Finally our first guests are here, our first day boats are out and our first logo is complete and in use (thank you Johnny Wyer). I want to shout it from the source of the river and let the news roll with the waves, out to sea, and around the coastal waters. It is a great feeling to open your doors after spending the winter hibernating, and preparing for the arrival of spring. Finally we are watching the boatyard awaken, with guests and the wildlife, exploring, and bringing the river to life.
I can’t work out who has been more excited on our first day, us or the guests. When you have worked hard and crossed all your fingers and toes hoping that the regulations will allow us to trade, finally having it happen seems a little unreal. I almost want to pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming.
What a great start to the season we have had as well, we hosted the wonderful Isabel Choat and her son from the guardian last year, and she wrote a great article about her experience which was printed this April https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2021/apr/07/floating-cabin-break-boating-on-broads-norfolk-suffolk. It was another first for us, to be the focus of an article in a national broadsheet. I remember asking in a workshop a couple of years ago, how do you get to be in a paper like the guardian? the answer was, “by working for it”. At the time I didn’t really understand what was meant by that, but now, on my journey to learn about digital marketing, I am understanding more about what needs to be done.
The article has been brilliant for us and given a great surge to our bookings, so much so that August is jam packed although we still have spaces before and after. All bookable here https://www.hippersons.co.uk/stay.
A few years ago, when I was still a single lady (till Simon put a ring on it) I decided to always try and do something for the first time each month. I felt that I had got into a rut and needed to liven my life up a little. My April has been full of firsts without even trying, but I still try and do something each month, and it can be very simple like cooking a new recipe, to much more elaborate. Another first I had this month was attending the technical run through of the Woodland lumiere
https://raveninghamsculpturetrail.com/woodland-lumiere/ I absolutely loved it and it really inspired me, I am sure it gave my endorphins a push too as I felt really happy after seeing it. Now the last lockdown is finally opening, don’t forget to lift your spirits by doing something new and treating yourself to something that makes you feel happy too.