Decisions

We have a habit of shelving non-urgent work & doing things like going out instead or even just staying in, but then suddenly we have lots of properties to prepare, laundry to sort & we end up having to cram in as much as physically possible! Today has been one of those days, two large house cleans & an interview with some new customers... Now I have no idea why we really feel the need to take on even more work & can't believe that I've let Sime persuade me yet again, but we've shaken hands on it & we'll be starting in April...

The thing with this job is it's a holiday let, which means weekend changeovers & we've already got 6 properties to sort on Saturdays during the holiday season. So as we do at this time every year - we're having to think hard about the direction we want our business to go. Do we expand & take on staff? We have a couple of local women at the moment that help out when we're struggling & then there's Rose & Asa, who will help out during their summer break, but to actually become employers is a scary thing for us & many of our customers just want us, so it's difficult. We are also perfectionists when it comes to our work, so to pass it on to someone who probably doesn't feel the same way - would then threaten our business. Are we better keeping it small & manageable? If that's the case - then we have to think about dropping at least one, possibly two houses to enable us to continue without wearing ourselves out!

It seems that each year, we make adjustments & it does always seem for the better - we let go of those properties that make our lives difficult, places which are poorly maintained with owners unwilling to spend money on decent furniture & appliances (but charge high prices for the accommodation). These same owners always stall our payments & ask us to do more than was first agreed. Unfortunately, we never find any of this out until we get started. Today we have been able to come to a decision about two properties, the last two that we took on last year - both owners mess us about & we really don't have room for that. We know it's foolish to be loyal to these people, as they really don't care about us & as we are always getting calls from potential new customers - we might as well move on...

The next step is telling these people, which hopefully will be Sime's job (I'm a coward)! At least the majority of folk we work with are lovely & we are very lucky to be given such responsibility - caring for some amazing properties & meeting people from very different backgrounds to our own. Here we are, two scruffy, working class bums & just like that we're been let loose in some of the most expensive, upmarket houses we could ever imagine! We get invited to parties with nibbles, rub shoulders with film stars & titled people - a completely different world to ours & the funny thing is these folks seem to like us & trust us. Luckily, our feet are firmly on the ground, we're not easily awestruck & we have no desire to have that kind of lifestyle - it's all a bit of a laugh to us, just another Smith adventure!

One day, we'll give up the business altogether - when something better comes along... Though maybe it will be sooner rather than later, the new band that Sime has joined recently is looking to make it big. They are all seasoned musicians & their music is getting lots of interest.

Wouldn't that be hilarious? If at the age of 50+ Sime finally gets his dream come true & plays some big gigs in front of thousands of fans...

Perhaps then we could find someone nice to look after us for a change!

Now that definitely would be funny, but not impossible...

Kay :)