In May 2024, my book Guesthouse Life was published by Naledi. This engaging memoir would make a wonderful Christmas gift, appealing to a broad scope of readers. With its blend of food, travel, history, and gardening, the book weaves together stories centred around the theme of a guesthouse. It is personal, written from the heart, and honest. It will resonate with guesthouse owners, those who’ve dreamed of running a B&B, and corporate travellers and tourists who stay at these establishments. At a time when the repurposing and restoration of historic homes is more popular than ever, Guesthouse Life highlights the restoration of a landmark home in George.

​The book is stocked by selected Exclusive Books, Wordsworth and Bargain Books branches. This is the ISBN number: ISBN978-1-991256-73-7 Alternatively, you can order from Naledi or Amazon using the links: https://naledi.co.za/product/guesthouse-life or from Amazon using the link https://amzn.to/3Aq42MV. 
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​Prologue. 
The backstory. The reader meets the Benkensteins and learns about their move from Namibia to the Garden Route and the acquisition of the historic home.
Chapter 1. Let’s start a Bed and breakfast.
The reader is introduced to The Gardener and his garden.
Chapter 2. Of bedrooms and fourposter beds.
This is about bedroom decor, but it is also about the challenges of running a B&B from a family home.
Chapter 3. When Winnie and Robert came to stay. 
This chapter includes an anecdote regarding guests from San Francisco. 
Chapter 4. Background music. 
​The reader learns about the restoration of Shanty-21, a historic outbuilding, and its role in the Benkenstein children, and their friends' lives, as a music den.,
Chapter 5. Breakfast is served. 
How many breakfasts per year? Times 30 years.
Chapter 6. A cuppa, a cookie, or a slice of cake.
It is many a B&B owner’s clever trick to say that afternoon tea, coffee, and cake are served between three-thirty and four in the afternoon. Four standby recipes are shared.
Chapter 7.  Someone stole our tree.
The reader learns about the abundance of trees on the property and an anecdote is shared about a tree trunk that was stolen overnight.
Chapter 8.Ten days to Christmas.
Two guesses as to who is left with no golden egg. Running a business from home is never more difficult than over the Christmas holidays. Even when Fairview belonged to the Standers, Christmas was the time for children and grandchildren to come home to Fairview.
Chapter 9. Hello and goodbye.
Hospitality is the name of the game. Not my proudest moment: Return your luggage right back to the car. You will not be sleeping in my guesthouse tonight.’’
Chapter 10. About house rules and dachshunds.
The most infuriating aspects of running a bed and breakfast are early arrivals or late arrivals, inconsiderate guests, guests ringing the doorbell in the middle of the night, no-shows, and people who book for single occupancy and then arrive with an entourage in tow.
Chapter 11.  No smoking in the bedroom, please.
For every smoking guest, five non-smoking guests are loathed by the faintest smell of smoke on curtains or other soft furnishings.
Chapter 12. Knitting my way through crappy reviews.  I knit to calm my mind. This chapter includes an anecdote about an uncomfortable toilet seat.
Chapter 13. The Assessors. 
Reviews, criticism, grading, boxes to be ticked, standards to be adhered to…
Chapter 14. Give me a break. The age-old problem of any guesthouse owner: Do I close the business for a month, or do I appoint someone so that I can go away for a few weeks.
Chapter 15. Are there ghosts at Fairview? 
Footsteps on the staircase.
Chapter 16. Bartering.
About my reluctance to give a discounted rate and my joy in the time-honoured tradition of bartering.
Chapter 17. Marketing. 
What I learned about marketing by trial and error and many a tribulation.
Chapter 18. An Inn by any other name.
So, is it a B&B, a Lodge, a Homestay, a Guesthouse, or a Country Home? Definitions to drive you dotty.
Chapter 19. Right of admission reserved.
You would hope all guests will respect you and your home. But in truth, some situations will be downright unpleasant, and you will be left with no choice but to ask a guest to leave.
Chapter 20. Bilking. 
The ones running off without paying for their stay.
Chapter 21. Housekeeping. 
Guest house owners are domestic champions. We are all authorities on cleaning materials, the best way to remove stains from towels and linen, the best mops on
the market, the right way to make a bed, clean a shower, and unblock a drain.
Chapter 22. The kitchen. 
The heart of most homes. The heart of Fairview since 1861.
Chapter 23. She can cook.
Anecdotes from my years of being a partner in a small catering company. The role of meals on offer in a guest house. A trip to Italy and three recipes demonstrated by an Italian housewife.
Chapter 24. The Standers at Fairview. ‘
’Old buildings are important, not only for their architectural features but also for the memories evoked of interesting people who lived there.’’ – Dr Anton Rupert.
Chapter 25. Heritage Matters.
Demolition and unsympathetic alterations are surely the biggest threat to our architectural heritage in South Africa.
Chapter 26. Restoring Fairview. 
About the restoration process of the Fairview homestead.
Chapter 27. For sale. Or not.
Chapter 28. A Sabbatical.
I walk the Camino de Santiago and with a lightness in my step and newfound joy, I return to my life family, responsibilities, and life as an innkeeper.
Chapter 29. Swine Flu. 
A brush with death.
Chapter 30. Loadshedding.
When we moved to George in 1994, The Gardener had just turned forty; I was in my thirties. Now we are talking about retirement, loss of hearing, lack of energy, not to mention lack of electricity.
Chapter 31.  And then came Covid. 
Along with our family’s silver jubilee as accommodation providers came Covid-19. The end of yet another era at Fairview Homestead.
Chapter 32. Our never-ending story. Looking back:
​‘’It is good to have an end to a journey, but it is the journey that matters in the end.’’ – Ernst Hemmingway.

