My saga with local wildlife continues.

[Robin4]

When every guest arrives, as they enter I tell them….”Remember you are in a garden environment, If you leave that door open, something is going to come in here”!

Most often that does the trick and they make sure they at least keep the screen door shut.

But sometimes I can be my own worst enemy!!!

New guest checks in for a 3 night stay last Thursday. Now I know personal details are not permitted here on the CC but I hope the admin staff will be understanding here.

Marcin and Madeline arrived and after settling in they went out to dinner and didn’t return till just before midnight. Suddenly I get this message……..

Ade was still watching her tablet so I left my computer and said to her, “What’s going on out there, can you see any activity”?

She said, “Yeah there’s a lot of running around, the door has open and shut a few times, I thought they were just having a bit of fun”!!

Well they were having a bit of fun alright. They were chasing a possum around the cottage, over the bed, under the sofa, into the bathroom trying everything they could to get it to go out the door.

For some d*mn reason these creatures don’t understand they belong in the wild….not try to share our homes with us. Here is one trying to join us for dinner one evening a few years ago!

Well what a way to start off a hosting, if any stay had disaster written all over it, this one did!!!

The possum had pooped all over the pillow cases before they eventually got it out the door!

But these guys are animal lovers, Madi said…..”the poor little thing was so frightened, we weren’t trying  to hurt it, it was trying to push its way out through a Perspex panel”!

Talk about feel like the worlds worst host, but these lovely guys would have none of it. Anyone else would have left on the spot and demanded a refund, but Marcin and Madi said it was a new experience, actually added to their stay and is a great story for dinner parties in the future.....'The night we chased a furry creature around our accommodation'!

If you went out of your way to try to meet people like this you couldn’t……yet here they are, they come to us. Thanks Marcin and Madi for being what Airbnb is all about….nice people meeting nice people, and forgiving a host who left a lose tile in a roof!!!

Perhaps I should change my listing title to ...."Come and share our cottage with the locals"!

Cheers……..Rob.

[Cathie19]

Howdy, and love to you and Ade. Looks like a bit of Possum Magic happening @Robin4 ! lol……

I hope you have the book front and centre and on display with your warning notice. Especially as Mem Fox is residing in Adelaide. 🫶🏼 😃🤣 ….  

PS: I hope you are enjoying the AFL gather round? 

[Robin4]

@Cathie19 

Hi Cathie, great to hear from you.

I sure did receive a bit of possum magic, these guests were just lovely and it sort of got me to thinking......is this experience really exceptional?

I think maybe it isn't, many guests are as lovely and tolerant as these guys were! But here on the CC we don't get to hear of them, all we see are the guests who create havoc and want to take the host to task.

From what we see here daily it frightens me, and I think that over the years I must have had a charmed hosting life because I have never experienced the pain we see here daily. But maybe my experience is typical of what one can expect from short term renting, it's just a case of, 'if it's not a drama, it isn't noteworthy' so we don't get to hear all the good stuff!!

Once again, the 'Gather Round' was another great success Cathie, the event was a sell-out. The population of Mt Barker with it's 43,000 people just about doubled and trying to travel around town yesterday was horrendous!

For those not familiar, in Australia AFL (Australian football league)  is the major sporting code, and during the cooler months the 18 national teams compete against each other each week in  the various capital cities. 

The only exception to this is, the 'Gather Round' where all teams gather in Adelaide in South Australia on the first weekend in April. The event is a spectacular success with almost quarter of a million tickets sold for the round over 3 days. 

We are fortunate in Mt Barker to be able to stage one of these matches at our local oval.

The boost for the local community is wonderful, it actually brings into town more money than my Airbnb listing.......

                                                         

Cheers..............Rob

[Marisa182]

@Robin4Rob, Thank you for the very amusing story. Possums are such wonderful and shy creatures, and so beneficial in gardens.  I have some in my garden every now and then, but never in the house.  And so happy to see something fun and positive for a change. I do short term only and have found nearly all of my guest to be so kind and appreciative, makes me love hosting.

Best,

Marisa

[Sarah5000]

Thanks for sharing this story, if I were the guest I will say the same thing too. The little creatures makes the stay more unforgettable!

[Ruth413]

I would love to share my room with a Possum to a certain extent.

I know my guests get really excited about seeing hedgehogs, pheasants, owls and deer in the garden, but lately we have had a Stork, which really stirred things up !

Molly loves the wildlife in Australia and I am sure when she gets back to the U.K. she will think it all very tame !