Ta ta 2010

It's our first New Year's Eve here at Gul Bude, and we'd just like to say a quick thankyou to everyone who's helped us find our feet over the last year. Our 70% Sale is ongoing so you'll have noticed the dearth of blogs these last few days - I'll keep this brief.

To all the crew down at HQ in Bodmin, for setting us up and being there every time we (mostly I) have needed them. To our esteemed colleagues in the other Gul stores across the South West, all a good bunch of people. To associated friends and acquaintances for all the support in our first year. To all my staff for putting up with my inconsistencies and penchant for long winded blogs.

And to our customers, without whom of course we wouldn't be functional.

Thanks everyone, hope you have a very enjoyable start to 2011. Photo above is at dawn this morning. Looks like it's going to be a nice one.

C

YAY

Bude - Crooklets Surf Report and Forecast

Sales and Mariachis

I'm afraid we're still rocking the 70% SALE here at Gul Bude. It's awfully busy so unfortunately the blog is going to be short snippets until the crowds subside.
But, a spot of good news: Our very favourite band, Mariachi El Bronx now have their own website. And for a short time you can download a free track if you sign up. Mariachi fan? Head to www.mariachielbronx.com as soon as is feasibly possible.

BOXING DAY SALE

We've begun our grand sale: Up to 70% OFF on many, many lines.

We'll update you on our Christmas when the crowds and the turkey subsside a bit....

Until then, pop in and see us instead?

C

Tracking Santa # 3

Santa is getting steadily closer. We just watched him deliver to P'yongyang in North Korea, which goes to show that Santa cares not for borders or DMZ's. Let's just hope the North Koreans don't mistake him for a US drone.
We bashed off a letter to NORAD to check on his ETA to the UK. Here's the email I got in reply:

Cai,

We are currently tracking Santa over Kobe, Japan. We anticipate his arrival
in the UK between 2100 and 0000 hours (9:00 p.m. and midnight).

Make sure you are asleep well before he arrives.

Regards,

NORAD Santa Tracker #57

Simply amazing. Well, we're going to take heed of this advice, shut up shop in the next couple of hours and head straight home to bed. It just remains for us to wish you all a very Merry Christmas from all of us here at Gul Bude. We're back open on Boxing Day. Hope to see you then. C

Tracking Santa # 2

At last count, Santa has delivered over 1,124,500 presents.
He also seemed to spend more than enough time at 'Bikini', in the Marshall Islands.
Well, why wouldn't you...

Tracking Santa

We have a live feed in the shop this morning, direct to Santa, courtesy of NORAD.

We think that Santa might have had a heavy night on the Christmas ale as he appears to be running a little late. But we're certain that if anyone can make up time, Santa can.

Very much looking forward to following his travels throughout the day.

We'll update you later...

The Male of the Species

Funny how our clientele today has been predominantly male folk, buying lady folk stuff... I wonder what lessons can be drawn from this.....

Busy though. Just how we like it.

We're open again tomorrow. Just in case you like to live on the edge.

2 MORE SLEEPS!!

Waking in a Winter Wonderland

I was at a friends Christmas party last night, and after one mulled cider too many, decided that driving home was no longer an option. So I stayed put and my friends revved up the electric blanket, so I was so toasty and warm that I didn't notice the fresh snow that came down during the night. It fell on top of that which we already had - it hadn't been especially deep, but it was prevalent, extremely icy and dangerous. Last nights snow compounded this, to the point where I got stuck in a hedge on my way to do the morning surf report. This morning the boughs weighed heavy with snow and icicles. Hedgerows were blanched and blanketed and the whole landscape North of Bude was white. Completely beautiful.
These last few days have been Winter-tastic. In a mission to take provisions to my stranded friends and their newborn, myself and a close friend ditched our car on a dangerous back road and walked the several miles further, with shopping bags, to get to their landlocked, snowbound house. Would have all felt quite heroic if we hadn't been passed en route by about ten cars, none of which was a 4x4. They all waved.
I've driven over a moonlit, glowing Bodmin moor, encountering only one car in twenty or so miles. I've been out collecting wood for my voracious woodburner. I've donned some Gul check and chopped said wood. I've had a small Christmas party for my neighbours and eaten my own bodyweight in Mince Pies.
There is no question that Summer is missed, intensely. I miss everything about it. But I'd be lying if I didn't say there are times that, even on sweltering, swell-jammed mid-August days, I didn't miss the romantic allure of a deep mid-Winter.
Here are a few shots from the last week.
C

Merry Xmas From Gul Bude

Not long now .... He's coming

Hark, hear the bells ... just 4 more sleeps and he's only a sleigh ride away! We can't wait.

