Casa Bella dinner party is the talk of the the town!
For us, we were just organising a dinner party to celebrate the opening of our new dining room. Little did we know that the day after our first event,
we’d be the talk of the town.
Yes, thanks to the wonders of modern technology and social websites, such as Facebook, and the ability to post articles and pictures direct from your phone we’re now the talk of the town. Pictures of last night’s events have been making the rounds and we’ve been receiving messages from friends of friends of friends congratulating us on what looked like a spectacular evening.
Many have been dropping hints about getting an invite to the next event. However, as large as the space may be there remains a limitation as to how many guests we can actually seat. Although, I will let you into a little secret; in light of the humbling enthusiasm of many, Francesca and I have been discussing the possibility of another event. Details are still sketchy at the moment but I’ll be sure to post more information as and when I have it.
The biggest dilemma is not what kind of theme or when but more on how many we’ll be able to fit onto the guest list!
Casa Bella’s first dinner party is a success!
And so here it is… after months of toiling to refurbish the place and planning to theme the evening, Casa Bella opened its doors for the first time
to its guests and I’m thrilled to report that it was a success!
‘A day that will forever live in….. our memory’!
As expected, there was a lot of pressure leading up to the evening but it was controlled and expected. Francesca and I both had very clear expectations of our respective departments; front of house and in the kitchen. (I don’t know how many times I ironed that table cloth and positioned the dinnerware just so) but it was worth it. Our guests appeared to really enjoy the evening (if the wow factor was anything to go by). It appears that we achieved everything we set out to achieve and more.
The best thing is that all of the earlier trepidation about the famous 3 things were also cast aside, everybody entered into the spirit of the event and we learned some very interesting things about our guests. Thanks everybody for such a great evening! Francesca and I are completely knackered now but it was a delight to have you all. 
Questions about whether or not this will be a regular event have already been posed but, presently, we’re still riding high from this one. We’ve not only learned much about our dear friends this evening but we’ve learned more about ourselves; this is something we enjoy and believe we can do well. Most importantly, it reaffirmed my belief that closing the village store and reclaiming the space for ourselves was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Goodbye old village store. Hello Casa Bella!
The magical 3 things
I’m smiling to myself today because I’ve just sent an email to our guests and it’s already causing a stir!
It was nothing too complicated (at least I don’t think so) it was merely a request to bring 3 things. That is, 3 stories about of them; 2 being truthful and the other being a lie. Well, I’d never have guessed that this request would prove such a ‘challenge’ to our would be guests! Most are claiming that we know all there is to know about them already and that they’re therefore unable to think of anything that we don’t already know. Well, I beg to differ. I’m sure they’ll come up with the goods on the evening. In the meantime, I’m going to sit back and enjoy the panick-stricken emails. Yes, I’m wicked.
Here’s the text from my email, how would you react?
There are only 7 days to go… We’ve been very
busy preparing for your arrival and can’t wait to see you!
Have you decided what you’re going to wear yet? If not, now’s the time! And if
your piggy bank will allow it, why not use our event as an excuse to treat
yourself to something new? Go on, you know you deserve it. 
Whatever the garb, leave your worries behind but bring a smile, oh and THREE
things we didn’t know about you.
That’s right. You read correctly. We’d like you to bring THREE statements about
you that you believe nobody else will know. E.g. “I broke my arm when I
was 12 after I jumped off a roof in an attempt to fly like a bird”
Dig into the deepest, darkest recesses of your memory and don’t hold back. We
want to know all there is to know about you (okay, within reason) but be
cunning; all three statements should appear true but one of them must be false.
It’ll then be down to your fellow diners to collectively work out the truths
from the fib.
We’ll ask you for your statements during dinner so get your brain cells
working!
See you Saturday at 19:30!
