Thursday 24th September

It’s been non-stop since last Saturday, the guests have been truly lovely, we had one  couple celebrating their wedding anniversary.  We made a reservation for them at one of our local restaurants – La Cantinella – that we recommended when they booked their stay. They enjoyed the evening there so much they went back the next evening – you can’t get a better compliment than that. 

There were several requests for bacon and eggs at the weekend, the anniversary couple had never tried Heston’s bacon (a preference of mine rather than back bacon), they were completely won over! And said they were going to source some at their nearest Waitrose when they got back home.  

As it’s the Aussies last week, we invited them for supper.  We said they could choose the puddings and we would decide the main.  We choose roast pork for the main with all the trimmings, and I made, at their request a cherry and banana trifle as well as an apple crumble.  It was a fun evening, we reminisced about the years they have been coming, the other guests they have met and the characters that stood out for them. 

I had forgotten one particular set of guest’s, until reminded that evening, who left their children locked in the bedroom whilst they went out to the local bar.  It was only because I heard lots of loud crashings and banging that I went to investigate, finding the children ‘home alone’ without their mum and dad! Since that time, I have dealt with one or two guests about to escape without their children and have politely reminded them that one parent needs to be in attendance, if their children are under a certain age. 

Looking back it has been quite an international week, English, German, Australian, American and Canadian all passing through our doors. The laundry has piled up but my youngest son has stepped up to the plate and ironed whilst watching the rugby in the evenings and I have cooked the supper as a trade off.  Flexibility is part and parcel of hosting – it’s hard work doing short bookings back to back, the cleaning seems never ending and the washing machine is permanently on. That is why it’s quite nice when you have a two to three-day break before the next block of bookings. 

I downloaded Great British Bake Off tonight and it has inspired me to make some macaroons at the weekend.  Again this was something I used to do on a weekly basis when I ran a chalet in France in a ski resort.  I have a cookery book from the 1970s and I am sure it’s the one I used to use all those years ago – I will check it out and do some baking and take some photos.  Will be more organised and back online with my update on Sunday night.  Til then.