Too late for the yearly update!

We keep saying things will change, we have had a number of good attempts to work less. So we have time for ourselves and even an update of the blog. Working 5 days a week, more getaway weekends, more senior staff at Dutchess. But to be honest Dutchess is taking still most of our time. Because of the successful growing of Dutchess we have finally decide to hire a manager for the restaurant and kitchen to free up our time and to professionalise Dutchess. The advert went out a few days ago. If we manage to update our blog more often, we have succeeded!

Since Christmas 2012 Dutchess has grown a lot. We are known as the best restaurant in Fort Portal. Also the guesthouse is nr 2 on tripadvisor. The new pizza oven opened on January 2013. The move was a big success. All the staff combined in one place is easier to manage. Also the setting of Dutchess is much more beautiful than the Gluepot bar, so also our clients are benefiting. The new oven is a big success. It is twice as big, but takes less than half of the firewood. Also no more heat or smoke where the pizza’s are prepared. The baking of the pizza takes now half of the time. Many improvements were implemented at Dutchess. In the rooms safes and ceiling vans, everywhere security camera’s and a second internet provider. The implementation of a Point of Sale system has made a big change. We are so used to having an electronic order system in Europe, but it is not so trivial in a developing country. To start with you need always electricity. So the POS PC and internet server have their own invertor with batteries. Michel implemented an open source POS system with all our menu and shop items (around 500 items). Our administration is now much easier and our customers get their bill in one second. The cashier make much less mistakes. Everybody happy, but nobody realises the effort it took to get an electronic bill.

The increases popularity of Dutchess has made our staff members grow to 25 people. We are now a well known employer in Fort Portal. Setting up a local business using as much local suppliers and local staff as possible has been our idea to improve the local economy. The effect of Dutchess has been much wider. We have in Fort Portal now two other places which are making pizza’s. They have hired our former chefs and even used our Italian pizza oven builder from Kampala. One of the other restaurant has made a huge investment to improve his place, new furniture, parking and also internet. They also serve cappuccino, instead of just Nescafé. Then new Indian restaurant has copied some of our menu items, even the baskets in which we serve bills. They have hired our former staff. Our well trained staff gets a job easily at another place. The positive side it that Fort Portal is getting more developed for restaurants and hotels. The increased competition makes the choice and the available quality for visitors better.

Another small success is the acquisition of a garden statue. At our marriage in 2009 we received a donations to buy a garden statue. Before we could even think of looking for one, we moved to Uganda. We did not forget about it. Last year October Heleen saw a statue in wax of a “tower” of three Guinea fowls just flying away. A couple of weeks ago the statue was finalised and made into bronze. The decision was easily made. So after 4,5 year we finally got our wedding present.

Our own short getaways have been limited the last year. A visit to the Sesse islands, lake Mburo and Queen Elizabeth were very nice, but no long holiday. Heleen has left Dutchess a couple of times to Michel to do private trips as a tour leader. Besides Uganda, she went to Laos and Cambodia and will go to Madagascar in August. September 2013 we visited together Netherlands, Spain and Poland in a 4 weeks visit to Europe. The visit to the Netherlands was during Eva’s 50 birthday. Which was a big celebration with a Bird show. Michel stayed behind to help his brother, Remco, to recover from a severe operation. In April this year Michel had to go back to Spain for the sad reason of the funeral his father. The work and travelling has also delayed two major projects. The building of our own house, just out of town, has not started. We have made the designs and are planning to go to the constructor this month. We are expecting to be able to move within a year!! Other plans of horses and vegetables gardens will have to wait for this. We have also decided to postpone the finalisation of the cheese factory until after the building of our house. We are trying to set priorities right now. All-in-all we are looking back at a busy and successful year, and are looking forward to a new home and some more time to relax.