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Monday 22nd December 2025

8426/21345
The Air B n B is really excellent, apart from the cocks in the early morning. But the host doesn't mind if you smash stuff (a bottle of alcohol free Erdinger fell out of the fridge tonight and shattered on the floor, which I don't think I will get charged for, as it was mine, but which was an annoying thing to clear up at 11pm) and everything else is lovely.
The host had also very kindly stocked the fridge, not just with milk, but bacon, sausages, eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes, which is above and beyond.
Well, except for the fact that some of the towels we'd been left smelled a bit musty. I wouldn't have noticed, but Catie is more nasally adept than me. So we washed them in the washing machine. Yes, it's that good an Air B n B that it not only has a washing machine, but the host has left enough tablets to easily last the week. You really can't complain about a couple of weird smelling towels.
When we left to go and see the family this afternoon, the host was passing by. "Is everything OK?" she chirruped.
"Fantastic, thanks," I replied, still delighted by the fact she hadn't kicked me out for smashing her kettle.
Then Ernie chipped in, "Mummy says the towels smell really bad."
You have to teach your kids to be honest. Then you have to teach them to basically never be honest. Unfortunately there's an interim period where they don't understand the rules.
You can't blame Ernie (though I will) as he had heard a question and answered it, but of course we'd have been very happy to wash our own towels and never mention this mild embarrassment to our very attentive host.
Instead, thanks to our kid probably trying to impress Santa with his truthfulness, Catie had to have a conversation about the towels and the fact that yes they smelled before we use them and they were now in the washing machine.
I mean, it was funny on a lot of levels. Just not on the base level where we were experiencing it.
Not only are we smashing kettles and losing fish and driving weirdly on her drive, we're criticising her towel etiquette (to be fair a couple of the towels smelled nasty).
You can't say anything that you don't want repeated in front of an 8 year old.

As a Christmas treat we've released this month's Ask Me Anything for free for everyone!
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And there’s some guest news for 2026 RHLSTP. Vittorio Angelone will be joining me in Chelmsford in February and there’s more exciting news for paid subscribers on Substack and in the Badgers’ secret area.





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