Getting such a bad review is quite crushing, however much I might feel there were other problems in our visitor's life which we bore the brunt of. However, I am delighted to find that someone else has booked, although it is for tonight and I am not sure the cottage is ready.
Three years ago, John went to work in the UK for a few months and I was here, running the cottages by myself. At that time, we had the two available. I learnt two things very quickly: one thing is that you have to keep checking your e-mail messages as people do make last minute bookings. I have come home to find a couple waiting to be let in and I had no idea they were coming and we have been sitting having dinner when people have turned up, who had booked, but we did not know anything about it. I am supposed to get a message on my phone whenever we have a booking, but it tends to be erratic.
The second thing I learnt was that the cottage must always be ready, even if no one is booked. On one occasion, I can remember Sian, Ellie and I doing a whirlwind making up of beds in order to be ready when our guests arrived. Elizabeth gave me a severe telling off on this occasion and she was actually right.
Now I am back teaching, John tends to take charge of the cottages and sometimes he cuts things a bit fine. Moreover, lately he has taken to ironing the sheets himself, declaring that he quite enjoys it as long as he can listen to the news at the same time.
Now we have two problems: one is that John checks his email about once a day so he has no idea that guests are coming and he is in town; the other, is that none of the sheets are ironed. I send him frantic messages and hope that he looks at his phone. At lunchtime, I zoom home, grab all the cleaning materials and make a start on sweeping and polishing while John attacks the ironing. Our wonderful guest who has just left had asked for the cottage not to be cleaned as she would do it herself. I can actually hear my mother's words on this subject: 'Some people have no idea what cleaning entails. It's more than doing the washing up and making your bed.' I don't know if she ever made her bed as she rarely seemed to get out of it. There are noodles all over the kitchen floor and the top of the stove is encrusted in something that has obviously spilt over during cooking.
The municipal water is off so when I try the taps nothing comes out. Unfortunately, while I am cleaning the bathroom, John switches the tank water on and I have made the big mistake of leaving the taps open. The plug is in the sink and so suddenly I am alerted to the sound of running water and find the kitchen is flooded.
As I am sweeping the water out, I find a small brown snake on the back step, rearing its head at me. I am in such a panic, I tell it to go away and carry on with trying to dry the floor. There is none of that 'Snake! Snake!' business today. My dad works on the path in front of the cottage, clearing bits of grass that have come up in the path. It's like one of those shows where a team of people come in and completely transform a house before the owners get back.
I am in the middle of scrubbing the tiles in the shower when the guests arrive, but they are very laid-back about things and happy to wait. They are a family of French-Canadians enjoying time away from a very cold winter. The lady tells me she has a friend who has worked in Zimbabwe for four years and who is constantly trying to persuade them to come and visit so over Christmas, they gave her a call and said 'can we come?'.
They have three little girls who run around the garden and play with the dogs. They have booked for one night but might stay another as they want to go to Matopos tomorrow. It is so nice to have such friendly, interested people arrive.
I have to zoom back to school for a meeting, John goes to watch Sian play waterpolo and we don't see them again until the evening. They would like to get hold of some Zimbabwean money but say they haven't seen any since they arrived in Zimbabwe. I am impressed that they have sorted themselves out with a local phone line and have got Ecocash. In turn, they are impressed that they managed to buy petrol, albeit for US$ at an actual petrol station. They say this is impossible in Harare.
On the way down to Bulawayo, they stopped in Chegutu for fuel. A man offered to help them and took them to some place where he had a friend with a friend who had petrol. I admire this family's sense of adventure. Many people would be wary of doing things this way, but they appear to take it in their stride - with a sense of humour.
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