I am no lover of heat. I am to be found wilting in the shadows whenever a hot day arrives. Never wanting to spend long on a beach. But this summer the heatwave was so interminably hot, day and night, its been draining just existing. Even in moderately hot spells I can get over heated, but at least a cool breeze or lower temperatures at night could allow the body temperature to drop. No chance of that this year.
The high level of heat going on and on for weeks of sleep deprived nights and increasingly sluggish days. The heat sapping energy, has felt like I've being skewered and slow cooked on a kebab. When the rain finally arrived, what a blessed relief! I could feel my body relax and the mental fug lift. Feeling constantly overheated 24/7 is an unremittingly unpleasant thing. Sensing how close heat exhaustion could be.
Talking of slow cooking. For some time I've been putting the hob on 1 and leaving my compote of fruit or my morning porridge to cook gently in its own slow time. This all started with cooking in one pan Japanese style vegetables and rice, layered and left to cook in only a tablespoon of sesame oil, and two of water. Cooking slow, surprise surprise, produces really tasty results.
Then we were given a slow cooker. It sat there unused for a while, until we suddenly we took to cooking curries, tagines, Dahl, stews and an ever expanding range of culinary experiments. It just requires you think ahead a bit. We've become such converts that when our small slow cooker blew up one day, we immediately went out and bought a bigger capacity one. Its also a very energy efficient way of cooking too. Slow is good.
Keeping the focus on food. Since our holiday in Rye, gosh when was that? Seems so long ago now. Well, we have developed a fondness for upgrading our salad bowls. Having experienced the delights of a really excellent salad platter mezzes in two cafes when in Kent. Its now become a regular weekly thing. Sliced avocado, salad leaves, roasted cauliflower and tomatoes, homemade coleslaw or hummus, some protein source or other and kimchi. Oh, yes the sacred Kimchi, the Korean spicey fermented vegetables, strong of smell and flavour.
Finding good Kimchi back here in North Norfolk, not too expensive, well it took a while. But a local guy Le Digestif, sells it on Holt Market every month. Broadening out, we've tried El Curtido a more heated Mexican fermented pickle he makes. That these are now on our culinary must have list, further entrenches us in middle class taste preferences.. So precious that, saukraut, well my darlings that is just so passé these days. If only we had the income to match. Ah, but that makes us Middle Class Lite.
August 25th
So, how was August in our shop by the end of the month? Well, way below last year. But last August I think we must now view as a post lock down aberration, being 46% up on 2020. Sheringham has been less bustling, hardly ever heaving. Normally the main street is painfully full and difficult to negotiate. Rarely this year. Some people have perhaps been forced to cut back, if not by shortening their break away, then by cutting out their holiday altogether. Takings have been generally steady but unspectacular.
Last year, in the period between May and August we had forty days that were really healthy, a very large number of them stonkingly good ones. This year in the same period we've had twenty such days, far less than a handful coming anywhere near being called stonking. We are currently in a fighting mood, so not yet prepared to say we are going to pack this all in. But, whether to do so, does have to remain constantly on the agenda. Along with our strategy to survive, if that proves possible, over the winter months. These are scary times for retail.
August 27th
As I write its Saturday morning. Tomorrow is our 1st Makers Market, the Sheringham Feastival as it's being called. We've both been very busy making stock items, roughly working out a layout and resolving practical issues around how we display stuff. This week prior I've been very up and down, not sleeping in the muggy nights has not helped keep my mood and resilience on an even keel. Far from it. My more usual easy going nature has been quite frayed at the edges. Spaced out and wired on caffeine with a bleary eyed determination to get stuff done. At times there has been an emotional sense of beginning to run out of road.
Takings during the week have wildly fluctuated from our best of the month, to some of the worst. I'll be much happier once Sunday arrives and all the many areas of uncertainty, do we have enough stock? enough space in the car? how will we do? etc will all be answered once we experience the moment for it. Resting easy with our shop for one day looking somewhat thinner in stock.
August 28th
Early morning, 6am, still zonked from poor quality sleep. The day ahead just seems full of things that at this fragile mental moment I feel overwhelmed by. But as ever I know I will rise, albeit reluctantly, to the emerging occasion. Gradually organise the bits and bobs we're likely to need during the makers market. We need to be set up by 10am, though the Sheringham Feastival is billed as starting from 12. What is meant to happen in between I cannot say. We'll need to pick up stock from our shop by 8am, to start setting up at 9am. The event runs til 4pm, then there is taking it all down, and returning stock to our shop. This is going to be a long day.
August 29th
Both of us were completely knackered by the end of yesterday. On the go for pretty much ten hours solid from set up to pack up. But, satisfying too. Yesterday was our best days trading this year. The trade in our shop was spasmodic and low key. The stall, however, at the Sheringham Feastival did extraordinarily well. The painful ghost of our first craft fair in Cambridge has now been expunged. This looks like one viable road for us to travel down, to broaden the outlets for the business beyond The Courtyard. All of which feels a huge relief. Perhaps more was hanging on this being a success than was apparent.
We learnt something of what does and doesn't work on a makers market. Stock wise, clearly communicating your brand, the style of thing you make is important. We just brought a wide range of goods we make that sell well in the shop. But what caught peoples interest was mostly our range of mid twentieth century styled fabrics, and things made using that. There are a few areas where displays could be improved. Stands have to pack flat to maximise space for stock in the car etc. But a hugely satisfying result though, a reward for all our efforts.
Overheard this month:-
A middle class Mother and four year old child wander into The Courtyard, passing by the off licence next to us. I hear the mother saying to her child.
'No, you don't really want a bottle of gin, darling'
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