Who we are.
So who are the three of us that live and run the Tyndale Bed & Breakfast?
If you've stayed with us before (pre-December 2018) then chances are that you've met our two wonderful friends, Dan and Andy. As I mentioned in my first post, we are sill good friends with these awesome chaps, but you may be wondering who we are.
Able and I have completely different backgrounds. Able has pretty much dedicated her whole life to sales. In Hong Kong she worked for many years with luxury brands selling high-end leather goods, accessories, clothing and jewellery. In the 12 years before we moved back to the UK, Able worked with Louis Vuitton.
Me, on the other hand, I worked in Education. Graduating from the University of Exeter (where I first fell in love with Devon) my first job was teaching Key Stage 2 (upper Primary School) in Horsham, West Sussex. I loved teaching but always had a desire to work overseas. As soon as I'd done the minimum 2 years teaching (which most international schools require) I applied and accepted a job offer in Hong Kong.
My first school was an international one and was pretty much the same as teaching in the UK but my second job was working in a local school and had more responsibilities. I loved this job! My team were amazing, the leadership team were supportive and the kids were the best any teacher could have wished for.
However ...
Able and I started to get 'itchy feet' ... we both felt that we could do with a change. We wanted to have a challenge that we could tackle together and with my parents retiring in the UK it felt right to move back to the UK and run a business as a couple.
You can probably join the dots now.
Landing in the UK our first choice was Torbay, due to the lovely warm climate and the fact that I loved the area from my visits when I lived in Exeter.
We quickly found a B&B that we liked and we moved in with my parents in January 2016. It was a steep learning curve but for three years we learnt, made friends, discovered the area (both locally and the surrounding towns) and generally fell in love with Torquay.
So, why the move? Why sell your B&B and move into the Tyndale?
Our B&B, we felt, was too big for the two of us to run to its full potential. It had nine bedrooms that we converted to eight by turning one into a lounge. Additionally, Mum and Dad were helping out on a daily basis, even it was just tidying up the outside, polishing the guest lounge, doing the trip to the supermarket for us ... etc ... and we felt this wasn't fair. They'd moved in with us to retire, not to continue working.
When we saw the Tyndale for sale, we quickly picked up the phone and spoke to Andy and Dan. The rest as they say is history.
So, where are Mum and Dad?
They are back up North. They are living in the same area where they'd lived for 20+ years before moving to Torquay with us. They have now fully retired (with a motorhome!) and enjoying life with family in the area that they are very familiar with.
Able and myself are happy to be in The Tyndale. Andy and Dan have left us with a pair of pretty massive boots to fill but we'll try our best. In the room information folders, we've written a tribute to them and all their hard work.
Hang on, who is the third person? You mention 'three of us' in the first sentence.
Last but not least, is Coco. She is our little Chihuahua. She moved over to the UK with us from Hong Kong. It's unlikely that you'll see her as we try to keep her out of the B&B in case we have guests with allergies, but you may catch me walking her in the afternoon.
So. That's us. We are really happy to be where we are right now. We are in a beautiful part of the country (I'm typing this as we've just returned from a walk to Cockington Village - it's gorgeous), less than 10-minutes flat walk to a great sea-view, surrounded by our friends.
Time to put the kettle on.
Rick