Staithes weathers storm suge

Staithes emerged relatively unscathed from the storm that battered Britain over December 5 and 6. The biggest effect was from the East Coast tidal surge, which created massively high tides, including surfable waves in the river! The lifeboat station was flooded, along with the 'lower' cottages alongside it; some houses near the river were also awash. Luckily for us, Dunsley (www.dunsleyinstaithes.co.uk), which sits a fair few metres above the river, was unaffected.
 Guests report tiles flying off roof-tops, howling wind and plenty of action in the harbour. Our weekend guests Keith and Suzanne took this picture of the Cod & Lobster pub, at around 6.30pm on Friday night. It was about an hour after high tide, yet the water and spray, which are normally well below the sea wall, were very close to flooding the pub. The Cod closed early on the Thursday night, just in case...
 Thanks to Keith for this cracking shot; hopefully he didn't get too cold or wet in the process! You have to wonder about the driver who parked a car within inches of the ocean...

Flowers, champagne, action!

Since we opened Dunsley in Staithes to guests in 2011, we have been delighted to host many romantic occasions including wedding anniversaries, birthdays, reunions and honeymoons. But this month, Dunsley saw its first marriage proposal... From the very start, Eddie was eager to create the perfect environment for popping the question to Mariola. So, on his request, we brought champagne from France, and ordered a gorgeous bouquet of flowers in Mariola's favourite colours (our fabulous florist, Liz Wood of Buzy Liz's Floral Design in Kirkbymoorside specialises in weddings).
 When the day came, Duncan dashed over to Dunsley with the freshly-arranged flowers, hid the champagne in the fridge so it was perfectly chilled, and we waited, on tenterhooks...
 After their weekend break, Eddie dropped us a note. "We had a really, really special weekend, I can't thank you enough for all your help. The flowers were beautiful and the champagne went down a treat.
  Staithes is a magical little place and Dunsley was absolutely perfect for what I had planned. We will definitely be back. Again, thank you Judy and Duncan for everything.
Oh, you might want to know what the answer was.....................
She said yes!!!!!! :)

Congratulations, Eddie and Mariola! We couldn't be happier for you both.

Picture: the ceramic heart, modelled on a New Zealand 'kina' or sea urchin, above the bed at Dunsley (www.dunsleyinstaithes.co.uk)