Casa Bella’s first major event
So this is it, the first major event for the new dining room has been set (4th December) and invites to a select group of friends
(about 12 in total) have been sent (online of course. I’ve found this great site, called Pingg.com)
Dress code is smart/casual. The theme for the evening will be chic American/Italian 50s, alla Brat Pack/ La Vita Dolce. The evening will feature a five course Italian menu, home cooked, naturally, by my talented sister, Francesca. I’ll be working front of house, making sure the cutlery is polished and the glasses are steam shined. I’m estimating that this will take a minimum of one day to make sure it’s just right. Yes, I know that sounds really ‘anal’ but hey, if you’re going to do something, then do it right. That’s my philosophy anyway. A dinner party is all about the experience. For some, it’s going to be one of the few occasions where they can truly abandon themselves, forget serving others for a short period of time and allow themselves to be truly pampered. At least, that’s how I’d like to be treated and I know for sure my sister does!
We’re quite excited by the event as it takes us right back to our childhood. Our mother was a true socialite, often entertaining guests at the house (albeit on a much smaller scale as we didn’t have much money), I remember ‘the Italians’ staying over until the early hours of the morning. Threatening to leave at around 1:00am and then hovering by the door and chatting for another hour or so. I used to love these events because it was the time when all the ‘nice’ things would come out on trays, meaning that I’d often sneak out of my bed and down the stairs to scavange the odd morsel when nobody was looking. Yes, there was certainly plenty of food. After all, an Italian’s worse nightmare is the thought of guests going home hungry. There’s no doubt that we’ve inherited the whole hospitality thing, and with a generous five course meal, we’re confident nobody will be stopping by a fast food outlet on the way home.
There’s a lot that needs to be done before the evening. However, as firey and as tempermental as my sister and I can be, I’m sure it’s going to be the best that it can be. That’s if our mutual control freakery doesn’t cause us both to self combust!
Casa Bella is open for business!
Finally,
It’s taken a few months, a lot of hard work and a few pennies but, finally, Casa Bella is open for business. Figuratively speaking, of course. Since the
last thing we’d want to do is run another business from this location.
The furniture has arrived and is in place, the sign is up and gone is any trace of the village store. We’re truly blessed to have such a wonderful dining room and I know we’re going to have a lot of fun here.
We already have some ideas about just how much fun. Watch this space for news and pictures of some very exciting events!
Backbroken
Wow, it’s been a back breaking day.
Note the pesky chest of drawers!
Tom and I have been working hard to finish laying the floor.
You know, when the workers originally came to me and said, “this is a really big space,” I used to see it as a compliment. However, I’ve discovered throughout this process that big isn’t necessarily beautiful as it means more work and cost! Now nudging a whopping £6,000 from the original £2,000.
Ho hum, I’m really proud of what Tom and I have achieved over the past two days but at the same time, I’m ready for this process to be over.
You’ll note the controversial chest of drawers, featured in the previous post, are making a special appearance as the tea/sandwich stand.
In an almost biblical way, the sun decided to shine down on Tom’s hard work and light the final picture featured on the left. Spooky huh? Okay, maybe not.
Frankenstein is dead but some monsters live on
The monster is dead. 
Today, the plasterer and his sidekick finalised the plastering. Gone are the ugly wall sutures and in their place is a wall as smooth as a baby’s backside! I’m really pleased. Another good job.
Although it couldn’t have happened a second too soon since I’ve already ordered table and chairs for the dining room and they’re due to be delivered and I don’t really have an ideal place to store them. The total seating area when all of the tables are combined is 18 people, I could really do with being able to put them into their final location but that’s obviously a way off as the plaster needs to dry, the painting needs to be done and the floor needs to go down… yes, the expensive floor. Quite a bit more than I had originally budgeted for. Cha Ching! My head hurts.
Meanwhile, there’s this thorn in my side; this chest of drawers, which I believed would go really well in my study, have brought me a whole world of pain.
