and tries not to burn the toast

Well there have been no more arachnid assaults on the breakfast table, though I had one crawling on ME the other day - ugh! And I think I've managed to remember everyone's order, either that or guests have been too polite to complain. This week's challenge has been the toast. I can't seem to get it right. It's like Goldilocks's porridge, either not toasty enough, or so past toasty it's  burnt! And our toaster can only take two slices at a time,  which get cold while I do the next set, or three.

Burnt

Raw

Both raw and burnt

An extra toaster was called for and duly bought for £8 in a local bargain store.



 Big mistake. A totally false economy.  I didn't notice that it has absolutely tiny slots for the bread so either it gets jammed and the toast can't "pop up" or I have to  trim the slices before they go in. Which gives me the choice of  burnt toast,  or something that looks as if I've trimmed the burnt bits  off. Luckily MrS is managing much better with the more complicated bits of breakfast. You know, eggs, sausages, bacon the works.

I did once have a very expensive toaster, you know the type; sturdy,  retro styling, no automatic pop up, a dial to choose the degree of toastiness, a reputation for durability and repairability, a little switch allowing you to choose one or both sides toasted. Somehow it must have taken to heart the song because that little switch just didn't work but as I'm neither an Englishman nor in New York  I like mine done on both sides. We never did find anyone who could repair it.
So what now? Scouring the review sites to try and source a reliable four slice model. And if not breaking with tradition and offering, bread. After all my first attempt at home baked wasn't too bad. And MrS is currently brewing up a sour dough starter, apparently it all starts getting dramatic tomorrow, when I  seem to recall he'll be out........

I did better with the bread 

End of complaints though, we've had a lovely sunny day today, and no sign of  the promised 5pm rain shower (It's 6:15 pm as I type). That means that several loads of laundry have been washed and then line dried outside. You may not be familiar with this but  laundry dried on the line outside beats anything you can add to the tub to give freshness.  We are lucky that we can do this, though we have to call on the tumble dryer too.
It's tiring work but enjoyable,  I love welcoming our guests and helping them to discover our beautiful  area,  and I think they've been enjoying themselves. Oh I do hope so. One thing I've found though is that when your home is also your work it's quite hard to switch off; it's too easy to check emails and social media, do a bit of accounts, bake up some cookies, sort laundry.........
And as for poor little Dogstarke, it's all a bit confusing for her as she's banished  from guest areas and tormented  by the smell of foods she's not allowed but would love. We're being extra nice to her when there's no one here, with lots of fun walks and playtime. She's never short of cuddles.

having fun on the beach 

It means I'm extra looking forward to my next trip away. And I'll try to keep it that, a leisure trip, not a fact finding mission. But you can be sure I'll tell you all about it.

Until next time,

Marina
x

spot the "just right" slice

and tried out some new ones

Sorry a text heavy post because I didn't take any photos of my most recent stay, but it was very much a "what you see is what you get" kind of place,  so you can trust the pictures on the website. "Yes,  well where were you? "  you may be asking -  Holiday Inn Express,  Riverside, Glasgow. http://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/gb/en/glasgow/glwst/hoteldetail Not my usual choice but we needed to be in Glasgow fairly early for a (family) business meeting and so we had to find somewhere which wasn't too pricey.

And for our needs it delivered;  the room was a decent size with better hanging space than in some more expensive places I've stayed, and a more generous supply of hangers*. Even if they were of my bete-noir "fixie" type, but again I've come across them in four star hotels too. The bathroom was small with no tub but a decent shower, very clean, good lighting and a well designed use of space. If you are choosy about your shower gels etc then do as I  did and take your own, hair/bodywash is supplied but I find some detergents really drying so didn't use it. If you're travelling by air and subject to liquid restrictions there are plenty of places nearby to pick up supplies.

We booked direct so breakfast was included, the hotel was full and peak breakfast time was very, very busy. The offerings are so-so, fine if you like cereal (I don't),  but the pastries were underwhelming and the toast machine under pressure. There's a selection of hot foods, eggs, sausages, beans which seemed popular but after a week of cooking breakfast for my own guests, well they didn't really appeal!  I think if it wasn't included I wouldn't bother, there are plenty of cafes around.  I like trying out cafes for breakfast when I'm in a new city. There's the option to grab a coffee and mini muffin from reception if you're in a rush.

