Well, my excuse for not blogging recently is wholly and not surprisingly due to the move from Rochdale to Romiley. It's been a great move and no regrets but, with the benefit of hindsight, I didn't realise what a totally cataclysmic task we were taking on. Living somewhere for just under 30 years, where the kids had grown up and where my roots had gripped in deeper than I had realised, meant that a house move and a business move was much more of an upheaval than I had expected. In fact, looking back on 2013, I realise now that business in effect 'stopped' for most of the year and has now led to a mammoth six month (if you are lucky!) waiting list on radio conversions/restorations.
An example of the chaos came to light this week when a customer rang up to see if his radio would be ready for Christmas...... The response from me was 'What radio? Who are you?' and hence a very difficult phone call ensued! Happily the Order has been found and the radio, along with about 30 others, is safely stored in our loft at 'The Bungle House' (more about this name later!). Worryingly, I found two old Atwater Kent Cathedral radios in the loft which I remember arriving with a very nice chap sometime during the summer months . One is for conversion and one for restoration but who the chap is and where he was from???? Oops!! If you are that chap please get in touch!
From November 1st, a date I earmarked as the 'relaunch of Dabhandradio', I have at last been able to get back into the workshop routine and have been able to complete five radios on the waiting list and several servicing and repair jobs. As I write this, 20th December, I have one American Delco on the bench which is 'nearly' ready to go but I'll hang on to it now until the Christmas postal rush has subsided and I'll be more confident it will make the journey back to its owner in one piece. (Thank you Marie for your patience!).
I'll be starting back in the workshop full time from January 6th so I'm confident that the waiting list will begin to reduce and I can whittle it down back to a more realistic and manageable size. I'm aware that some customers, due to other factors, have been waiting more than a year for their Orders to be completed and for this I'm embarrassed and sorry! On the other hand, given the current economic climate, I'm chuffed to be in such demand! I've been advised that I'm not charging enough for my services but as long as I can keep the finances flowing I'm happy..and my overheads are low!
So, 'The Bungle House'? This is the name our daughter coined for our new home in Romiley just after we moved in and its kind of stuck. We knew that quite a lot of renovation would be needed but the extent of the work and what effect it would have on just 'living' was massive and very unexpected. Hence the rigours of having a new roof, new floor in the dining room, new kitchen extension and new units, a new door cut into a wall and new patio doors and lintels....... not to mention the re plastering, new fireplace (including taking away the monstrosity of the old one) and just basic decorating...... meant that we really did bite off more than we could comfortably chew! Running or trying to run the business during all the mayhem was catastrophic and what I really should have done was to officially close for six months, stop taking Orders, and waited until I could easily slip back into production. Alas I didn't do that so next time...hang on, there is NEVER going to be a next time. We are not moving again its far too traumatic!
The up side of all the above is that we now have a beautiful home and I have a great little workshop! The latter is fully insulated, has a new floor and has its own power, broadband and heating. I've gained on tools and equipment too although storage space is very limited hence having to use the loft which, luckily, the previous owner had boarded and insulated to use for his model railway layout!
I'll sign now wishing everyone, especially my waiting customers (Gavin in particular..Your wall mounted Murphy internet DAB music centre is first on the New Year's list!) a very Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year!!
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