A Spring Beginning

After a slightly wet and cool 1st September, Spring has finally sprung in Stellenbosch and the students and tourists are out in full force in shorts and t-shirts - enjoying the balmy sunshine and that palpable sense of excitement in the air when you know Summer is just around the corner!  
Even the Oak tree outside our front door seems to have picked up on this energy and is furiously sprouting fresh green shoots, as if to celebrate the launch of Stellenbosch's youngest guest house. 
Yip - although we have welcomed the occasional walk-in guest, the Oude Leeskamer Guest House formally opened its doors for trading on the 1st September 2010. 
So these past two weeks have been characterized by many firsts:

• Our first week of running/owning a fully operational guest house,
• The delivery of our first brochures and our first business cards, meaning we could finally start working at getting our guest house known,
• Setting up our own blog and making our first post,
• If all goes to plan - we shall have our first website up and running by early next week,
• And - most importantly - receiving our first few guests. Thank you Lize, Ludwig, Tonia, Marie-Helene and Andre for making history for us!

And what an adventure it has been to get here! After months of hard work, worry, pain and joy, the small army of builders, plumbers, electricians, upholsterers, kitchen and bathroom designers, carpenters, painters and aircon, DSTV and internet installers have completed the renovation of the building. Jean and Fred de Kock - the owners of the Oude Leeskamer building have achieved what at times may have seemed impossible (or just a really bad idea)- turning their Architect Studio Office building into the beautiful guest house it is today.

• To everyone in the army of helpers - thank you for your hard work. 
• To Pam and the late George Osler - if you hadn't put your foot down in 1962 to say that the demolition of Stellenbosch's buildings needs to stop, and consequently bought and renovated the Oude Leeskamer, a very special part of Stellenbosch's history would have been lost and none of us would have the benefit of being part of this new guest house.
• To Jean and Fred - you have achieved something amazing. The Oude Leeskamer building has always had soul, but your sleepless nights, constantly renewed creativity in the face of problems and sheer determination to see this through have ensured that this building is given the chance for a new and exciting chapter in its life and in the history of Stellenbosch.
• After a 5 year stint in England (or as we sometimes affectionately referred to it - the Mud Island) Paul and I returned to South Africa at the beginning of August and have worked tirelessly to put into practice all our months of research and planning to ensure we have the infrastructure in place for this building to operate as a boutique guest house.

Officially open for business now - we cannot wait to welcome all of you to the guest house we are so proud and excited about!