Chapter 10
Changes
We fell very much into a routine for the next few years, the business continued to thrive, although we had stopped expanding as it was now becoming more difficult to keep tabs on everything. The “surfer” hotels and B&Bs that we had started with were still paying their way, but the market was getting very competitive and a large part of their income was paid out to the people that were running them for us, so we sold them off to their managers for not much more than the property value, leaving us with the three hotels, and a healthy bank balance.
Megan and I had been blessed with a set of twins, Christopher and Christine, known as Kit and Kirsty in the family, obviously twins must be in the family genes. Megan worked part-time, mainly working on the accounts for our family business, and she and Gina took turns day-on day-off managing their careers and raising their children. As we were all still living together in the family home it was a very convenient and workable relationship, allowing the girls to continue with their careers but giving the convenience of on-hand baby-sitters and help when needed. When the twins were still babies, as Maria, I shared a lot of the nursemaiding duties with Megan, and I delighted in taking a mother’s role as well as a father’s, but once they were toddlers and more aware we felt things had to change and Maria went back into the closet.
Mum was now going off on frequent holidays with friends, in particular with Jack, a chap she had known in the “Young Farmers Club” when she was a teenager, and was away in Spain touring around and staying a few days at Paradors. Paradors are mainly government owned
kinds of luxury hotel, usually located in a converted historic building such as a monastery or castle.
She came back full of enthusiasm and suggested that the market in Spain was still very lively, particularly at the luxury end of the market, and that we should consider looking at similar properties to see if there was anything suitable, I agreed that it was worth looking into and that we should find out more about the opportunities. Most of the suitable properties in Spain were already government owned and managed, so opportunities were limited, However next-door in Portugal the market was still relatively quiet and Pousadas (the Portuguese equivalent of Paradors) were much cheaper and more readily available than in Spain. Mum and Jack went off again to Portugal and a month later we had a very excited phone call from her.
”We’ve spent the last week staying at a pousada in Castelo de Paiva about 30 miles East of Porto. It’s an absolutely delightful place, full of character with amazing views. The owners have plans to retire and are looking to sell, but they want it to continue to be run as a family-owned hotel rather than selling out to one of the big hotel groups. I’ve had a look at the accounts and the booking register and it seems to make a reasonable profit every year. If you are still interested, why don’t you and Megan come over for the weekend and have a look to see if you agree with making an offer for it.”
Megan and I flew over, leaving the twins at home with Gina and Bob, met Mum and Jack, and had a good look around the property and the area.. The local tourist office told us that the area was becoming much more popular, particularly at the high end of the market, as the coastal resorts and big cities were becoming very touristy and commercial. Megan cast her accountant’s eyes over the books did a full audit going back several years and confirmed that it should be a viable commercial venture. Two months later we were the new owners of ‘O Pousada Senhorial’ (The Manor Lodge), which was a relative bargain as it had taken only about half of the money we had raised selling our small hotels and guest houses.
Before signing the purchase contract, we had flown Linda over to Portugal to cast her architect’s eyes over the Pousada, and she confirmed that it was in good condition and would need very little modification to bring it a bit more up-to-date. It already had a lot of historic character which would not be altered, but improvements would be made to improve en-suite facilities and to create a couple of large family suites by combining two adjacent rooms.
We agreed that Mum and Jack would stay in ‘O Pousada Senhorial’ for the immediate future to work with the previous owners on a smooth transfer, and to oversee the modifications and other minor changes.
Over the last few years Megan and I had been very busy raising the twins and running our businesses and hadn’t really had a holiday and thought that it was about time we had a break with just the two of us going somewhere relaxing. As we were so involved with the hotels, we wanted to do something totally different and booked a self-catering cottage on the edge of Snowdonia in Wales, not too far from Conwy and Caernarfon. Gina agreed that it would be more relaxing if we went on our own and had a second honeymoon whilst she looked after the twins, and Megan and I made our travel plans.
“You know, we haven’t seen Maria for a while because of your wanting her to remain a secret, why not use this holiday to bring her back into our lives, you know you enjoy it, and so do I, as long as Gino is around at bed-time.”
“ If you’re sure, I would really like that, you know it always helps to relax me and get rid of my stresses.”
We brought Gina into our plans and the day before our trip she spent a lot of time with me, a full body wax, trimming and shaping my hair into a short but very feminine volumised bob cut with sun-bleach streaks, shaped my eyebrows into a more graceful arch which would still be acceptable when I came back as Gino, used all sorts of astringents and moisturisers to tone my skin, shaped and polished my nails with false extensions, and totally restyled my make-up to be more in keeping with my age and status as a mature professional woman.
With my boobs firmly attached and with padded panties to give some extra shape to my hips and bottom, (as I couldn’t get away with a sylph-like teenage figure at my age) wearing a pair of slacks, a thigh length cotton top and comfy flats for driving, we set off on the trek up north to Snowdonia, changing over about every two hours to save long rest stops.
In case of any mishaps or problems, I had borrowed Gina’s driving licence, we were still similar enough for me to to pass as her, except for the length of her hair, and women’s hair styles are always changing, so the photo ID would not be out of place. The cottage we had booked was in a delightful valley near Rowen about 5 miles out of Conwy, with magnificent views and the nearest neighbours were about half-a mile away further up the valley, where we had to collect the keys.
