Quick Links
Calendar
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
Categories
Archives
XML/RSS Feed
Statistics
Total entries in this blog:
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Jun 07, 2009 12:29 PM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Jun 07, 2009 12:29 PM
Festival week 2
The pressure was getting too much for
Alan....
On Monday there was the traditional barbecue for the Academy in Alan's garden
After a couple of days respite it was on to the Kermesse
On Monday there was the traditional barbecue for the Academy in Alan's garden
After a couple of days respite it was on to the Kermesse
The pressure was getting too much for Alan,
especially with Hanski being off till at least Tuesday with her foot problem.
Alan had little choice but to call on George to come out and give a hand. But as
he already had a job, he had to get permission to quit and then organize his
trip out, so that he didn't arrive till Tuesday evening. By that time Alan was a
wreck. In fact he was in such a bad state that he by 5 pm on Tuesday, the room
started to swim before his eyes and he had to call his wife in to replace him
while he went home to rest. The next day he went to the doctor who diagnosed
very high blood pressure from overwork ad put him on sick leave. Some chance
with the kermesse beginning on Thursday! At least Hanski returned to full
service from Thursday onwards.
The pressure didn't just come from the hours in Harold's and Hanski being off, but also from the extra time done with the Swiss Russian Cultural Foundation and the Festival. On Monday there was the traditional barbecue for the Academy in Alan's garden. The forecast had threatened some rain, so we made sure that the garden was covered with tents which looked quite pretty with all the coloured lights. In the end it stayed dry. We had expected around 50 guests, but in fact there must have been about 70. Rather than doing traditional style barbecue, we did a roast lamb on a couple of spits, one which was kebab style. As Alan was slicing the first roast on the table on which stood the kebab grill, the spit on the grill suddenly came off and the roasts sent crashing to the ground. A quick clean under the tap saved the day, but it was nevertheless a bit embarrassing. That was Alan's mess-up. Viviane's turn was at the end of the dinner. She took out of the fridge the nice birthday cake she had made for the Academy director, Christian Thompson, and layed it on the freezer, which isn't flat. Unsurprisingly, it slid off onto the floor and made a fine mess, though fortunately most stayed on the board, which meant that if it was unpresentable, it was at least edible, and Alan cut slices onto plates. Anyhow, at the end of the day, everyone had a great time. We did run out of meat and some salads, but it was only the late-comers that didn't get any lamb. Viviane quickly cooked up some steaks that we got from the Caveau restaurant, so no-one went hungry.
After a couple of days respite it was on to the Kermesse, the traditional street party. Fortunately George was here to give an invaluable hand and we started building the stand from 8:30 onwards, just after Alan had returned from the doctor to get an ingrowing toe-nail removed. Comfortable... The day was the hottest of the summer, and people weren't into eating hot food. Turnover was disappointing, and we didn't start to sell till midnight when it suddenly got busy...just when we started thinking of packing up. The next day, though, was cooler and overcast and sales much better. In fact quite good for the daytime. But then at around 6 pm it decided to rain sending everyone home. When it finally turned drier after 9 pm, it was too late to hope that business would improve, and many stands had already packed up. Harold's battled on till past 11 pm, but it was patently obvious that this was a lost cause, so we too decided to shut down. By the time we had finished at 12:30, the street was almost deserted when the party was due to carry on till 1 am.
The big shows are now over for us, and we can look forward to some more peaceful times and a chance to recuperate. Now with George on the staff, Alan intends to take the back seat and seriously relax for the next couple of weeks.
Hardware problems have been few, though we now have an issue with the ventilator of a fridge si that the cold is not being spread through the machine properly. and of course it is Sunday!
The pressure didn't just come from the hours in Harold's and Hanski being off, but also from the extra time done with the Swiss Russian Cultural Foundation and the Festival. On Monday there was the traditional barbecue for the Academy in Alan's garden. The forecast had threatened some rain, so we made sure that the garden was covered with tents which looked quite pretty with all the coloured lights. In the end it stayed dry. We had expected around 50 guests, but in fact there must have been about 70. Rather than doing traditional style barbecue, we did a roast lamb on a couple of spits, one which was kebab style. As Alan was slicing the first roast on the table on which stood the kebab grill, the spit on the grill suddenly came off and the roasts sent crashing to the ground. A quick clean under the tap saved the day, but it was nevertheless a bit embarrassing. That was Alan's mess-up. Viviane's turn was at the end of the dinner. She took out of the fridge the nice birthday cake she had made for the Academy director, Christian Thompson, and layed it on the freezer, which isn't flat. Unsurprisingly, it slid off onto the floor and made a fine mess, though fortunately most stayed on the board, which meant that if it was unpresentable, it was at least edible, and Alan cut slices onto plates. Anyhow, at the end of the day, everyone had a great time. We did run out of meat and some salads, but it was only the late-comers that didn't get any lamb. Viviane quickly cooked up some steaks that we got from the Caveau restaurant, so no-one went hungry.
After a couple of days respite it was on to the Kermesse, the traditional street party. Fortunately George was here to give an invaluable hand and we started building the stand from 8:30 onwards, just after Alan had returned from the doctor to get an ingrowing toe-nail removed. Comfortable... The day was the hottest of the summer, and people weren't into eating hot food. Turnover was disappointing, and we didn't start to sell till midnight when it suddenly got busy...just when we started thinking of packing up. The next day, though, was cooler and overcast and sales much better. In fact quite good for the daytime. But then at around 6 pm it decided to rain sending everyone home. When it finally turned drier after 9 pm, it was too late to hope that business would improve, and many stands had already packed up. Harold's battled on till past 11 pm, but it was patently obvious that this was a lost cause, so we too decided to shut down. By the time we had finished at 12:30, the street was almost deserted when the party was due to carry on till 1 am.
The big shows are now over for us, and we can look forward to some more peaceful times and a chance to recuperate. Now with George on the staff, Alan intends to take the back seat and seriously relax for the next couple of weeks.
Hardware problems have been few, though we now have an issue with the ventilator of a fridge si that the cold is not being spread through the machine properly. and of course it is Sunday!
Posted: Sun - August 3, 2008 at 01:12 PM