Hello everyone mentioned that I was trying out a new printing company and am happy to report they are excellent. When Royal mail lost all the brochures I had ordered they have replaced them all for free and got them out to me in 5 days. I have also claimed back the money from the Royal Mail so may have had them for free which is even better. I have also ordered 2 mugs from them and have been pleased (i.e. picture of the hotel and the phone number) Also advertising postcards, more business cards, linen bags, tee-shirts, pens with the phone number on, gift vouchers and have been happy with them all. I would point out that this company regularly does special offers so if you are wanting something specific I would wait till it pops up. They seem to email me once or twice a week so I just wait.

Another top tip is if you don't want to use the little sachets of butter you can get from the wholesaler and wish to be more artistic at the Yorkshire Hotel where I used to work they slice up blocks of butter first into rectangles then cut the rectange into two triangles and arrange them in an artistic manner on the plate. This is up to you but what I would recomend if you fancy this style is get a jug of boiling water and put the knife you intend to use into it to get the blade really hot (keep this jug next to you) then cut the butter till the blade stops sliding through. Then dip again in the water. This makes the job so much easier and stops the butter looking like a donkey's hind leg. bye for now

Just started decorating the new flat I have just built. Thought of another tip if you want to seal new plaster board for any reason PVA Glue is the thing to use. We were put onto this by a builder friend (yes the stuff we used in play group!) you buy it from builders merchants in a big bottle and paint it on like paint. We are doing the walls and ceilings and you can put it on with a roller and do the edges with a brush. It drys really quickly and then you can get right on and paint.

Just finished Running a B&B a Landlady's Guide by Christabel Milner. I have thoroughly enjoyed this book it is of a size that fits in your handbag and I finished it in 3 days. Christable writes in a no nonsence style that I approve of and is full of handy hints. However her book is more aimed at people who are aiming to keep their opperation below 6 rooms so be aware of this if you are thinking larger. However I think this book is a good place for anyone wanting to get into the trade to start. I like the way she seems to think of things and pop them in at random and the short list of tips at the end of each chapter is also useful. I strongly agree with her advice to get a good accountant as I used to work the for Inland Revenue and I found that the reason most small businesses fail is due to bad record keeping and accounting. Make sure you are getting all the benefits and tax breaks you are entitled to! Keep Every Receipt! This is her advice and she is spot on.

Sorry havn't had time to keep you up to date. Am now running my own place full time as well as being up to my eyebrows in builders. Grappling with the previous owners booking system which is going to make me grey! bye for now