[jameslindsay]

Any one else have a crap week last week? Luckily we never receive complaints from our food or our service so when on the rare time some one does it's a shock. On Friday lunch time 2 guys were in for lunch, one had a Mediterranean Burger and the other a Beef Rendang. After a few minutes of eating I went to their table and asked them if everything was ok and the one with the burger said "lovely thanks", so I went about my business.

5 minutes later while I was going to another table the guy with the curry stopped me and said that the Rendang was not a Rendang. I asked him what he meant and he said he didn't like it, I asked what he didn't like about it as it was a huge seller and nobody ever complained. He said the meat was tough so I apologised and offered him a replacement. He said no as this had put him off his food. I went to the kitchen with his meal that was 95% finished by the way and tried one of the 2 pieces of meat that was left and it was as tender as could be!

A few minutes later they came to  the bar and asked for the bill so I told them how much it was. He said he didn't think he should be charged for something he didn't eat. I apologised and told him that he had eaten almost everything and only when I had asked if everything was ok his friend had said yes. Most upset he replied "but I didn't say yes" so I said and "nor did you say no, how can I fix something if I do not know there is a problem?" Anyway he insisted he should not pay as he hadn't enjoyed or ate all of it, i told him he had eaten the majority of it and he said there were only 6 pieces of beef in it - I doubt it but besides he only left 2 of the smallest bits. Anyway he paid but said his friends would never use this place so I thanked him and said goodbye! Chancing pig!

Then, yesterday which was a mega busy day due to the weather etc a group of 5 (locals who come in to the place perhaps once a year) sat outside and had a few drinks. They eventually said they wanted to eat but were told we were fully booked. A while later some one arrived with a carry out from the chip shop for them and they sat at MY tables and started to eat, thinking this was acceptable. I went out to them and told them that this was not on and they could not eat carry out food on my premises. Well, the abuse that they started to give me, so I snapped (due to the helluva stressful week I had had) and told them to leave the premises immediately. How ignorant/stupid can people be??? They have no idea how upsetting it is for the person that has to challenge them but the next time I see them they will be told they are not welcome here.

I'm hoping this week is stress free...

[sandy]

I feel for you, at least animals appreciate being well cared for. I get upset too if something happens, we have only had one miserable guest who stayed, I don't do evening meals only on occasion, anyway, this guest stayed for two weeks, he never spoke to me while he was staying and avoided me at every option, he also drank a lot, then, just as we had turned away a family as he had a family room, he said he was checking out, it was 10.30 in the evening and he gave me a cheque, I did not trust the cheque but it did clear, he made me angry as he was very aggressive to me about several things and he used to smoke in his room!!!!!!!!!! although he denied it nd was angry with me for asking.....anyway, his cheque did clear but it has only been one person but he chose to shout at me when my daughter was staying and she was on the verge of a breakdown herself, thankfully, one bad person is outweighed by the nice ones and, you could have a perfect place and someone would find something not right.....I am sure that guest was trying it out for a free meal, anyway, must get off now, how nice is this weather??

[Hilarysmum]

Oh thats a real shame.  On the plus side, the fact that these incidents are very rare.  Just look at it as the one or two down times in a really good (and well deserved) business.  HM

[jameslindsay]

If I gave you todays installment of disater you would send the men from the funny farm over for me.

This morning Kenny was out a walk with the dogs, so while doing some office work I thought I would spray the eggs in the incubator. So, while they were out the incubator I thought I would candle them and check they all still ok. I take them into a small and very dark linen cuboard, dark for obvious reasons. Well, the door shut behind me and I was trapped in this very small and dark room with 11 eggs! I knew Kenny had already been out with the dogs for quite a while so I wouldn't have too long to wait but I was more worried about the eggs being out the incubator for too long.

After about 10 minutes I was released but felt such a total fool. Funny farm here I come....

And I hope you enjoy the laugh at my expense.

[cmorrell]

As long as you remained civil and polite, you did exactly the right thing in my opinion James. Err, regarding your foody person last week, not getting locked in a cupboard.

I think I've only had to send food back twice. Once was a straight replacement and the replacement was good while the other was a particularly vile pizza from a restaurant I'd eaten in several times before. Got through less than a quarter before it started to make me feel ill, so asked them to remove it and wasn't able to accept anything in its place. When the bill came, they had removed the pizza and drinks for both of us without being asked, so I'm assuming they didn't think I was trying it on at least.

Minor Edit: James, put your accommodation prices on your website! I was having a nosey to see if you'd be suitable the next time I'm doing a couple of days shooting around St Andrews and nothing puts me off a B&B/Hotel faster than not being able to get prices instantly when I'm searching at 3am 

[jameslindsay]

Good point, I will organise prices to be shown.