I purchased this £200 unit from the most unlikely of sources. Yes, you’ve guess it Ebay! I know, previously I mentioned I that I disliked Ebay and this is exactly the reason why; to me, it’s the perfect breeding ground for all sorts of dodgy characters who like to transact business from their garages. Of course, had to end up dealing with one. This guy advertised a long lead delivery time of 28 days which suited me just fine as they appeared to be exactly what I was looking for. Anyway, when they were finally delivered, they came complete with a footprint on the box and damage to the top and the base of the unit (if you look really close at the picture, you’ll see it). To cut a long story short, I asked Mr charlatan for my money back because the goods were damaged I also explained that I hadn’t even signed for the parcel, it was left outside of my front door, which meant I didn’t get the opportunity to inspect them when they arrived. At first he went with the fact that he’d have to confirm with courier that they were not in fact signed for and, eventually, sent me a POD with somebody else’s signature on it. I explained that I did not recognise the signature yet he insisted he would not refund my money as I had received the goods. “Yes, but they’re damaged” Somehow, he kept overlooking that detail. Eventually, I tried to claim my money back from PayPal but (conveniently) the period for reclaiming via there standard procedure had passed (now why did that not surprise me and why did I have this niggling feeling that my trusty Ebayer already knew this and that he indeed orchestrates his long delivery times specifically to avoid the legal reach of PayPal (who, by the way, refused to help as their limitation of their liability had been exceeded). So, I turned to Trading Standards who very kindly gave me a case number but were unable to do much else, they suggested that, in the first instance, I write to Mr Ebayer and tell him I had contacted trading standards and that I wanted my money back. Funny, I hadn’t thought of that! Instead, I turned the fortunes on our friend who had only days before my ability to leave negative feedback would have been removed. I pounced on the opportunity and let him have full barrels of my negativity! Needless to say, he wasn’t pleased. Ho Hum. I told him the matter could be easily resolved if he just took back his goods and refunded my money. ”You’re crazy, you have the goods!” he screamed (in an email. We never spoke on the phone). Getting the idea why I hate Ebay yet? But I wasn’t done yet. I was going to get my money back by hook or by crook, after all, you don’t get to run a major company without some smarts. I figured that if I’d paid via PayPal and they were unable to help me, my bank should be able to under their guarantee. That’s right. I contacted my bank and told them that PayPal had debited my account (via Direct Debit) but I refused the debit and demanded that they refund my account immediately. They did so in days. This in turn debited PayPal. PayPal in turn debited my favourite Ebayer.
And so, here I am, many months later, I still have this unit that hasn’t been reclaimed. It’s been sitting in my dining room-to-be for a while now. But I’ve been doing my own Ebaying (yes, it’s good for selling maybe but not for buying) and some very kind person has agreed to pay me, albeit at a discounted rate, to take the dodgy goods off my hands. How kind. Thanks Mr Ebayer for the free goods. The unit is being collected today. All’s well that ends well.
Let there be light
Aha! The moment I’ve been waiting for… out with the old window and in with the new. 
Trusty Matthew (recommended by Andy) is taking care of this facet of the project. He’s replaced the patio doors and two of the windows. The procedure went extremely well, didn’t take long at all and, I’m sure you’ll agree, look great!
Francesca very kindly sent me a picture when the installation was complete! Yipee, we’re getting closer. The casa is truly becoming much bella.
Thanks Matt!
Frankenstein is born
Okay, so the walls are in a worse state than I’d originally thought; huge cavities have appeared from behind the shelving and many places that
didn’t seem as bad are actually vomiting chunks of plaster on contact. The whole room needs re-plastering, and it’s a big room! So, I decided to sit down and map out the whole project, what needed to be done by when and how much was it going to cost?
I quickly realised that my £2,000 budget was woefully optimistic and I’m leaning more towards the £4,000 mark. Double what I’d originally anticipated. That’s because, not one to do things by halves, I wanted all of the windows replaced and a new set of patio doors to lead out onto the decking, £5,000, any advances on £5,000? Well, what’s the point of doing half a job.
So, enter the project calendar and enter the man to make it all happen, Handy Andy! He’d already worked with me on the original reclaim of part of the shop, now my study and the place from which I’m typing this. So, I had complete faith in Andy’s ability. Most importantly, he’d already worked with me once and was already aware of my control freakery!
It’s a momentous day, ‘the door’, the main entrance to the shop is going to be bricked in. I believe this is going to end once and for all the public’s inclination to stop and stare at our house “are they open, aren’t they? There’s no signage anywhere, the doors been stripped of any kind of sticker, there’s a big gate blocking my entrance to the path but, what the heck, I’ll try and push it open anyway”. Aaargh!