Happy Christmas

Bude - Crooklets Surf Report and Forecast

Gul ... big night out .. whoop

Snow fair.

Once again Bude is left off the radar when the snow hits. Once again a hundred sledges are returned to the garage to accumulate another years worth of dust and cobwebs.

Sad though that may be, it does mean we are your best local option for this last weekend of Christmas shopping. We've got many current items reduced to 50%, and some great gift ideas, so do drop by and join us for a cuppa and a smile.

Keep it local.

Keep it real.

50% Off Mucho Bits!

Did we mention this?

Snow time for messing about

We are waiting.

Waiting and watching.

Snow has been predicted. The Met Office has issued a heavy snow warning for the South West from 11am until 8pm.

To say we're excited is somewhat of an understatement. Tom has brought his tennis rackets in, anticipating a tough walk home to the 'hood.

I'm on the hunt for wheel chains - I live in the North Cornish equivalent of the Alps.

In between custom we've got our faces pressed against the glass, waiting for those first flakes.

The Metcheck map has turned red.

Red means danger.

And danger is what we do.

Bring it on Mr Snow God.

Snow, yesterday.

25% Off Surfboards in store

Shaka Nana

There's a few waves out there today. We know this as we've had several surfers come in and tell us so. This has made a lot of them happy, as it's come just before a predicted cold snap. Emma's Nan isn't a surfer, but she's stoked anyway, as seen here 'throwing the goat' (she's a Metallica fan. Bless.) C

Santa's a grotto

This is Christmas Cai ... the last lap you'd want to sit on...

The Gul Bude Surf Jumble & Board Swap

The Big Question was... what if nobody turns up?
As are the inherent anxieties of putting on any public event - we needed jumblers, and we needed jumblees.
Most Jumblers had put down a deposit but many were coming from out of town so we were reliant on their word and their cars and the weather etc etc.
But our brief thaw lasted and came they all did, as did the public, in droves early on.
There was an eclectic mix of jumble - from old shop stock to used wetsuits to (possibly used) pants. There were fins, there was art, there was jewellery, there were cakes. Great, delicious cakes (carrot and courgette cake - I was cynical - it was amazing.)
The vibe was a constant satisfaction. Old friends met, new friends talked about new projects, people met people.
The Board Swap was more a board sale (and often board dominoes - 3 times they all rolled left and crashed onto the stage floor.) We're unsure if any actually got swapped but we've learnt some lessons from that, for the next one.
And there will be a next one, certainly.
A massive thankyou to everyone who participated and helped out. Off the back of it, what with sales of tea and coffee, and with the very kind donation made by our friend Martin Dorey from sales on the day of his 'Campervan Cookbook', we've managed to make £119.79 for the Bude Childrens Toy Library. All good.
C
(Most of the photos below are courtesy of Lee Robertson. The bad ones are mine.)

The Hustle and Bustle of a happy Jumble (above)

Gavin Joules of 'Finshack'

Our very own Tom 'Barnyard' Barnett

Nuff said.

The Board Swap. Popular. Not very swappy.

Martin Dorey the Campervan Man. And soon to be on your telly.

Rob Royal of Royal Surfboards

Chloe and Lemony. Purveyors of very inventive baked delights.

Don't feel too bad...

If you missed it then shame on you.

But don't worry, there is already talk of the next one! And I'm sure we will be blogging all about the great fun we had soon...

It's all kicking off...

It's here!!!
Today's the day.
The time is closing in.
The tension is almost palpable.

The queue is building.

The people are growing impatient.
Hark! In the distance I hear the soft rumblings of tables dragging across parquet flooring.
The excited babble of jumblers, board swappers and tea makers.
The Parkhouse Center is where it's at.
11 hundred hours is when it's at.
The tea urn is switched on.
The cakes have been baked.
There's only one thing left to say...

Gul Bude Surf Jumble needs YOU!

R x

Late Night Shopping = Start of our 25% Sale

It's Late Night Shopping tonight!!!

So today we've started a 25% Sale to compliment this. It's ongoing, but of course stock is very limited. Take advantage of the fact that we'll be serving hot mince pies in store tonight - pick up a bargain and feed your face simultaneously. Sounds like an evening well spent to me.

I had a dream..........