[sandy]

I have had some very strange things happen in my life, I found I had a cellar in one house and the door had a lock on it, and, you as you may guess, my partner locked me in, luckily he heard me banging the floor but I was mad with him.....I worked in residential homes for years and was always on the look out for getting stuck in rooms as many  locked, I did get locked in once, a secure unit with huge doors that locked shut, it was an unused room that had some things stored in it, the door was propped open while I got what I wanted and of course it moved and the room locked, someone saw what happened than god as there were cameras everywhere, close shave!!!! and the third time I was locked in was worse, I worked with a 17 year old Autistic young man who was known to be violent, I went to get something from his room in his own home with my fellow worker downstairs chatting on the phone, he did not notice the young man grabbing me and shutting the door, there was no handle on the inside!!!!!!! the young man had broke it off previously and so there was just a whole...I made a game up and was distracting him for ages while I tried to find something to fit into the whole, eventually I did and made my way to my college who had not noticed I was locked in    so, I hope that was the last time, close encounter indeed....

[jameslindsay]

Sandy - I know your house is very old, do you have a ghost? This place was built in 1848 and we do have a resident ghost although she has been quiet recently. When we first moved here so was very noisy indeed.

[sandy]

I have never experienced one here and I have not been told by any guests of one so don't think there is one. We are however, haunted by living people, I think everyone who has lived here for the past 50 years as come back to visit since the just over 2 years we have been here, would be great to see some photos of inside as  the main house was build med 1700's and added to in mid 1800's. How does your ghost manifest itself? Do you know the story behind your ghost? I have experienced many ghostly things in past houses etc and in a 1970's house we lived in, my daughter used to regularly chat to a ghost, she only told me recently but I used to hear her!!!!! Let's have some ghost stories

[jameslindsay]

At the start it was just noises, sounds corny but it was like chains rattling etc. Then every so often the restaurant carpet would be covered in crumbs  and furniture and cutlery would be moved and no one had used the room the day before. It was like she had been having a party and left the mess for us. Some nights the digs sit up suddenly and bark and growl as though they see something, but as I said recently all has been quiet. Some times the kettle switches on with no one in the kitchen - glasses have thrown off the gantry with such force.

We are told that a woman in red has been seen regularly by previous owners and guests. Apparently it is a lady who got herself pregnant out of wedlock in the days when ships came up the River Eden. He went off to sea and never kept his promise to return for her and she allegedly hung herself here.

One of our bedrooms is always freezing cold and every one that goes into the room says they feel a chill. It really fascinates me, hearing things is OK but seeing would be something different.

[rustyme]

all together now .. "the lady in red ....is swinging for me ......from the beams"... hahaha ... sorry I have a very sick sense of humour....
  If you want ghost stories .... well this is the best one ever .... it was on tv years ago , very hard to get hold of now , but it is on youtube...
 
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6jAM-aQLbc&feature=PlayList&p=C39E94755A0210F2&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=12
 
all parts are listed on the right when you are watching part 1 ....very spooky ,and really eerie atmosphere . Watch all of the parts , in one of them there is a really spooky bit ....but which one

cheers

Russ

[MiriMaran]

I live in a not-so-old house that was built between 1901 and 1914.  When my 5 year old son was younger I heard him talking to someone a few nights in a row and when I asked him he replied "the nice old lady" and looked at me like I was stupid for not knowing!!!

He says he hasn't seen her for ages, but can remember talking to her.  I know the previous owner of my house had his elderly mother living with him until she died so maybe it was her!

[doganjo]

We had a ghost - a nice friendly one.  We think it was the old guy we bought the cottage from, we had evidence from delivery people leaving parcels that he used to potter about doing weeding etc when we were at work (this was after he had died ) He had an old collie that went everywhere with him.

I was sitting in the study one night with one of my dogs in her usual place draped over my feet, or so I thought.  I switched off the computer, stood up, went through the door, shutting it behind me then turned back as Ceilidh was scratching the door having been left inside.  I told her to stop scrabbling and opened the door - no Ceilidh and at that moment John shouted through from the lounge 'what are you talking about, Ceilidh's been sitting on my lap all evening'  Ceilidh looked up at me sleepily with a yawn as I walked through to join them, then suddenly rushed through to the study and yapped excitedly wagging her little stumpy tail furiously.   Was the collie a ghost too I wonder?

Sandy has told me some horrific stories about guests that to be honest I would not tolerate.  I think you must be saints to own guest houses.  Not for me I'm afraid although I did think about it a few years back after John died.  Glad I didn't now.

[MiriMaran]

I have total admiration for people who can open their houses up to strangers - I couldn't do it nor could I keep my temper if people were unnecessarily rude.

After I left school I spent the ski season cooking in Andorra.  I spent 2 weeks doing an exclusive veggie menu for one lady, in a group of 20 guests, who on the very last day asked for bacon for breakfast as she was bored with being a veggie!  Arghhhhhh!

[sandy]

It must be in my conditioning, as a young child my parents took in lodgers,mostly nurses as my mum was a nurse, we had women form all over Europe and they cocked different food, up until I was 14 we had lodgers, then I had foster children for 7 years and lodgers as well, so,my house is used to being shared, as long as you have your own little retreat you are OK, we love it, tonight we ave 10 guests taking over the house, all going to a wedding, they are great and we are loving it.......next week we are also full all week yet it is peaceful and they are not demanding at all,like having friends around that give you money..great!!!