A number of our guests have expressed the wish for a signed copy of the book. No problem - I will send you a signed copy per PUDO/Aramax at no extra charge anywhere in South Africa. The price remains R375- Credit card or eft

​Dr Anton Rupert said, “Old buildings are important, not only for their architectural features but also for the memories evoked of interesting people who lived there.”
In March 2024 Hermune Pienaar joined the Benky family at Fairview to capture a momentous occasion: the first time that all three of the Benkenstein children and their families got together at Fairview since 2018. There may be a difference in the age of our grandchildren, but they got together like a house on fire. Of course, there were sparks and tears every now and then, but all in all, we had such fun. Fortunately, the four little S.A. grandchildren are pretty bilingual, but we were amazed at how fast the Australian grandchildren could grasp the gist of an Afrikaans conversation. ​

Hannes Koegelenberg did my cover design and I love it. Grab the key, take a break, take a plunge, take a peep into the life of the proprietor, busy bee, flowers galore, and the centrepiece- a square white Georgian historic home. 

A friend in the hospitality industry expressed her surprise at my memory. Fact is that my book was developed from diaries, journals, and blog posts. Yes, it is a personal story, but it will appeal to everyone working in any sector of the hosptiatlity industry. If you ever considered running a B&B, or air-B&B for that matter, then this is for you. Living in an old property presents unique challenges -the book is as much about restoring a long-neglected historic home and the stories of the people who call it home. 

It will be ready for distribution in May 2024. Pre-orders will be couriered to your address in South Africa. R375.00 (delivery included) You may contact Tertia Swart [email protected] to place your order - she will take your order and give you the banking details for pre-payment. 

NON-FICTION  | 290 PAGES | SOFT COVER | ISBN 978-1-9956-73-7 | R375.00
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On the weekend of the 9th of March 2017, I attended a workshop organised by the Southern Cape Writers Guild. Six years and many rewrites later, my manuscript has been accepted for publication by Naledi Publishers. Working title: A Guesthouse Life. It should be available in all major South African bookstores, and online, by September 2024. It will also be available for e-readers.

Working title: A Guesthouse Life. The title may change. The manuscript contains memories, and anecdotes, with a few recipes added for good measure. It is about life as guesthouse owners in general, but also about our garden, Fairview and the people who call Fairview home. 

Over the next three months, I plan to write regularly about the process of creating a book. Do subscribe to the blog if you wish to follow this journey. I do not plan to irritate you with excessive marketing or promotional material.

​Regular blog readers may have noticed that most of my blogposts have been removed. That is because they are being to be worked into a book that will be published by NALEDI Publishers! Title: Guesthouse Life. Deadline for it to be on the shelves and available for online sales is the end of August 2024. They will also do a book for e-readers.
I know that most fellow guest house owners could have written a book about their guest house lives – this one is for you.

To quote Nikos Kazantzakis in Zorba the Greek. ‘Wife, children, house, everything. The full catastrophe’.  Thirty-two chapters, variable in length. The last six chapters clearly show a build-up of frustration as the B&B owner becomes overwhelmed by the responsibilities and frustrations of running an accommodation establishment but gradually regains her equilibrium and finds joy and contentment again.
 
What an exciting exercise this has been. I now know that submitting that manuscript is a very humbling experience. I am so encouraged by the Naledi team who are tasked to turn my manuscript into a book. I keep on questioning whether people will buy the book - Imposter Syndrome is real!
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When our children were still in school they formed a band and, as you know, a band needs to practice. When you grow up in a house that is your home as well as a guest house that proves to be a problem. Our children's solution was to claim a small storeroom below the swimming pool as their little music den. They called it Shanty 21. I asked Alex: 'why 21?' and he answered: ' every abode needs a number...' I suppose when you are 16 years old 21 sounds like a grand number to be. Shanty was kitted out with seating - discarded rickety chairs, logs covered with old carpets, lots of candles and cobwebs for ambiance - the perfect music den. The words 'herein lie the sound of music' were added next to the crude signage of 'Shanty 21'.

In Summer of 2013 we decided to restore 'Shanty 21' and use it as a small guest room for single occupancy, but let us start at the beginning:
When they removed the door frame the wall collapsed! Not much left, but the restoration of a listed building means it has to be rebuilt in exactly the same place (we were tempted to sneak in a square meter or three!)We had clay bricks held together with mud and ferns...unbelievable if you scroll down for the end result.

