League of Nations.

An Italian couple, a German lady and two Irish golfers. The Italians and German are in for three nights which is brilliant as it means I only have to make the beds, not strip, wash and iron.
Yesterday it was 24 degrees. The garden bed bottom left hand of picture I weeded in the afternoon before being defeated by the heat.
The yellow oil seed rape is no longer yellow and we await it going brown - and smelly - before it is harvested.
Are people in towns as aware of the seasons as we are in the country?
Soon be Christmas!

Another day over.

The view as I wind down after a busy day.
Our second viewing - I shall not hold my breath. The first viewers decided Greenbrae was "not for them." Which was a shame as they obviously had prepared, knew what they wanted, and how to run a bed and breakfast business.
This day's viewer came with her best friend rather than her husband (!) and I was left feeling more like a National Trust guide than a seller of a house.
In between the viewings we have continued to be busy with guests. Also managed to write off our people carrier so now need to buy another vehicle.
I fancy - always have - a landrover. The old fashioned kind. I am not going to get one I have been told, so long as I can see over hedges so possibly a tractor?

Bookings.

This is where most of our bookings are made - on the computer.
Twice in the last few weeks we have had people turn up and say they have booked a room. Only to be met with a dropped jaw from me and obvious panic in the eyes. Am I finally heading down the senior moment slope?
When I checked I found that the person had indeed made an enquiry, and information had been duly supplied, with the final sentence from me, Please confirm your booking and give an estimated time of arrival. Which they had not done. Oh boy.

Presentation, presentation.

This house has seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, two sitting rooms, dining room, kitchen, library, miles of corridors, and by next Wednesday it has to be looking its best.... as we have a VIEWING. Scary.

Still here.

Strange in limbo feelings. Everything at a standstill. As we check the internet out on the property sites we can see everyone else is in the same boat. Nothing selling, nobody buying. The credit crunch has us in its grasp.
Having initially decided to take no bookings for b&b after the end of July, we are now taking September bookings. The bookings too are not the same as in past years. The cost of fuel putting many off travelling.
Its not all doom and gloom as we have discovered our hens are still laying. Having thought they had finally run out of eggs to lay, after all they must have laid quite a few whilst being battery hens, we found a great mound of eggs tucked away under the rhubarb. So we wont starve!

Books.

We won't have the luxury of a seperate library when we move. So I have begun to go through the books we have and decide what can go. Tomorrow is the annual book sale at one of the churches in the village. I am bagging up some to take, but I know I will come back with more!
Most of the ones I am taking to donate have been donated by guests. The sort you buy at the airport . I must admit to wondering how some of them ever get published as they are bordering on illiterate. Certainly unbelievable plots.

I escaped!

This is moi after a day out, note the 'bling ring'.

And new hair do and new clothes.

No-one booked in tonight so I ran away. Well overdue my 6 monthly trip to Aberdeen, charge round Primark, saying "Sorry, sorry, sorry, " to the third world as I got loads of clothes for £29.60p.

Had my hair cut in the indoor market.

"No appointment necessary".

First time I had a tea towel round my shoulders to be shampooed - and sat next to a nearly dead woman wearing those metal hair rollers, which I havent seen for forty years, in painful rows. She was carried to the sink and elevated at the feet so they could 'rinse her off'. I was so horrified and waiting for her to breathe again I didnt see what was happening to my hair, but I know where to go when I draw my pension as you get a discount....and even this time it was cheaper than in Peterhead. I had lunch in MacDonalds - another no, no and lots of sorries to the daughters who think this is the pits, but I just love the gherkins, and they wont like anything I bought which are lots of stripy tops and the most amazing raincoat! Havent had a shiny raincoat since the 60s and that was black, with a black beret, but we will draw a veil over that one.