Saturday 22 July 2017

Light and shade (and a short rant)







Where it is acceptable -
the flaking paint on this walled garden door at Nostell Priory


And where it is not -
the flaking, chipped, blistered, rusting paint job in the bath
at our Airbnb.



13 comments:

  1. Well, yes. Yuck. Frankly I think that the priory too could do with getting out a paint brush. But I like the idea of wabi sabi when applied to, for example, my quilt making. What my younger daughter and I say to each other about minor imperfections is, "Well, it's folk art." But I shall now adopt the term wabi sabi instead. Perfect. (Or not.)

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  2. No, what a pity .
    ( And how on earth do you do that to a bath ?)

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    1. The bath was an old roll top free-standing type. They can be properly re-enamelled but this looked as though someone had painted the bottom with gloss paint. The sink in the kitchen was in a similar state. I know that shabby chic is a thing, but it isn't usually applied to baths and basins. I could have extended my rant to the dirty cup stained 'white' painted furniture, the fact that there was no shower attachment (not even one of those rubber hose things for washing your hair), the broken swing seat, and the much lauded complimentary bottle of Prosecco that was found already opened and half drunk in the fridge. We'd booked for two nights and left after one with the resultant 15 hour round trip over two days!

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  3. Oh dear, this story is getting worse and worse! Our Laura and her husband do (or did - I think it's stopped now she's 27 weeks pregnant) Airbnb hosting and go to enormous lengths to make their flat (in Walthamstow) immaculate. I hope you've given these hosts a poor review? And yes, I do know and love that painting. Still lifes can be really beautiful. (Google doesn't like my spelling here...)

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  4. I would have left after one night too.
    Love the door though - it's turning itself into a work of art.
    Your pink cosmos photo is amazingly crisp and clear Lucille - is that iPhone or camera?

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    1. Amazingly it's an iphone picture. I was startled by the clarity too.

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  5. You would imagine that Airb&b had standards that apply wouldn't you?

    The colour of your blue Hydrangea is stunning.

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    1. I think the standards for Airbnb are only regulated by reviewing except in circumstances of misrepresentation or infestation. But it's obviously not working because this one had 5 stars and a slew of nice comments. Reading between the lines afterwards I see that a lot of them praised the views and things that didn't apply to us like the log burner and the fire bowl outside!
      My blue hydrangea only in the sense that it belongs to Kew Gardens and I have a photo of it! I've never planted a hydrangea.

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  6. I thought I heard that regulation is on its way, on Radio 4 today. But don't quote me on it.

    Well, Kew's blue Hydrangea is stunning!

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    1. Yes someone sent me a link. If you cancel now you can review. Previously it wasn't possible. We didn't cancel, we just didn't stay as the weather was also partly to blame for the decision to go early. So we lost our money.

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  7. I'd have left too. Other people's standards can be surprising. I'm reluctant to try airbnb again after another experience where all the reviews commented on how clean the place was, but didn't spot the stained mattress and the basin plughole that hadn't been cleared of hair. I had never thought of myself as excessively fastidious around the house, but I pay attention to small details like that when visitors come to stay, and expect the same standard when I'm a paying guest. Clearly other guests don't notice.... The free-standing roll-top bath and large walk-in shower were fine, but I did suggest that a blind at the bathroom window might have made using them a more relaxing experience for the more inhibited middle-aged guest!

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  8. Oh Lucille, what you've shown and told here has reinforced my skepticism about Airbnb. I know some folks who've praised it, but still think that I will continue to give the concept a pass. xo

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