Dear Mary…
Q. I own a holiday cottage in Padstow in Cornwall. Sometimes I let the cottage, at other times I allow friends to stay there. I employ a local cleaning agency to come in on Monday mornings to clean up after each occupancy and get it ready for the incoming parties. My problem is that recently a great friend of mine, who is very fastidious, stayed in the cottage and informed me that she had left the place spotless on her departure — yet I still had the usual bill from the cleaning agency. It now occurs to me that other occupants may be equally fastidious, but since I live in London I have no means of checking. How can I avoid being had for a mug, Mary?
B.T., London W12
A. The cleaning ladies are only human. You cannot expect them to set aside a morning in which to generate some income and then walk away without charging if there is no work to be done. You must bite the bullet and cough up. I recommend that you increase your rental by a tenner or so, to make it easier for you to
shoulder this burden more philosophically.
Q. As summer is nearly upon us, what are the rules and regulations about serving rosé? I have to admit that this fragrant pink drink is one of my very favourites but I gather not everyone shares my enthusiasm.
B.H., London NW3
A. Why not take your cue from the great Sybille Bedford, whose memoirs, Quicksands, come out next month? Mrs Bedford, now 94 and widely acknowledged as our ‘prime chronicler of sensuous experience’, has ruled that rosé should be drunk only out of doors and in company.
Q. A man I know talks to me with his eyes almost fully shut and his eyelashes fluttering.
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in