Being green and getting flowers...

 Did you miss me? 

Last Tuesday was Anzac Day. We do dawn service.  In fact 28 folk from Toadies went up to Marine Parade for dawn service. Kings College were here. The wine makers - all being internationals - came up to see what happens. We had a busy breakfast service when we all got back.

We hosted King's College U17 boys football team for two nights. They were a flurry of activity in a very quiet fortnight.  The pool table got used a lot. 

Jacob called it - 'They won't eat much, they're footballers.' 

How is that a thing? 
But he was right. 100 Anzac cookies was enough.

I have had discussions with two suppliers about rate increases. 

Seriously, where is the customer service when they gave me a bit of paper to  sign stating they wouldn't put the rates up and then I have to prove that!! Twice!

100 years ago when I was super green in business - I'm more olive coloured now - we requested some work to be done. (I'm going to stay vague about the service cause Napier is a small town).

We had a meeting. Gave all the info required to complete said service. Our questions were answered about the process.  We got a quote.  Yep - we can work with that.

Service was done. Awesome! Love it. You're amazing and we're amazing and all is well with the world.

Then we got the invoice! 

Insert explicit here. 

Oh, and a wee side story. 

My amazingly passive Nana had a saying. When she got really, really, really angry..she'd say 

"I'm so angry, I could write bum on the wall and smack it' 

 - well I was That mad!

The invoice was Three times the value of the quote! WTF!

So, in a desperate plea I contacted what I considered to be the most successful, sort of related business close by. Not another hostel. I went 5 star provider. That guy must know some stuff. And this is what he told me - in an email...

'Tell them to go F*** themselves''

There was no other text. Just pure, simple instructions. I was gob smacked. Really?! Not taking up the mentoring mantel and putting some context around this?

So, what did I do?....I followed his advice...sort of...couldn't quite bring myself to say exactly that.

What I learnt was, I can negotiate. I can say no. I can even make certain demands. 

Know what you can and can't do. And do it. 

So my discussions recently with suppliers has been a much more confident conversation. I have the paperwork that we agreed on. Let's stick to that!

This is also true of our cancellation policy. It sucks but I have had to stay true to our policy more than ever.  We just can't afford to have rooms reserved that aren't being paid for - simple as that.

We have created a special process for the companies that send their workers into the area to help with cleaning up after the cyclone. Yes - clean up is on-going. It's off the main stream news now, cause it's old news. There are folk here still hurting.

So, our way of helping is to work really closely with the companies that are trying to work around schedule, availability, weather, access ,,,and a raft of other hurdles to get skilled workers in the right place at the right time. It is akin to herding cats!

I received flowers!

Two lots in fact!

A group of guests that I have been working with, changing dates and wriggling the booking around to suit them has now landed where it needs to be. They were very generous to send flowers! It made my day.

Wine makers, Kasper and Sam left this week.  Kasper was the master of the card table during Gabrielle and Sam is  one of those really weird people that are always happy. You know the ones that find the silver lining in a coal sack. 

We discovered, when planning the farewell dinner for Sam and Kasper that none of the wine makers had tasted pavlova. We sorted that! Along with confirming that it is a Kiwi dish and not an Australian one!

Winter is coming....

I still can't say that without a Game of Thrones voice over

Winter slows down visitors to Sunny Hawkes Bay.  It's a good time to continue the painting we started last winter as the rooms are given a lift in the new blue.

I'll do baking marathons for group bookings and then take a break as the house falls empty between tournaments.

On a personal level, we each have activities which the winter gives us more time to do. 

Jacob will start his first season of rugby for Napier Boys High School. Gareth will spend time on his off-road truck preparing for a competition he enters each year in June. 

We all enjoy rugby season and the boys have great father-son time at off-road events - which I will not attend due to lack of civilised wine bars being available.

As a mother-son activity last week, I did a training session with Jacob which involved running 3k's then doing sprint drills, then running home. Jacob has his ticket as a Personal Trainer and he's very good. Patient and supportive.

Running with Jacob is something of a reality check. Far from being the Lone Wolf, jogging at an even and confident pace, I looked more like a corgi panting after a gazelle! But we got there.

All three of us enjoy a game of golf. We've managed this all together for the past couple of Sundays. We are all terrible at it. If practice makes perfect, we are certainly getting in the swing numbers.

This weekend we have my birthday gathering. The theme is Favourite Dead Person. Next weeks post should have some great pics! 

I agree 

to create a post and not skip out again. I should stick to that!