The staff were all very friendly and helpful, printing us off a map to find our chosen dinner venue and advising on areas we could access with our dog. Oh yes, number one on our search filters, dog friendliness, and this one is.

Car parking is readily available nearby. There is a fairly lively pub a few doors along but we weren't disturbed by any noise. The shops and bars of the Merchant City are just a couple of blocks away. Not the most luxurious, but if you want somewhere clean and functional to sleep while you explore Glasgow then you could do a whole lot worse.

So how did we get on with our own guests?  Well, I forgot two breakfast items on our first morning, even though they were cooked! And then there were the spiders emerging from my garden flowers! Luckily both sets of guests were very kind. In fact with all my fingers and toes crossed, they have all been lovely.  I haven't had the confidence to put us on Trip Advisor and ask for  reviews yet,  so no feedback. We both agree that it was a good idea to test ourselves out with the one room this season. It's difficult enough trying to coordinate just two different breakfast orders. It's been fun though and great meeting new people. I've enjoyed giving recommendations and helping people explore our lovely surroundings.

I just wish I could fix the weather.

Table set for breakfast, and THOSE flowers

*One memorable time, a  4* hotel in Oslo, staying for a week, a varied social programme including a formal dinner, FOUR hangers!

PS, this mega ship was docked at Greenock the day we visited. How do they cope with all those breakfasts? *gulp* http://www.princess.com/learn/ships/rp/

MS Royal Princess and of course, the sun shone the day we didn't have guests

and looks at them from both sides now

Last time I mentioned that we are dipping into the B&B world before our building works start; well it all begins today!!! No more time to practise our fry ups, guests are due this afternoon. Yikes!!  I'm quite confident about the room, we've had guests stay in it a few times already and it's got the thumbs up from them, and I think it's clean enough to pass muster with most "Four in a Bed" contestants. What is unknown is how we'll cope with the logistics of breakfast. I've watched that show often enough to know the pitfalls, overcooking, undercooking, big waits, burnt offerings. Double Yikes!!!!!
I'm also hoping that we can deliver on what I think is the most important thing, customer service. We're just back from a trip to Wales. It goes without saying that we had exemplary care from GlamourPuss and the Prof. but that's different because they're family, what of the other places we ate and stayed?

She controls the weather you know

Watermelon daiquiri, delicious but deadly

The Prof does food too

GlamourPuss grew this. The rose

Well as ever our stopover at The Bear's Paw http://thebearspaw.co.uk was a positive experience, it's very comfortable, the food is good not ground breaking, it's conveniently placed on our journey, but those are not our reasons for staying.  Because of the reliability, yes, but above all the friendliness. We are all -  me, MrS and DogStarke  thoroughly welcomed. Now it might be that they have a magnificent guest welcome training program and everyone has been taught how to behave? But it seems genuine; and there doesn't seem to be a high turnover of staff which suggests it's a happy place.   If the smile is fake,  it's fooled me.

On our way home we stayed at The Castle in Conwy http://www.castlewales.co.uk. It's an old hotel which is being brought back to life by its owners. Its rooms are more individual, with large pieces of antique furniture and original windows. There's no lift because it's listed but we were offered help with our bags so don't let that put you off. We had a lovely dinner and were delighted to be able to have your breakfast in the courtyard area, which meant DogS could stay with us. But once again it was the friendly helpful attitudes of the staff which sticks in my mind, not least during  that al fresco breakfast

Conwy castle

and a bit later on

 Our next overnight stop was another lovely, family one, with the  MacStarkes this time, catching up on their travels  and then we were back on the old familiar road home. Even though the day was damp it was hot so when we got peckish we looked for somewhere DogS could join us indoors. And she was very welcome. But... They forgot to take our order, then one set of cutlery and whilst the open kitchen is fashionable,  I don't want to lose the fourth wall to the extent that the owners are discussing their business accounts at the next table. That's not a thing now is it????
 The food was tasty as always and could be managed with minimal cutlery (fingers for me, fork for the more fastidious MrS). I know, we could have asked for another set but the staff were not that attentive and we were hungry...
It's a well reviewed place, if you go there you'll get a good meal, and maybe good service. But it left us with a sour taste.

So here I am, waiting and hoping. That we can deliver a good taste.

PS they've arrived!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!