The Pembrokeshire coast at this time of the year is an especial delight. The high hedgerows golden with gorse, their banks covered with primroses and violets; everywhere, early and late daffodils. Whilst not matching the profusion of colours of spring and the weather not fully warm or certain, the lanes and beaches and cafes are places to be away in. Almost beyond the reach of broadband.
Our pleasure was added to by sharing the week away with my eldest daughter and son-in-law and two grandchildren. We thrive on their energy - and I mean all of them, my son-in-law in training for an Iron Man event in Switzerland in July, my daughter tempted by an international triathlon event in Budapest in 2010 still running and cycling each day, the grandchildren just running and bouncing and skipping and hopping from breakfast to night.
The stairlift was a problem. Installed by my father for our Sarah's use, the battery had finally failed, or so it seemed. With as much dignity as we could muster, we lifted Sarah up and down the short flight of stairs between us. She tolerated it with good humour. As far away as Swansea, we rang companies in Yellow Pages, trying to get it fixed: "Was the stairlift covered by a warranty?" "Did we have a contract?" We didn't. What struck me was not so much that we couldn't get anyone to do the job ("Anyway, we've no engineers on duty during Easter weekend" "We don't work on Bank Holidays") but that with recession evident everywhere, not one person we spoke to thought to seize the business opportunity of offering my father a contract!
Broadband was available via a wireless network in a cafe in Fishguard: seemingly unlimited access for £2 and the price of a cappuccino and I am for a while connected again with the world. And here comes the advertisment: if you are ever in Fishguard, pop in to Cresswell's Cafe, and for this reason alone: twice whilst I was busy with emails and the cafe was busy with customers, there was a party of people with learning disabilities. From Tamworth, I learned. What struck me was the ease and the friendliness of the welcome and the service they received - just like everyone else, in fact. Not common everywhere as I know from personal experience, hauling Sarah in a wheelchair up steps and through narrow doors and jostling for places in queues. (The beautiful new 'Cloisters' cafe in St Davids Cathedral, for instance, has a magnificent stairlift up an ancient flight of stairs but you can barely get in the door before the queue for food begins and there's no hope in the melee of a table for a wheelchair user to sit with their family.)
And so to home. Someone's messed up the arrangements for Sarah's home care again. No carers this morning and - we are sitting waiting - no taxi either. How do they do it? I sense something in common between the companies who cannot spot a business opportunity for a contract for a stairlift and the public services who cannot maintain an accurate diary. A lack of "Customer Care", perhaps?
Because that was what the owner and staff of Cresswell's Cafe had in abundance. Just wholehearted care for all their customers.
Cresswell's Cafe is on the High Street, just down from the post office, across the road from CK's supermarket and opposite Maesgwynne Road. Pop in for a cappuccino and a warm welcome.