Not that we are excited to the point of weeing or anything but we think the Bude Surf Jumble and board swap is going to be flippin great fun. Everyone will be there....

And this is probably what it will look like..... a bit

Do Not Cover

This is Glen.
Glen is our in-house heating administrator. Glen is also a machine.
The 3000 Model, to be precise.
But make no mistake - Glen is not just any machine.
Glen is an 'intelligent' machine. He knows when and when not to administer heat, by way of an in-built regulating gauge.
Glens only claim to fame is that a distant relative appeared in the film 'Silent Running'.
Other than that, Glen doesn't have a lot to say. He mainly hums.
Glen only has one rule: Do Not Cover.

Never forget that.

Shop till bedtime..... with Marty and Doc

You'll need one of these though!

Thanks Oddboy for pointing out our P.O.S is a few hunderd days out of date and late night shopping is infact on friday the 10th December 2010!

See you there ..... Granville

Surf Jumble & Board Swap

Cakes. Tea. Art. Live music. Mobile surfers ear clinic... There's a whole lot more to our Surf Jumble & Board Swap than initially meets the eye!
This mans coming to sell some jumble too, and also a few copies of his current book, 'The Campervan Cookbook': http://www.hattrick.co.uk/hattrick-international/int_shows/show-detail/?show_id=70
For every book sold, Martin will donate part of the price to our chosen charity, the Bude Toy Library.
And we have about 2 stalls left to fill. If you fancy one, give us a call as soon as possible on 01288 354484.
Otherwise, hope to see you there. Starts at 11am this coming Saturday (11th December) down at The Parkhouse Centre and entry is FREE! Come rifle though some jumble. And don't forget to bring any swappable surf craft you may have...

Know your surfer......

The Heavy Local

The Big Wave Hero

The Oxford Weekender

T

Christmas Cheer

At the risk of repeating ourselves we thought we'd remind you all that we, at Gul, are still spreading some Christmas cheer.

Until the 14th December we are putting on an amazing voucher offer. Pop instore and spend £50 and you will get a £10 voucher; spend £100 and get a £20 voucher - BARGAIN!

This could solve no end of present dilemma's, buy something for yourself and give a voucher to a loved one... FREE - sorted!

So don't hang around grab your keys, grab your bag and pay us a visit!

Movie Time

Despite the torrential rain today, we're still feeling pretty Christmassy up here in Bude. During lunch we had a snap-poll of our favourite Christmas flicks, in anticipation of watching a few in the run up to the big day.
Leader of the pack was, unsuprisingly, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. I'd probably have to agree although only one other person agreed with me on 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles'.
A few other slightly odd choices:
'Enemy Of The State' - technically, yes, based at Christmas but not a film I'd necessarily flag as one that exuded ample Christmas spirit.
Even odder was our Rachel's choice - 'The Omen'. Now I'm not sure whether this is set during Christmas or not. But, again, not one I'd naturally put on the TV for my mates kids to get them in the festive mood. But each to their own.
Bizarrely, no-one has mentioned 'The Snowman'. Maybe the big pile of frozen rain has finally had his/her (who knows) day. C

Surf Jumble hits national press

Tom and I finally hit the big time with a mention in a widely circulated North Cornwall weekly paper. Excuse the facial hair - but this was mid-'Movember' so it was all for a good cause. Though quite how Rosie Rumple and Prince Rupert managed to bag the top spot above us remains a mystery. C

2 cold 2 blg

Tis the silly season.

It's that time of year.

So we won't go over board on the shmaltzy decorations.

We won't overload our shop playlist with awful eighties Christmas ballads... Personally, I'd rather be waterboarded than suffer Noddy Holder.

We won't be dressing up as a ropey take on Father Christmas. At least, not during work hours (what we dress up as in our personal time is our business).

Now, please don't assume that we're not excited about Christmas. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's our favourite time of year outside of Summer. I can't speak for the rest of the staff but I know I'll be playing 'Fairytale of New York' every morning on my way to work.

And on the way home.

What we most certainly will be doing is staying open late enough (6pm) for you to drop by and make the most of our current offer - Spend over £50 and receive a FREE £10 gift voucher. Spend over £100 and get a £20 voucher.

AND we'll be offering up the Mince Pies on late night shopping evening - Friday 10th December.

Of course, the following day, it's our Surf Jumble, where we'll be exuding Gul Christmas cheer down at The Parkhouse Centre. Hopefully we'll see you, to give you your big Christmas Gul Hug.