We had a lovely guest day recently, and she gave us fives in every category but an overall four. This is unusual for us. We almost always get all fives. I sent her a private note and said that I notice she was very happy with many things, but gave us an overall four. I asked if there was anything we could do to improve her stay next time and improve the status of other guests. She responded to me that the place was just delightful. However, when she went to pour some milk from her small pitcher into her coffee, the milk was very thick and sour with little bugs in it!! we had forgotten to dump the previous guest milk from the pitcher. I apologized profusely for this disgusting event and told her that the next time she comes, she can stay here for half price. She was very gracious.
Doh, really annoying when we try so hard to give a great stay and then trip ourselves up with something so easily avoided. Still, a good call with the half price offer.
Just today, as our guests were leaving, I asked whether everything was ok and if they had enjoyed their stay. They said everything was perfect and they loved it but there was one thing…they couldn’t get the small saucepan off the top shelf in the kitchen, it just wouldn’t come off and they didn’t know how we had managed to get it on there in the first place. I said I was sorry about that but it obviously got me bemused.
Although there’s a front door to our listing, there’s also a secret door in the kitchen that leads into our main house and we use this door to service the apartment once guests leave. It’s cunningly disguised by shelving and can be locked with a key and opened by a normal handle from our side or by slightly rotating a picture from their side (sort of Heath Robinson but it works). The adjacent room is a store room and is racked out with everything in duplicate, bed linen, toiletries, logs, kindling, kitchen utensils, saucepans, plates etc. so when we do a change over we just pull everything out of the bathroom, kitchen and bedroom, clean all the surfaces and then replace everything with clean new.
It turns out that when the secret door is open a small saucepan can easily slide on and off the top shelf but once closed, the architrave that conceals the door on the head of the shelving restricts the opening and no matter how you wiggle it about there’s no way you can remove the pan.
Neither of us can remember whether we usually put it up there or not but anyway we found it hilarious since the secret door is very convincing and you really can’t imagine how we got the pan on there in the first place.
I think it’s good for guests to come away with a bit of a mystery and that is reward enough and so, unlike Rachael, I won’t be offering them a future discount - mind you we won’t be putting that pan on the top shelf again either.
I would love to see the secret door if you are willing to post pictures. If not, I understand.
Taken this afternoon before our new guests arrive, the pan in question is the one on the left, second shelf down. You can check out the rest of the listing here: https://airbnb.com/h/thresholds-shropshire
I still don’t see what that pot could be stuck to, despite the photo and explanation.
This is VERY cool!
I appreciate the picture here and the link to your listing again, where the flowers and water are just so beautiful and peaceful.
Yes, I have your listing bookmarked in case I win the lotto. I love this clever feature. I could have something in my airbnb room but I’m not sure it would be worth the expense and I’m not confident I could do it myself.
Thanks for the picture.
It’s not stuck to anything. If the lid is on the pot and you are inside the apartment you can’t get it off the top shelf, if it’s been placed on the top shelf because the shelf is taller than the opening when the door is shut. The molding overlaps the opening. If the door is open, (it opens away from the apartment towards the storeroom) then the pot will fit on the shelf. .
I must be quite dense today, because I still don’t get it. The photo shows the pot on the second shelf down, not the top shelf, and it doesn’t look like anything is obstructing it being removed.
That’s it KKC, although I wasn’t going to clarify the mystery but rather leave the waters muddy 
Anyway, if this topic’s active in a couple of days’ time and you’re still interested to see Muddy I’ll post some close ups of the issue along with the door’s mechanism and the room beyond. Just got to wait for our current guests to vacate.
That is a nice offer- I’m normally quite mechanically inclined and good with spatial relations, so it’s bugging me that I can’t picture this.
And I guess you mentioning the saucepan in question is on the second shelf down on your photo has nothing to do with the issue experienced by the guest.
Yes, it appears it will stay that way a while longer
Your place is amazing!
If you have a pint+ bottle of Oat Starbucks creamer that guest left with a far out date on it do you leave it for other guests? Test it yourself? Check for lick marks?
Have both been opened?
I’d love to see that! Also I bet that giant thermo-electric fan atop your woodburner works a treat to circulate warm air when it’s chilly!
@KKC and anyone who asked. This is a great source for secret doors - Single Doors | Hidden Doorways | Secret Doors | Murphy Door, Inc.
You’re right on one count in that it works a treat, however, it’s not thermo- electric but is driven by a Stirling engine (using the small temperature differential between the top and bottom of a cylinder). It’s a great design and really makes such a difference to the room temperature. https://www.stirlingengine.co.uk/d.asp?product=VULCANSTOVEFAN
Here are some photos of the door in action, not very good quality so apologies for that. The back of the little red Kama Sutra carving is glued to a broom handle that goes through the partition where its rotation is transferred to a bicycle brake cable that is, in turn, attached to the brake lever (modified to fit the door handle’s shaft).
Reading that back it all sounds a bit bonkers but anyhow it does work!
@Muddy so if you look at the second picture above, see how the trim on the opening overlays the opening what looks to be a good 1.5-2 inches on the top and sides? So once the door is closed and the shelves are in place, the taller saucepan with the lid on can no longer be pulled out of the shelf. But when the shelves are in the open position, there is no obstruction.
@jujuba what a clever operation!