The Christmas rush with a helping hand from Tom

Apologies all round for not updating my blog but things have been fairly hectic of late.

To start with Rob, myself and pal Mark Sheridan held an exhibition of our photographic work in Chagford on the 13th November where a couple of hundred people came to have a gander.

And a few weeks before that I took on 24 year old Tom, a clever computer guy to help me in furthering the website by sorting out all those geeky things that leave me completely baffled.

He is currently building a database for my www.dartmooraccommodation.co.uk site, and we have worked together on building a new website for one of the bed and breakfast providers at Yelverton. The customer is delighted. Please take a look at the finished product by clicking onto www.dartmoorbandb.com and let me know what you think .... It would be good to pass a few encouraging comments in Tom's direction. We rub along very well together even though I am just old enough to be his Granny. You can see how clever he is by the picture of his Frankenstein fashioned pumpkin that he turned out for Halloween. And one thing that I find very endearing is that he is madly enthusiastic to help out in any way he can. I had a job taking publicity pictures for a new sock making outlet last week, and as I was struggling to show the socks off in the best way possible, he volunteered himself as a model bless him. We did have to crop the shot somewhat as the whole thing looked slightly as if he is perched on the edge of a piece of porcelain !

Our latest project is adding things to buy onto the website in time for Christmas, such as kites for children and gifts for walkers (how about a new Dartmoor map ?) in preparation for a commercial website that we hope to organise for producers who make goods exclusively on Dartmoor. That and the new wedding page on the site, should keep us busy for a while.

As you see in the picture of me above, I am currently up to my neck sorting out pictures in time for Christmas. The lovely twosome in the shot are 2 nippers at Tedburn where I took over 50 shots of a smashing young family in time for Christmas presents. If you would like to see details of what I offer have a look at my own personal website www.jillpendleton.co.uk

Hopefully from now on I should be sorting through the muddle of stuff on the desk and moving forward. I managed to bake 2 Christmas cakes this morning, all the while nipping in and out of the office to help Tom install information into the acres of pages on the database. He tells me that shortly we will be able to offer customers all manners of choices as to where they would like to stay and with which facilities - family room, with dog - this side of Okehampton etc.

So it's onwards and upwards and next step oh come all ye faithful. As usual I haven't bought a single family present, but as is usually the case, it will be alright on the night as they say ......

I very much hope !

Cheers for now anyway, and thanks for looking....

Jilly