From Guest House Reviews and the Hall of Fame, to Author Reviews!

A farewell to McGregor, a trip down memory lane, and a Hello George, we're back!

When Justin and I started running Fountain Place Guest House, in the little village of McGregor, back in May 2014, we had no idea just how much one single review would mean to us.

Our first guest review, from our first guests, had us high-fiving each other, jubilantly, as we congratulated ourselves on our achievement!

We worked hard for five years, accumulating numerous quality reviews during that time, as we turned Fountain Place into an award-winning guest house, and each review gave us a great sense of achievement. We never took it for granted, and always appreciated the fact that our guests had taken the time to write about us.

I, equally, took the time to respond, believing that the reviewer deserved my time in return, to thank them.

Of course, there were the odd times when a review was not favourable! Anyone who has ever worked in the hospitality business will know that you can't please everyone, no matter how hard you try! As the old saying goes, 'The sun will always be too hot for some people, or the rain too wet'!

As we move on from being guest house owners, and I prepare to spend more time working on my writing (a long held dream of mine), I am acutely aware of the fact that reviews will continue to be a part of my life. But now the reviews will be about my writing! This is, I think, far more nerve-wracking!

When someone reviews my work now, it will be about my story, and only my story!

At Fountain Place we had much in our favour, so many aspects of the 'guest house experience' for people to review. For one thing, we had the beautiful old lady, Fountain Place, herself! As a stunning 1862 National Monument, she did a lot of the hard work for us!

The first time I saw Fountain Place, I remember pausing at the gate, as we were leaving, and looking back at her, savouring her beauty!

And then we had the beautiful courtyard, where we laid up pretty tables, ready for delicious, two-course breakfasts, on fine English bone china.

 

Of course, being a book lover, with appropriate quantities of books, I loved to invite guests into our library, which was an added attraction to many! 

 Not only that, I enjoyed setting up 'library breakfasts' for many guests, all of whom enjoyed perusing the many books, and movies, shelved within the room.

 

It also gave me great pleasure to print out fun quotes, to pop onto guests' pillows during their stay! I've lost count of how many commented on these, often saying they were taking them with them, as a memento of their stay!

 

And then, as an added bonus, we had the wonderful bird life! The gardens, and fountains, at Fountain Place were a haven for so many beautiful birds! Justin was kept constantly busy ensuring the various feeders were filled with either seed, or nectar, none of which ever lasted long!

During our time we were visited by too many different birds to remember! Some which come to mind, in no particular order, are: malachite sun birds, southern double collared sun birds, cape white eyes, bulbuls, the naughty cape sparrows (who loved tapping on the windows!), hadedas, guinea fowl, red bishops, owls, weaver birds, eagles, pigeons, drongos, hoopoes, cape sugar birds, starlings, swallows, pin-tailed whydahs, mouse birds, and many more!

 At times our courtyard had the feel of an outdoor aviary, with hoards of sun birds, weavers, and white eyes, flocking around the nectar feeders, and waiting in line in the grape vines above!

What guest would not be moved by this scene! We were constantly moved by it! I wonder how many of our visitors have photos and videos, with which to remember their visit? Sometimes I would be busy checking guests in, only to have to pause, as camera phones were whipped out, and multiple pictures taken! 

 

   

 

 

As if all this wasn't enough, we enjoyed, as a special treat for many of our returning guests, providing an afternoon tea, the old-fashioned way (served in the library, of course)!

So many different experiences for our guests to enjoy, and subsequently review!

Each year, for the five years that we ran Fountain Place, we were delighted to be awarded the much coveted 'Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence', an award only given to the top ten percent of accommodations. We cannot thank our many, wonderful, guests, enough, for helping us to achieve this!

Following on from this, we are delighted, and humbled, in equal measure, to have been entered into the 'Tripadvisor Hall of Fame' for 2019! What a fitting way to bow out of the hospitality industry and bid farewell to our beautiful Fountain Place!

 

And so we hand over the reigns to the lovely Val Graham, now! Val will, no doubt, inject her own sense of style into Fountain Place, and have plenty of new ideas! But, no matter how much things change, in many ways, I feel, Fountain Place will remain the same, in all the best possible ways...

We sincerely wish Val much success and happiness, as she takes ownership of a very special place!

And so, now, it is time for me to get busy with my writing! Time for me to worry about reviews of my books! Whilst one could get a sense of a guest's enjoyment of their stay, one does not have that luxury with one's books! There is no observation of the reader's enjoyment, no checking if they're okay with how the story is progressing, or if they are happy with the ending!

One must simply write, publish, and then await the results! As I said, much more nerve-wracking!

As an Indie author, everything is done by myself, from first draft, to editing, cover design, publishing, and marketing. It is time consuming, but, while running Fountain Place, I did manage to publish three books under a pen name, as well as a children's book under my real name.

My children's book was a complete labour of love, a promise that I made to myself after our long sojourn in Zambia, with our beautiful family of cats and dogs (six, to be exact!).

 

 I chose to illustrate the story, as well, so as to completely capture the special time that we shared together. I wanted a permanent record of our precious family, as well as of such a happy time in our lives. And, lastly, I wanted to find a way for our animals to live forever.

When we moved to the UK, for two years, our five surviving animals came with us, and when we moved back to South Africa, our last two surviving babies came back to Africa with us.

Gypsy (the star of the story), and Bella, both spent their last days with us at Fountain Place.

I am currently busy with my first full-length novel, a mystery, set in an English village. 'Village Lives' comes about from my great love for Dame Agatha Christie's many works. Human nature, everyday lives, and lies, and the resulting damage these simple facets of every day life can cause, make up my story.

As soon as we have settled down from our move, I will return to my writing in earnest, and will love it if you would like to become part of my journey!

You can follow my author page on facebook to see what I'm doing, and how I'm progressing!

'The Little Cat who thought she was a Dog' is available on most Amazon market places. For South Africans, Amazon US may be used for ordering copies.

And so we have swapped the winelands and the Klein Karoo, with its hot summers, its snow-capped winter mountains, and its abundant wine, for the beautiful city of George, a place we lived in, with much happiness, before our move to McGregor! George is in the Western Cape, a stunning, 'smallish', city, nestled between the spectacular Outeniqua mountains, and the Indian Ocean. An abundance of vast, beautiful, beaches are within a few minutes' drive, as are amazing farmers' markets, filled with creative works and home-baked goods. There is a peaceful vibe, creativity galore, many lovely shops, great restaurants, and, of course, although we may not have the wine estates on our doorstep, wine is readily available, as well as Route 62 (the longest wine route in the world!) being just a short hop over the Outeniquas!

And Route 62 leads to McGregor, and some very dear friends, who we left behind... But who will always be in our hearts, until we meet again!

As we left Fountain Place and handed over the keys, I paused at the gate and savoured her beauty, for the last time...

And then we returned to our special home in George, and, as I paused at the gate, I looked around, savouring the beauty of the mountains, and the sight of our house, and I knew that I was home...