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​I could not possibly tell you about every guest that jumps to mind immediately, but the truth is that over the years many people have arrived as guests and left as friends. Initially we would receive letters of thanks after a memorable stay and as I even in these modern days love to write a letter, I would inevitably reply and that would lead to more letters and, joy of joys, Christmas cards decorating our fireplace mantel any time from November. Today it is Facebook, WhatsApp and e-mails that allow us to keep contact.
I still remember my first ever guest. She was from Germany; she came to Fairview after she picked up our brochure at the local tourist office. Her name was Ulrika and she paid R110.00 for bed and breakfast. A few years after she stayed that first time, she arrived unannounced at our door and was most surprised when I exclaimed, ‘Ulrika!’ and gave her a big hug.
Then there is the truly remarkable Ms Meyer, descendant of the Justus Meyer who built Fairview. As a sprightly eighty-year-old she traveled from America to visit the country of her forefathers. When she arrived in Cape Town, they did not have an automatic vehicle available for her, but no trouble to her – she had last driven a shift car when she got her driver’s license as a young girl, but she drove around in the parking lot a bit and then took to the road to drive the 450 km to George. “Wrong” side of the road no trouble either.
Subsequently she has stayed with us several times, charming the hosts and other guests with her knowledge, wit, and stories. The room that she stayed in used to have an old mahogany cupboard that had a doorknob that always fell off. Prior to her arrival I had asked Desmond to fix it. When I walked into her room the next day, I was surprised to find the job done, as I normally must ask Desmond at least three times to fix anything around the house, his excuse being that he is a gardener and not a handyman.
When I thanked him that evening, he admitted sheepishly that he forgot. I asked Thea and she, with a shrug of her shoulders, replied that when she drove past the hardware store, she knew exactly what type of screw I needed to fix that doorhandle, so she quickly popped in to buy it and fixed it herself. Now how can any guest house owner not remember such a guest? 
When the South African corporate travelers could travel again, after nearly a year of Covid-19 lockdown and remote working, one of our most our long-standing guests arrived at the door with a big bunch of white roses. I still get emotional just thinking about this kind gesture. When he stayed with us the first time, he asked me if I would mind if he practiced his flute in the afternoon. Now I must explain, all three our children played the recorder and I have had to suffer through many a false note for many years. So, I am sorry to say, but I held my breath for a few seconds before I said that I would have no problem with that, if it was not into the evening. Oh, my goodness – I could only stand there and smile like an idiot as the sound of the most heavenly music drifted down the Fairview corridors.
I am reminded daily, as I look upon a set of red leather-bound English Classics, that a widower had delivered those to my house after a stay during which he attended the funeral of his brother. He explained that his one son had emigrated to England and the other to Australia; they had taken what they wanted from their family home and the set of books was left unclaimed. As he was now also moving into a Retirement Home, he was selling off the last of his possessions but could not bear with the thought of that collection being split up as he and his wife bought it together as young students at Stellenbosch University. He saw that I loved old books and asked me if I would take care of it. Every time that I dust the set, proudly displayed in my lounge, I think of him.
During the past year with international travel suspended, I have been communication with several overseas guests via social media and per e-mail. It brought it over to me just how many people have impacted my life after a stay at our B&B. When we moved to George, Desmond had just turned 40, I was in my 30’s, as old as my daughter is now. Now we are talking about retirement, our arthritis and lack of energy. I remember an elderly Dutch couple who came to us for many years for their annual golf holiday to the Garden Route and on greeting me the one gentleman took my hands and told me solemnly that this would be their last holiday to South Africa as they just thought they were getting too old for the long trip. We both had tears in our eyes. Those are the kind of guests I remember.
 

On the 25th of March 2020 we had nothing but dread for the year ahead. So much has changed in the past year. My plans for 2021? It would be a year of trips as I had wonderful Thereasa with the Fairview reigns firmly in hand. A trip to France, a trip to Australia to spend some time with our Ausie children and grandchildren, a trip to Cape Town where Desmond was going to attend a conference and I was going to spend time with my Cape Town friends, and of course our Cape Town children and grandchildren.

Covid-19 clipped the wings of the whole wide world. Literally.  

Yesterday somebody sympathised with me as he felt that the hospitality industry was probably the worst affected. I immediately started listing the industries that were as bad off, if not worse. Corona strengthened my belief that it is not just about me and mine. We are all in this together. 

Thereasa is now a receptionist at the Intercare Mediclinic where Desmond works.  Desmond and I are both well, and happy with life at a slower pace. Like many accommodation establishments (12 when I last counted) we did consider selling, but we will be able to ride this out by changing direction, cutting down the overheads and reverting Fairview back to a family home, offering just two of the guest rooms on B&B. Thank you to all South African guests for the continual support, thank you to every e-mail or WhatsApp with words of encouragement. This too shall pass. 

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