It’s really weird to see the space through which so many have entered (including us on many a winter morning) closed in. But it’s good, it’s helping bring some finality to the whole affair and I’m pleased. I won’t bore you with details of the lengthy debates we had about finding bricks that match the rest of the building on the outside. “Just block it up!” was pretty much what Andy got from me and he rose to the challenge.
Now, onwards and upwards….
Long Live Casa Bella!
I know I have vision for the store but the question is, how am I going to get there and how much is it going to cost me? Well, no more than £2,000 which means doing a lot the work myself, oh and drafting in good friends and bribing them with lots of cups and tea and sandwiches and maybe the odd biscuit or two.
I’ve also set about photographing, cataloguing and posting items on Ebay, not an experience that I’d like to repeat any time soon. What exactly is this love affair with Ebay? I know there are many out there that love the site but, well, I don’t get it! Nonetheless, it seems to have served the purpose. I had to slash a few prices here and there but I’ve managed to clear all of the outdated shelving and many of the fixture and fittings, and I’ve made room for the demolition team (that would be me and my trusty friend again).
We set about hacking the counter to bits and demolishing its supporting wall to rubble. It was hot and it was dusty and…. well, somewhat satisfying, albeit hard work. Before long, the space was cleared and ready for me to bring in the big guns but more on that later. The next
momentous task was to remove all signage. 
So, out I go with gloves and claw hammer and the first to bear the brunt of my frustrations was the wall sign.
And then, the epitome of the grocery store, the swinging sign! Dm dm dm! (cue dramatic music) Somebody had already contacted me about buying the sign along with its fixtures. At first I didn’t get the point until the obvious dawned on me; it would prove much cheaper for them to melt off the the old lettering and reuse the sign than it would be to buy a new one. And, I was all set to give it up for £60 as I just wanted shot of it and everything else that reminded me of the store. Sound mean? Allow me to explain…
Owning a convenience store is like surrendering a bit of you. You have to come to terms with the fact that because you are inviting people onto your land (in our case into our home, or an extension of it), they believe that they have a right to comment on everything that happens there. With a village store, that’s even more so because of the very thing that defines a village; a so called tight knit community. I’ve lost count of the amount of times that people have come in and said “your lights are still on” or “when are you gong to cut your grass?” or “when are you going to cut your hedge?” or “how do I get to this address….?” or ”I told the postman that he can leave my parcel with you until I get home” and so on… along with that we also had people traipsing over the lawn (despite the ‘keep of the grass’ signs -which were eventually stolen), people using the dustbin outside the shop door for their own garbage bags and last but not least my favourite; dog owners tying their dogs outside the store, allowing them to foul the area (or even the grass) but not bothering to clean up after themselves. Nice. You name it, we’ve seen it. To get a flavour of what it was like, imagine coming home to find a stranger’s car parked on your drive or parked across your drive so that you can’t get in or out. Now imagine strangers dropping litter outside your home, walking over your lawn (regularly) and their dog to defecate there without having the decency to clean up after it. the picture?
Needless to say that after putting up with this for years (because that’s what it takes to when you own a village store that just happens to be an extension of your home), it gets tiresome and you just want to take it all back.
Closing the the store was a momentous occasion, not necessarily because of the event itself but because of what it symbolised; the reclaiming of our home. No more dogs, cats or people, for that matter, would be entitled to walk all over our land, our home, our ‘beautiful home’ (cue musical strings) and cue the new name, Casa Bella.
It was then that I resolved that I’d spend as much money as was necessary to completely eradicate any trace of the shop, to remove the post box situated on our land (that’s right, another contentious issue once the shop closed as complete strangers would actually argue that they had a right to walk on our land to mail their letters. “Um, no, the post box was put there for your convenience whilst visiting the store.” Now that store is closed, you no longer have the right trespass. I wont bore you with the story of my altercation with a psycho lady who firstly barged her way through a closed gate to mail a letter and then had the audacity to start an argument with me about why she wasn’t warned that the box was closed. Um, the locked gate was a good hint! Needless to say, I sent her off with a flee in her ear.
So, the rooms been cleared, the counter’s gone, the sign’s been taken down and new one is ready to take its place but this is just the beginning…
