Back to square one but still battling

How is it that nobody is ever ready for Christmas, yet it comes at the same time every year?

This year, I really do think that we have an excuse because we just haven't known which way to turn first.

Here in Lincoln, we have been so busy that all the team has been working flat out for weeks, and the effort from everybody has been just incredible.

Everybody, that is, except one. Our efforts to employ a part-timer to help with the cooking at weekends came to nothing, but we did employ a young lady to replace Rachel for 18 hours a week.

Things were going quite well until she didn't turn up for work on the first day of the Christmas Market.

Next day, we received a note thanking us for our time, and advising us that she would not be working any more.

So we're now back to square one with a sour taste in our mouth - and it's only cost us £450 to advertise the job!

Louth is going through its customary pre-Christmas lull as shoppers head out of town to centres with more choices of presents. We are planning to install air conditioning there and, as it's a listed building, we need local authority consent.

The condenser will be on a roof area where it will be totally invisible, but now we are told that full planning permission will be required, along with a fee of £190. It seems like money for old rope to me.

Scunthorpe's town centre development is having a definite adverse effect on all the retailers in the area. We are now located in a cul-de-sac with a building site next door, and that is particularly unattractive to customers - so much so that we are not hitting last year's sales figures, but are still 22% up on 1999, so it's not all doom and gloom.

We are planning to roll out our mini-refurbs over a three-week period starting at the end of January, but I am struggling to find suitable flooring. Ideally, I want to lay some wood-effect vinyl floor but really want it to have a degree of slip resistance. There doesn't seem to be a common measurement for that quality and it's difficult to make a comparison.

If any readers care to share their experience with me on this subject, I would be most grateful (01522 531126).

I, like my colleagues, have now shared my last thoughts with you. It's been great fun and I shall miss it. Have a wonderful tomorrow!

JOHN DOWNS is managing director of Lincoln-based Jay-Dees Family Restaurants