Day 88 - Opening Day! (or what all of Foxie's work has been for)

An early start today after a late on yesterday...lots of reported issues with yesterday's blog (thanks BT) but hopefully now resolved and the excitement of lifting the barrier for the adults of our first group back on site first thing and finally being open.  Well, we say finally, but it's only been 88 days!  We set ourselves a punishing, but necessary, target to be open by today and we made it with moments to spare as Emma left The Barn after the Team's "finishing off" this morning and filming The Barn welcome video (on Foxie's YouTube Channel now) as the first of the DofE group arrivals rounded the corner to Barn Drive!

But that "finishing off" this morning was so worth-it, and we hope our first returning guests will agree.  Painter's tape was removed, posters were added to notice boards, more gravel was shifted outside (much easier to see where you're putting it in daylight hours), mirror tiles and signage were installed, floors were given a final mop, sinks were cleaned, finishing tape on the floors were applied and a Foxie mascot was delivered for photo opportunities.  The most satisfying feeling - we very nearly ticked everything off of our list (and we'll fix that one wonky door sign in the bedroom before the first residential as we have time for that!) - and the floor in The Barn looked even bluer than it did earlier in the week.

Once the Team left the booking in The Barn to it we moved on to some serious (and we do mean serious) sorting in the various stores and in the Site Office as all of them ended up being a bit like dumping grounds for various things over the last week.  It was so nice to restore order as that reduces the need for daily scavenger hunts (if anyone finds the Evo-Stick we still can't locate - and Emma has looked, quite literally, everywhere - they'll earn 50 Foxie points!).

Alongside the Team's hard work, we had wonderful Volunteer, Clare from The Thread Studio, drop by with some very special stickers, to install some logos on our signage around the site for us, and a little messge from Foxie to be seen by those leaving on their way out.  They look great, and we're grateful to her for braving the rain to apply them for us so that they were up in time for today's arrivals.

With our next goal in mind on the opening timetable our Volunteer Team today carried on working hard elsewhere on site.  They removed the old "SHOP" sign on the toilet block and some ivy to prevent roof damage, they re-laid another slightly wonky paving slap, they drilled a cleat into the flagpole out the from of Foxlease House, they distributed the welcome guides for the other buildings, added to the wishlist for The Barn and The Coach House kitchen's desirable additions, put up some new signs and responded to some bookings and emails.  We're so appreciative of the hard work in the last 88 days to get us to where we are now and the support from those who can't make it to site to help in that way.

And at the end of another busy day, we got sent the photos in the slide deck below of the first group on site having an amazing time being at Foxlease Park and gearing up for future DofE adventures and isn't that just what's it's all about?  We'll be adding some of their mascot photos to our "Adventures with Foxie" wall soon.

Smiling to the tips of my little orange ears that today went well and we made our deadline, looking forward to welcoming booking #2 tomorrow and the many thousands more to come after that, Love Foxie x