellers around divulge this epic tale to the rest of us in the evening in the pub garden and we find th...

Ever find yourself having a conversation with work friends and immediately after your words have been uttered you think to yourself "why did I just say that?" Or a customer walks in and you find your mouth running away with itself and chatting about the most mundane things that even you think is painful to listen to? If the answer is yes, then here are a few things that I'm sure you will relate to, things we all converse about in a retail setting. The Weather What is it with British people and the weather? All you have to do is look out of the window to know exactly how hot it is or whether it's raining. You may have only just entered the shop so you've just experienced what the weather is doing at that very moment, yet people still insist on reporting this for you. They'll report that "it's raining outside", when you've just been stood in the downpour waiting for your bus. Thank you for that Jim, couldn't have figured for myself. ...

  As the sun attempts to break through the clouds giving us the usual intermittent summer that we always get, we at the shop are keeping on our toes with many of you joining us and the coffee brigade no matter what weather England brings us!! Yes, on days when the rain is pouring, wind blowing and Mike shouting “Girls! Bring the awning in or it will go!!” - Still, some of you brave it in order to get your coffee fix, huddled with blankets! Kids swarming in after school using up all of the ice-cream machine's energy. Fran, as 'Mrs Machine' its humble assistant, produces marvellous displays of the stuff and Mike remains bottom of the league table of Ice-cream makers! I (Harriet) have just returned from Uni for my mammoth summer break and it is so lovely to see all the smiley familiar faces that frequent the shop and brighten the day whatever the weather. I still remember each customers little qwerks whether it's a particular mug that they like or how many grains of sugar...

  Every year for as long as I can remember my mum has always arranged two Easter egg hunts for myself and my three siblings. The first is a simple go out in the garden and find a certain number of eggs each and for the second we are each given eight clues which lead to our egg. This may sound straight forward, however these clues are created by my mother who's thinking is often somewhat skewed. For example 'If you're cold use my nuggets to keep you warm' lead to a clue in the coal bunker, simple? No. We all went to the freezer in search of chicken nuggets...   So each year we all partake in these hunts and I am (of course) always the winner.   This year was no different. The first hunt began and I set off in the garden, almost immediately grabbing my 4 eggs and announcing my victory at the top of my lungs, then relaxing back into my spot on the sofa to finish my coffee as if nothing had even happened. Then the heated second hunt came. We set off and I found my f...

  It must be getting on for two years now since I started working at Moulton shop, during some of the most important years of my life so far. Originally starting as a Saturday girl, whilst I completed my A-levels, to now where it is beginning to feel almost like my second home! But, what a lovely second home it is and a great team to work with. Not long after I began we had Gwen’s leaving party, and this year sadly, we have had to say goodbye to Jill and Tanja, which is a great shame. Also Chloe, who we congratulate on her new job. Now, in only a matter of months, it will be my turn to flee the nest, heading to university. It will be sad to say goodbye, but my time in the shop really has been great. Despite making the most silly mistakes and being incredibly embarrassed, (mixing up my veg) turning into a joke of the village, but it all being worth it as I have both gained in confidence and simplistic, (VERY simplistic in fact I did not realise how dippy I could be sometimes) gener...

My village is an amazing place. I know I have written a post similar to this before but no harm in adding more! I mean I've just recently returned from a 2 month trip to Australia (as anyone following my blog will know!) and from the minute I stepped off the plane I was welcomed with smiles (and a beautiful emotional - we both were- friends who I love dearly). I arrived back in the village and they had made a window display for me at the shop! Love them! The children had just finished school and ran up to me with smiles, so genuinely interested about my experience. I even got a whole page in the Moulton newsletter! That's just me, I'm nothing special, I just make sandwiches, serve the wrong coffees, get mixed up with my vegetables and occasionally get too drunk at the local pub and embarrass myself! The point I am trying to make is everybody makes so much effort for everybody else. Everyone is special, and that is why I love it.   Last year a group of incredible ladies ...

I am no professional, but you really do not have to be, in order to capture this beautiful setting...

  Living in a village is the best thing. I am so lucky to wake up every day surrounded by pure, natural beauty. Beautiful views of the fields, the trees, the countryside. Friendly faces day by day, everyone knows your name, looks out for you, cares for you. Never a dull moment!! From old to young, I love them all. We have the shop, thriving with high spirits, constant custom, the hub of the village! There is the pub, newly refurbished and looking supreme. A warm, welcoming place to go and enjoy a nice, chilled glass of wine, the most delicious food, with company that you cannot beat! Then to the weekend and holiday house crawls, every one offering a large glass, it would be rude not to have that AS WELL! Not only are we a lively, happy warm and welcoming village, but a bunch of alcoholics, too ! (I'm only kidding- I really am! Classy classy)... The lovely school adding to the safe and friendly environment for children to grow up in and make us all proud- the list is endless!  ...