Is B&B Really For Me?

The fuel guage on my Range Rover tells fibs. It said I had enough fuel for another 65  miles. Wrong. I ran out of diesel just inside the school gates this morning.
 
The kind groundsmen put in a gallon of red diesel meant for their tractor, and were very kind about the brown ruts in their beautiful cricket field, made by all the other Mums trying to get round my marooned car.

It's my first venture into B&B today, and I've got a film crew of five arriving at 4.30pm.

I left Significant Other (SO) still working on the loo of the third bathroom, with the main spare bedroom filled with all the furniture that used to be where the bathroom's going, including an enormous chest of drawers and an extra bed.

Kate, who cleans for me, and Sashka, who does my horses, were arriving at 9am to get everything ready.

I had planned to go swimming, followed by a jacuzzi (to calm my nerves you understand). So I went - £115 down after finally allowing myself to drop in on Tesco's petrol station to finally refill my greedy car.

Then I drove to Ashburton to stock up on 'local quality produce'. An artisan loaf of bread costs over £2! Paying for it caused
me actual physical pain. Some large organic tomatoes on the vine and mushrooms cost over £4. Agh! How do people do this regularly? I usually survive on sliced brown wholemeal at 45p a loaf. It makes fewer crumbs and you don't have to bother with a  knife.

I return home to find my house transformed by my incredible team. But there is no way that the new bathroom is going to be
usable. After all that. They will have to use a chamber pot.

Sashka needs to leave and discovers that my car is blocking everyone else in, and it has a hole in its front tyre.

We retire for a coffee and a fag to think about what to do now.

I'm trying to prepare for Christmas at the moment. I have organised mulled wine for the Form 4 Mums at Browns Hotel before we pick our children up from their Hogwarts-inspired Christmas feast at 7pm. The film crew is going to arrive in the meantime. I have bought two 'home made' wild mushroom lasagnes from 'Cook!' to try to take on the local dining out places. Will they defrost and cook properly in my temperamental AGA? The beef joint for tomorrow is still frozen solid. I haven't cooked a full English breakfast for several years and cant fry an egg without breaking it. I hate mornings.

The AA is on its way to replace the tyre before I can set off for the mulled wine fest.

I can't smoke in my own house because I will make it smell.

I am in full panic mode.