First, we’ve now been doing this for over 10 years - and STILL enjoy it. The variety of delightful people you meet - and with whom we enjoy a pleasantly shallow relationship - is unbounded. In that period, we’ve had nearly 5000 people come to stay, many of them several times. We can count on fewer than the fingers of one hand those we’ve had a problem with (i.e. fewer than 5).
Second: we’re still trying very hard. As a departing guest said this morning: “Everything on the breakfast table had just that little bit extra added to it, which makes such a difference.” And, when I thought about it, it was largely true. You don’t just get grilled tomatoes here; you get grilled tomatoes treated with herbs and seasoned. You get really good bacon & sausages from free-range pigs; the eggs come from a local farm; you get home-baked bread, made with our own blend of flours. Actually, we don’t push the envelope on everything: I can’t think of much to do with Heinz beans other than heat and serve them. Mind you, they’re pretty good as they are. The same goes for Heinz ketchup. BTW, if anyone knows of a better way to do beans PLEASE let me know!
Third: the plethora of regulations can be irritating, but they are there for a purpose and most of the officials we have to deal with aim to help us meet their needs in the context of improved safety, quality and reliability that led to their creation in the first place.
So, all in all, I don’t regret a minute of our time here, and I hope it’ll go on for much longer. It’s a great life, if you don’t weaken.