I was musing the other day with Malcolm about how we naturally seem to go with the flow with what we usually call “the project”. It wasn’t always so.

Malc is very much the highly motivated / get up at 6 am driven force behind this “villa renting” project; with the building / technical skills to boost.

I am more the translating, networking woman with the ability to follow instructions (or not so much so if you speak to Malc) and mislay tools. I have also learnt to lay floor tiles & can do a mean plaster wall !

Malc is more ” We should have had the permit for the swimming pool last year”, whilst I’m more “We should be lucky to have it by October 2013″.

So lesson number 1 : “Whether you like it or not, planning permission / building work / bike registration/ you name it etc. will happen in their own time in Sardinia.”

From this derives lesson 1: “Getting annoyed / telling people to hurry up will rarely work…”

And consequently math theory 1 : “If you think something will happen in (say) 6 months, then double up that time and then add some …”

Truly frustrating for Malcolm who’s used to British efficiency (he used to take that for granted in the UK) , not so much for a French national like me who’s used to encourage and cajole her way to nudge things along.

We just had our 1st feedback from our Easter clients. All great. Interestingly, their only improvement suggestion concerned a room they didn’t sleep in. They thought the light streaming in the morning through the shutters would wake up the guests or their children early. And who wants to wake up at 7 am on holidays ?? So down to Sassari for a blackout curtain it was !!

We indeed believe a key ingredient in any business success is feedback. Whilst we tried to create maximum comfort at an affordable rental price for our clients, we are bound to have omitted something. This is a rather fine balance as not everything will be to all of our clients’ taste. For example: mattress firmness. Where do you stand (or lay down) on this issue ? The king size bed is too firm for my liking but perfect for Malc. The single ones are medium whilst the sofa bed one is deliciously soft to me but would probably give Malc backache in the long run. (Update July 2013: As it turns out, I didn’t need to worry about the king mattress. A client wrote in his review that it was one of the most confortable bed he ever slept in ( the sofa got a special too) and others have mentionned sleeping very well indeed.)

And the last lesson for us : “Go with the flow if you haven’t the strength to swim against the current or when you have no choice”. We thought we would have a wooden / above ground pool in the back garden by now… We are beyond getting upset about it now. In fact, 2 friends have offered to buy the pool from us & we will consider the huge plastic type instead. Less pretty but you don’t need a permission for it and it does the job !I

So it’s all come and go, re-prioritising in this life (Note to self : add an eco friendly section to the web site !) . Luckily, we at least now know when to let some things go and when to pursue… in this beautiful and sometimes strange land that is Sardinia !