It had been a long drive and we just wanted to relax and recover, so after unpacking and settling in, we changed out of our smart travelling clothes into leggings, chunky woollen sweaters and walking boots and went out to explore the area. We were coming back feeling refreshed but tired after a 2 hour walk, passing the neighbours house, when someone called out to us.
“Prynhawn Da, did you enjoy your walk?”
I had looked up a few of the more basic Welsh phrases, as I knew that the country areas around here were mainly populated with Welsh speakers and was able to reply.
“Prynhawn Da, good afternoon, I’m afraid that is about as far as I can go in Welsh. We did enjoy our walk, this is a beautiful area, you are lucky to live here all the time.”
“Thank you for trying to be polite by learning a few Welsh phrases, it makes a change, most of our visitors don’t even bother to learn how to say please and thank you. We do live here all the time, although it can be a bit bleak in the depths of Winter so we tend to go over to Spain for a few weeks in January and February to get away from the worst of the weather. Do you want to come in for a tea or coffee, it can be a bit lonely out here and I always welcome the opportunity for a chat.”
We introduced ourselves as Gina and Megan, sisters-in-law, and told her that we were having a bit of a break whilst our husbands looked after the families and the house. Elinor, our neighbour said that was a big coincidence as her sister was also called Megan and that it was a Welsh variant of the name Margaret. Her husband Ifor worked nearer Conwy, managing a privately-owned country house bed-and-breakfast hotel, but liked to escape to the peace and calm of the hills when he left work.
We stayed and chatted for about half-an-hour, telling her a bit more about us also being in the hotel business and about Perranporth and Cornwall, before setting of back to the cottage. Although we had enjoyed her company, I was glad to leave as I was sure that if we stayed much longer that my guard would slip and I would give away my real self.
“You were brilliant in there, I’m sure Elinor had no idea that you weren’t really Gina. I think you need not worry about being discovered, so just relax and enjoy your holiday.”
We hadn’t brought any food with us and hadn’t stopped to shop on the way so later we went down to the local hotel in Rowen for a meal and a drink. The food on the menu was standard home-cooked fare, but very tasty and wholesome at a reasonable price, and we thought that this could be a regular stop for us during our holiday. The clientele was mainly tourists and visitors staying in the local guest houses and camping sites, but it seemed to be well used by locals too, easily recognised by their Welsh conversations, and the inn had a a pleasant friendly atmosphere.
We spent the next few days seeing the local sights, Conwy with its medieval castle town walls and quayside, Caernarfon with its castle and shops and stunning views over to Anglesey, several magnificent gardens and tourist spots, and generally touring the area. We decided to have a more relaxing day for a change and just walk the hills near the cottage. On the way back we met Elinor again who invited us in for a drink and some home-made cake, and a chat about how we were enjoying our holiday and where we had been.
“There is a Twmpath in the village hall tonight, it’s a bit like a Ceilidh or barn dance, with a bit of music, singing, and dancing, Ifor and I will be going, do you fancy joining us? It will mainly be locals and a lot of the chatter will be in Welsh, but we normally get some of the visitors coming so there should be enough in English for you to know what’s going on, it will give you a chance to experience a bit of the local culture.”
Before I had a chance to think about it, Megan, as normal, was the first to reply, “We’d be delighted it sounds like good fun, don’t you agree Gina?” I didn’t even have a chance to have a choice in the matter.
Elinor said it would be a pretty casual affair and there was no need to go particularly dressy, but we thought we’d at least be presentable. After a quick shower and tidying up our hair, and slapping on a bit of make-up, I dressed in a turquoise tiered peasant skirt with a white cotton blouse decorated with broderie anglais on the collar sleeves and hem, smart but casual, with a cardigan over my shoulders for the short drive to the hall. Elinor and Ifor picked us up, showed us into the hall, found a table and Ifor went over to get a bottle of wine for us to share and a beer for himself. As it was the first time we had met Ifor we all told a bit more about ourselves, although in my case it was a bit of a mixture of Gina and Gino ,and they introduced us to some other friends and neighbours who all seemed very pleasant and welcoming, particularly when they were told that I had at least tried to learn some basic Welsh phrases.
It was a really enjoyable night with lively music and singing, a mixture of traditional Welsh tunes and folk dances, country music barn dances, and general party dance tunes. Megan and I, as two of the few unattached -and if I may modestly say, most attractive- females, were in much demand for the dances, and if we had been in the market for it, I’m sure would have had no problems finding partners for the rest of the evening.
We invited Elinor and Ifor in for a drink when they dropped us off, but he had to be up early the next morning for work. With a quick “Diolch yn fawr iawn am noson ddifyr iawn” (Thank you very much for a very enjoyable evening), we all said goodnight with hugs and kisses and they went off home.
We enjoyed the rest of our stay, and went out for a couple of meals with Elinor and Ifor but unfortunately not at his hotel as they only did breakfasts, snack lunches and drinks, not evening dinners, and we became really good friends. They suggested places for us to visit, particularly the train up to the top of Mount Snowdon, and we were particularly lucky that it was a nice clear day and the view from the top was amazing.
With promises to keep in touch and for Elinor and Ifor to visit us down in Cornwall, we said our goodbyes and made the journey back down to Cornwall, although we were not sure how we would deal with a visit from them and my transformation from Gina to Gino.
To be continued
