Once upon a time, sneezing in a public place was almost seen as a crime, as people looked at you suspiciously and suddenly ran away from you.
We could not move around freely without the wearing of stifling masks, were watched by sanitizing police as we entered a shopping mall, our temperatures were checked and contact details recorded.
It was an awful time in history and something none of us ever could have dreamt of in our wildest dreams. Some say we may go back to that, but for now, all is well!
How did it affect the running of our BnB?
Of course we could not accommodate any guests for around 10 weeks, so booking refunds and no money coming in meant I had to dig into my little Hive nest-egg, which I've spoken of endlessly.
We had to remove all books, board games, scatter cushions, in fact most decorative items, and sanitize everything.
The units looked a tad austere but satisfied the municipal inspector and we received our Covid Compliance Certificate so could receive guests again!
We are still not using our register book and the guests fill in a form on arrival.
What do I miss the most
Guests still arrive all masked up, so you can't see the full face, and when it's a returning guest to who you cannot put a face, the mask makes it even more difficult!
They soon take it off once they're settled in and more relaxed, and we can at least now have a decent conversation; something that was a definite no-no.
However, our Guest Book is still tucked away in my office, so we now only rely on online guest reviews, which are valuable in terms of marketing, but I do miss the personal thank you cards and messages.
This was the very last thank you card that we received when ex-pat guests from Australia stayed with us for two weeks while visiting family, just before Covid really hit our shores!
Little did they or us know what was waiting for all of us; they departed on 11/03/2020, and we went into a hard lockdown just two weeks later.
This very special card was from a friend who treated his wife with a weekend away; she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis while in her thirties and sadly passed away about a year ago. A beautiful woman inside and outside. This debilitating illness caused her much suffering.
A pretty thank you letter written by the charming grandma of a family from Belgium who came to meet the family of their son's South African wife.
A family from Mumbai, India really enjoyed their stay in the garden cottage with nature all around, as they say where they live, it's just a concrete jungle; very charming people who left a letter of thanks as well, which I've also pasted into our guest comment book, which is still tucked away!
Last but not least, the couple whose predicament made us take the final decision to turn the spacious main bedroom into a studio apartment which is in a separate wing of our home with its own entrance. This was the best move ever, as we now accommodate many business guests there.
They had booked the cottage and were in the process of emigrating, but came to say goodbye to his mother. She had complications following surgery so they needed to stay longer, but the cottage had a booking, and so Lily's Loft was born.
Thanks to Marc and Kerry, who actually won their money back for their initial booking through a promotion by the online booking site.
These are memories that I can touch and feel, very precious indeed ❤
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