Dear Potential B&B Owners,
Before you go into this very lucrative
business, which is also called homestay and other funny names, I thought you
might like to hear from a couple who have actually done it.
This is something I recorded when, through no fault of our
own, my wife and I had to give up our life of
fine living by the seaside because the South African Government was about to introduce another
lot of helpful regulations to make life that much easier for B&B owners.
*
* *
The joys of running a Bed & Breakfast are never ending. As my wife will
tell you she (She’s the brunette – not bad for 85 – in these pics) worked like
hell while I spent my time chatting up the
guests, especially the 20 year old
blondes, and watching sport on TV.
"No wonder you keep saying it’s a piece of cake," she used to
say. "You do
nothing to help." She refused to acknowledge the
huge contribution I made.
Anyway the
argument will soon be over. We are bailing out. It has become obvious that at
over 90 I am not making the beds to the same 5 Star standard
that I did when we started eight years ago.
The
other day I put the sheets on top of the
blankets. It’s
a mistake anybody can make. But do you think my wife will let me forget it.
It was the same story when she found tomato sauce on plates
I had washed the day before.
Fortunately the guests were so busy
eating the excellent breakfast I had
cooked they didn’t notice.
Another
reason why we have to give up our luxury, five bedroomed B&B is that my knees are killing me. I have to
face the fact I can’t go on
polishing all those floors any longer. And I can hardly expect my wife to start doing something for which she
has had no training.
Also you should see my varicose veins.
All that standing and slaving away over a hot stove is what has caused them.
Would I have these
afflictions, which you only get from constant hard work, if I spent my time slacking, as my wife tries to
make out?
Oh I forgot. I also did all the maintenance as well. Women are hopeless at this
sort of thing. You don’t know what it’s like at my age climbing on the roof to clean the
gutters.
Do you think I got any sympathy from the old lady? No. But she was quick to moan if
it wasn’t done yesterday. And
just because I once forgot which side I left the ladder, when I wanted to come down, that makes me incapable
of running a B&B.
I was prepared to
suffer for a few more years so my lady wife could continue to enjoy the good life; going to bridge four times a week as
well gym just when the guests are
coming in to breakfast and attending church twice on Sundays and during the week.
You would think I was the one who should have been praying. Now I’ve
finally decided to quit because she said my rotten jokes
and poor
guesses were bad for business.
My crimes……..I told a dour guest that if he had any complaints our MD
lived on a farm near Kuruman in the desolate Northern Cape, where he was mostly in meetings; there
was no cell phone reception and his party line was often out of order.
"We don’t have party lines there anymore," was his angry reply. Kuruman
it turned out was his home town, if you could call it that.
Then I judged a couple by their
accent. "Which part of Germany do you come from?"
I asked innocently. "Eez my accent zat bad," the man snapped. Oops, he was from Switzerland.
Next week my wife, who has never had
time for bridge; doesn’t know what a gym looks like and only goes to church
infrequently when the B&B is empty, is having me locked up in Fawlty Towers.
There my delusions of grandeur
will be recorded by the BBC
(Bed & Breakfast Council) as part of the SA
Government’s latest compulsory training scheme for all
those men who think they can run a B&B better than their
wives.
Yours thankfully
B&B consultant of note
Jon
PS. The Government firmly
believes in building character through struggle
businesses. So if you have any ideas for more
regulations to keep the little man in check then pass them
on to your MP, if you can find him.
Buy my book 'Where have all the children gone?' on Amazon Kindle It's a thriller with an underlying love story that defied generations of prejudice.
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