East Sheen

After the incident in Hagley it was time for a fresh start we were given a job in the Lake District but had another interview lined up that we had already agreed to attend. This is how we came to live in East Sheen, the people that interviewed us wow'd us with their personality, freedom and friendliness. Above all they were personable and cat lovers.

The last thing that we wanted to do was work for another manager that treats us like we were robots for the company that they are trying to run (Mitchells and Butler, building teams of soleless automatons since whenever, I don't care enough to look up when they started). Not saying that the employer that hired us first was going to be like that, they however did request that we show up with several white shirts and black trousers as our uniform...5 days a week. Black tie too for Dan.

By contrast Sara and Simon at the Hare and Hounds were personable real people, and we got the sense that they were looking to add to their working family rather than recruit robots. That plus a laxness on uniform policy were two major factors in influencing our decision to shove the Lake District and live in London instead.

Hoping on the train we arrived at Mortlake station a mini little stop that is around the corner from High Street from there we are just a hop, jump and skip away from Hare and Hounds our new home. East Sheen itself is an affluent residential district with a serviceable high street (Waitrose, Tesco, WHSmith, cafes and stores), far enough out of the city to not be overwhelmingly busy, but still with attractions of its own, such as the nearby Richmond Park. There's little else to be said for the place other than that the locals as we've met them through working in the pub are an eclectic mix of normal people, overly spendy people and the usual slightly odd regulars that you get anywhere. Whatever they are they're better than the pretentious snobs that made up the target market for the Lyttelton Arms. No-one at the Hare and Hounds bemoans the fact that they can't have a slice of cucumber with their Hendricks.

Hagley - The Lyttleton Arms

After almost a month in the Nottinghamshire area we were off again, I liked the fact that we were with good friends and things could have been more stressful. Luckily for us we have good people sending us positive energy throughout that time. For the people out there this is my shout out to them, thank you so much for supporting us in what we are doing. Searching for that place in life that makes us happy isn't easy and sometimes we need those wonderful people to lean on.

We set off to Bath for an interview at a B&B for a hotel management position in hopes to run a B&B like our own. A place with Roman baths and much to see and do, a very touristy place. Daniel and I didn't have much time to explore the city since we were off to the next work location for the Christmas.

Be wary of this station we arrived early in the morning to pick up our tickets to head to Birmingham and they were shut. This was at 8am, says that it opens at 7am during the week. Is it just one guy that works here? I guess he isn't coming to work today.

After many transfers on a train (4 to be exact) we made it to Hagley train station to start work at the Lyttleton Arms. We were greeted with warm welcomes and talk of a wonderful establishment that caters to  large events and many menu specials throughout the week. We got a three course meal from the boss to see how the place works and a room to ourselves in the staff house next to the building.

A picture I snagged off of their site.

The staff house lounge area and kitchen was not very clean but we were told that it was horrid before they had fired everyone that partied to much. It is hard to manage so many people into clean after one another. Plus. people like to party when they are far away from home and working hard all day. At least our room was clean even though I thought we would get a double bed instead we got two singles pushed together.

The next day of training a very brief run through of the table numbers and the tills, I asked as many questions as possible in hopes to get more training and answers. I ran food to tables to get a hold of the menu that was pretty self explanatory. I guess everyone here just gets to get out there and prove themselves that they are good enough for the company. Award driven and corporately involved with making the best of the average is what they are going for here.

Following my very short training I went live on the floor, the tills were messy and disorganized. Luckily for me the people that I was working with were friendly and helpful. I got very little assistance with learning things correctly and being informed so I could do my job right. I asked a lot of questions this week, in the end we aren't going to be staying.

A night out in Birmingham was fun but it is a bit of a ways out, there isn't much to see in this area. The main street is mini and only runs about half a km long.

Now we are on the move again. Seriously I think we are professional nomads, Scotland left a much better impression on us. We miss you Harris.