Day 7 - An Airbnb Apron

[Cathie19]

AIrbnb Apron - patent pending

It seems an old fashioned thing to wear an apron. I remember my grandmother always wore one and it seemed to be her uniform, unless removed to show off her Sunday best dress. (I’m sure it came off when relaxed in private, but that was something I as a child, never saw.)

My memory is that when wearing her “uniform” apron, she would produce all necessary wonders from the apron pockets as needed. Almost like a magician…….

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I think as hosts trying to survive emotionally and financially, we all might be wearing something similar: an “invisible, many-faceted” apron: please indulge me here. 😁

We do so to protect. We protect our overall investment, our properties, ourselves and our reputations as hosts.  This metaphorically can be in our actions and words, including the very basic, such as cleaning.

We wear our “reliable and maybe old aprons” when cleaning, polishing and scrubbing our spaces.

We may change into another “cleaner apron” as we restock, finalise beds and room preparations.….

We might then shower and wear our “best aprons” when we are meeting and greeting.

Or:

We may also have a geographical spot, like the apron for a stage, where we stand and we meet and greet guests, whilst socially distancing. Giving them our friendly check-in performance.

But hopefully, we also wear our “congeniality apron” when face to face or corresponding with guests.  But even more, I hope we don’t need to wear that  “XRay protective apron” too often, or make use of the boxing ring apron with guests who are being difficult, very challenging and just giving off negative vibes…..

We can also wear creative aprons when choosing to do just that - create. It might be worn when making jewellery, woodworking, painting (either on an easel or wall), sculpting or cooking a special dish or a barbecue.

On an AIrbnb provisions list, do you leave a “real apron” in your Airbnb space? This could be so guests don’t have to worry about their clothes as well! Maybe something to consider… that old fashioned home feeling that it can evoke…. (I even leave a unisex bib with the highchair!  😱 she nods her head) It’s also there as emotional protection, if called upon, just like grandma’s house.

As something of fashion, aprons have been around for centuries but lost favour after the early 70s and they have changed in design and fabrics over the years. They are decorative, funny, nostalgic, industrial, waterproof etc.

Yet we now see with the return to retro, some of the feel good from history, they are also coming back into fashion. So maybe “grandma’s magical apron” is what we all need to have, to add the feeling of home and nostalgia to our Airbnb spaces in these uncertain times.

I’ve decided that as a thankful host, surviving Covid19 and this topsy turvey state of ever changing requirements: rules and laws from local/state, and federal governments and also AIrbnb, that I need the protection and comfort that “the apron” gives.  But I need more than one and they all need to have big huge pocket/s at the front to help me multitask and work my personal magic.

Just like grandma did many decades ago, I need waterproof, poop proof, animal hair proof, showerproof, complaint proof, virus proof, spill proof, insult proof and reflective.

It would also need to have impregnated in to the weave of the fabric: kindness, patience, empathy, good communication, an eye for detail, and more helping hands (more deep pockets).

Then without a doubt, interwoven and coloured with flexibility, agility, creativeness, problem solving and the ability to relax and of course a large splash of sense of humour. Once we have these factored in, maybe Airbnb might come up with a few designs and colours to match our needs and moods! But all must have those useful grandma pockets! Remember pockets hide the magic ……

What do you think @Catherine-Powell and @Airbnb?  lol……

Disclaimer: No hosts or guests were harmed whilst making this apron thread. For safety, it requires a no nonsense neck tie and stitched waist ties.  After all, with all these superpowers, we don’t want cumbersome; for we are all efficient adults in this STR and LTR partnership. What do you say?  Has my thinking made you want to cut your apron ties with me? I hope not….I want you to be proud wearers of your invisible aprons.

I put forward our new age Airbnb hosting PPE: The magical apron, patent pending……

Hoping Hanukkah has been joyous and that others enjoy Kwanzaa and feel love and kindness across the Christmas season🎄and peace to all. 🕊

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For those wanting further information:

APRON - Definitions:

A protective garment worn over the front of one's clothes for many actions, domestic and commercial.

or

It can be part of official dress, as by a bishop or Freemason.

or

It can be sheet of lead worn to shield the body during an X-ray examination.

or

It can also be a small area adjacent to another larger area or structure."a tiny apron of garden"

or
or a hard-surfaced area on an airfield used for manoeuvring or parking aircraft “on the apron”

or

a projecting strip of stage for playing scenes in front of the curtain.

or

an area of asphalt where the driveway of a house meets the road.

or

the narrow strip of a boxing ring lying outside the ropes.

or

an extensive outspread deposit of sediment, typically at the foot of a glacier or mountain.
Last but not least, it can be an endless conveyor made of overlapping plates."apron feeders bring coarse ore to a grinding mill"
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[Cathie19]

Maybe our wonderful community forum moderators, @Nick , @Liv , @Quincy and @Stephanie  could design it? After all, with all their reading of the host and guest threads, they get to know our needs the best!  😁

[Stephanie]

How on earth can we ever compete with your skills @Cathie19 ?

