Sunday 26 July 2009

Oh no! Not another hot and sunny changeover day!

That's what I thought yesterday morning when the temperature was already at 28 degrees at 9 am and we had a changeover day to do. Every Saturday (changeover day), virtually without exception since this season began has been roasting hot and sunny. Followed by cloud, cold winds and even (eek) rain on the Sunday morning.

Sometimes I think running a gite complex would be a doddle without the customers! I'll give you an example. Dr C and his family arrived last Saturday. They booked very last minute, as people seem to do more and more these days and as a result could only have a fortnight if he agreed to change gites halfway through. DH heard his wife, H, moaning to a fellow giteur (is that a word?) in the laundry room about having to move and lose a day of her holiday. DH, who can spot a need in anybody else in the world, except his nearest and dearest at about a mile distance, was quick to use his initiative and get me to contact Mrs W, who arrived yesterday, and ask her if she would go into a different gite and therefore save Dr C having to change. The gite was slightly bigger and we weren't going to charge any more, but we'd save with the cleaner - everyone's a winner!

Unfortunately, we didn't hear back from Mrs W (are you following this?) right away as she was away visiting family. Amazingly, when DH put the proposal to Dr C and his wife, they flew into a confrontational state and said that they'd paid (£30) for the new gite for the week and this proposal wasn't acceptable! He'd offered to refund the £30 but why argue? Poor bloke thought he was being helpful!

In the meantime, we hear back from Mrs W who said she'd be delighted to have the upgrade! Well, she would, wouldn't she?

All ended happily, believe it or not. Dr C hadn't been near the bar all week, but he was in there last night, with his wife and they were the life and soul. Turned out that the reason they wanted to change gites (but why was she moaning about it?) was that they were frightened of leaving their children in bed in the original gite (further away from the bar), in case anybody was kidnapped, or worse! Echoes of Madeleine.

Mrs W accepted that she wasn't going to get her upgrade, and is more than happy with "your" gite, Lesley (and Margo)!

Ain't life strange?
Yew Tree


Catalpa


The two gites in question - does this bring back happy memories?

Tuesday 14 July 2009

A jolly good time was had by all

It's party time!

I've had my night's sleep (a decent one for once!) and shed my tears, and as Flylady says, you're only allowed to sulk for one twenty-four hour period and then after that you have to laugh at whatever it was that you're sulking about! Trouble is that my mum is now 76 and it's possible that one of her trips here might be the last time I see her, but I try not to dwell on that.

The time they were here last week went unbelievably fast - I always say that! I was panicking before they got here about how we'd fill the time and in the end we ran out of time before we ran out of things to do. We had our little trips out, to the "blue caravan" beach on the Atlantic Coast just past the zoo, as well as Les Antilles for Dear Daughter (11) 's birthday. A very small jewelry/fancy goods shop in Saujon was having a closing down sale and everything was reduced by 50%. It just so happened that we needed something for DS's girlfriend, DD's birthday and a present for my younger brother's girlfriend, so we were all 10 of us back in there three times on the same day! What a hoot!

Super U (the supermarket) did very well out of us as we had to shop every day, sometimes twice! My older brother thought he found a dead body in an old derelict house that he went to have a nosey around in but when he went back it had gone, so it couldn't have been that dead! Scared him to death!

My mum only had the one moody when we got lost in the maize field trying to find a short cut whilst walking the dog before we went to the pizzeria and even she managed to laugh at that the day after. The problem was that DH had insisted we were all in the car at 6.45 pm so we could be the first to be served when the pizzeria opened at 7pm (there seemed to be a mass disappearing act whenever food was ready or we were going out) and my mum doesn't like to be late. I also suspect she's a bit frightened of DH - no wonder, so am I!

The kids, of course, made everything happen. Aged between 11 (just) and 16 the five of them were here to have fun, and didn't they just! They camped out by a bonfire one night though I don't think they got much sleep. I still haven't got the smell out of the duvets and pillows they took outside! Anybody got any ideas?

An excellent time was had by all. As one wise person once said "Don't be sad because something is over, rather be happy that it happened at all".

Back to reality now, I've got a LOT of office backlog and an enormous changeover to get ready for on Saturday. As Mark Twain once said - the best way to get ahead is to make a start!

Have a nice day!

Monday 13 July 2009

They've gone home - sob


Siblings of the same womb!

We have had ten/eleven - Dear Son's girlfriend came Saturday and hasn't gone home yet! - staying in our house for the past week. My mum, my two brothers (see pic), my nephews 13 and 15 with the five of us. They came last Monday, they stayed for a week, they ate, they drank, they made noise, they celebrated Dear Daughter (newly 11)'s birthday and in the end some of us cried. It was noisy, God, was it noisy. There was barely enough room around the massive table in the kitchen. They left this morning and I can hardly explain how much I miss them. This photo was taken this morning, the weather matches my mood. Silence - don't like silence.

Thursday 9 July 2009

Family reunion

Having a wonderful time, wish you were here! For the first time in five and a half years the whole of my family (mum, two brothers, two nephews and of course my own family) are all together in the same place. Big brother Michael lives in Salt Lake City and when he comes over to England for a visit, it's usually our busiest time, so we can't see each other. Glad to say he looks well, though a bit greyer than I remember him. We're all having a wonderful time together, talking about old family holidays and things that they remember and I don't (oh the self-centrednest of youth!) The kids are getting along really well and we are ten in the house - good job it's a big one!

Yesterday we went to the beach and wore ourselves out, today it's a rest day and Luna Park funfair tonight, to celebrate the end of Dear Son's (15) exams.

I'll try to get some photos and post them here.