[Cathie19]

@Stephanie, you are too modest! 😘

[Robin4]

@Cathie19 

Oh Cathie you have caught me at one of my strengths, I just love cooking!

We are going to the east coast to spend Christmas with our girls so, today I cooked a Christmas lunch for the family here that we are going to miss........ I I had to play the part of course so, here is the garb I dressed in for the day......

You would surely remember that apron from the British show, "Two Fat Ladies"!

On the day it turned out to be a .....Magic Apron!

Hey, good luck possum, hope we can catch up again soon, and hope you an Gaz have a great Chrissy ! xx

Cheers.......Rob 

[Stephanie]

Excellent taste in aprons and TV shows there @Robin4 !

[Robin4]

@Stephanie 

But don't you just love the Tux bit. 

I have worn that at Stansbury, at Uluru in the outback, at Lake Cathie (pronounced  Cat-eye) on the NSW central coast, and on Constitution Dock in Hobart

That Tee shirt Tux has covered  more than half of Europe.

Would love to be there sharing a spot of Christmas cheer with you Steph, take care!

Cheers.......Rob

[Quincy]

I love the tux t-shirt @Robin4! 

[Cathie19]

Fantastic @Robin4! So glad you and Ade get to have Christmas with the girls. Not to mention the very fetching magic apron. BTW, that was a good TV programme. 🌻

Airbnb is dead  here at the moment, due to Wet Season, Covid19 scares, quarantine requirements etc etc etc. Views just dropping off by the day. So we are holding a friends get together this weekend in our Airbnb space downstairs. Everyone is bringing something to eat as well, so my “cooking”apron will be on, but in the early day preparatory cooking. Later a table preparation and decorations apron might need to be added for good cheer!

Christmas will be low key this year, a simple fare. But still with the core roast and seafood. We can’t live in the tropics without some seafood across the day. But simple, especially with grandies who don’t have adventurous palettes. Sadly, my interstate children and grandies  will be via video on the day. So we will have to sort out our booster shots so we can visit them next year ….

So stay safe if driving across the Hay plains and watch the hypnotic boredom and the roos along the way.  Merry Xmas and DON’T forget to take the magic with you both. 🎄🕯🌠🎄💛🎄

[Robin4]

@Cathie19 

Oh, the bloody Hay Plains, you drive across 135 Kms of nothing....and I mean....nothing, not even a tree in sight. But Cathie our girls and our grandies are at the other end! Seriously, you would travel across the intergalactic void to be with your family....and the Hay plains are about as close as it comes to the intergalactic void from what what I can gather from my travels.

Take care guys we will raise a glass top you!

Cheers.........Rob

[Cathie19]

Oh @Robin4, I know those plains too well! 

One year when the kids were little we drove Adelaide to Sydney to have Xmas with my dad, my sisters and their families. We were towing a small trailer on the back, filled to the hilt, as you do……

On our return journey, we had restless kids picking on one another for a lot of the trip.  It was a horrible journey across those hypnotic plains of nothingness. Kids bored and parents bored….. but we continued just feeding and refuelling. 

Then eventually it stopped and they fell asleep, just before we were to pull in for the evenings accomodation, which we had not booked. The motel was fully booked, it has started to drizzle rain and we were nearing the border. Did we really want to unpack the trailer?  Nope, so we decided to just refuel as you do, as quietly as possible and continued driving through the night.

Those hypnotic straight stretches and reflectors on the posts were really getting to us. We swapped over the driver every 20 minutes to keep awake,  jumping and swinging arms as we switched. Not to mention sucking on sweet lollies and having windows slightly down for the fresh air.

With traffic out of Sydney, food stops,  stop the fighting/exercise stops, refuelling etc, that journey that is fifteen hours if driven straight, took us 21 hours till we reached Grange. I’ve never been so glad to get home and I’ve hated those plains ever since……. 

But you are correct, when you have the incentive of family at one end of the journey, it produces a better mindset.

[Robin4]

@Cathie19 

Twice I have driven that trip in one day......Sydney to Adelaide is 1,470 Kms, that is a big drive in one day. There is one point on the Hay plains where you feel like you are travelling across the intergalactic void....you feel, if you break down you will be skeletal remains before anyone else happens along to find you!

Cheers..........Rob 

[Angela1056]

Here I am @Cathie19 with my Airbnb apron! Ready to make 500 ravioli for our Christmas party!

Like these last year

Merry Christmas and congratulations on the excellent work you do!

[Cathie19]

Oh @Angela1056, you are not only a magician to make ravioli, but a warrior as well, for making so many! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼💐  My goodness, I’m worn out just thinking about it!  😱😵‍💫 😵‍🥱😴 lol…

By the way, your magical apron looks wonderful and is one hell of a kitchen companion! Alongside your beautiful and traditional ornaments, may your Christmas be merry and bright! 🎄

[John5097]

@Cathie19 

Not sure if they have these anymore but they send out gifts for participating in workshops, host spotlight and such. I usually don't wear an apron,  but it does have pockets, and very thoughtful as I also like to cook and have posted a good bit in the cooking topics. I may also use it when prepping for a get together.