I had met a nice gentleman on my first day off of the week, so I was in quite a happy space, as he was going to take me around the next day. Everybody was eyeballing me when I brought the man, called Colin, into the pub for a drink, and I got the idea that he was not too welcome. He was a bitty loth to come and meet me there, but I overrode his objections, and in the end he did come, but I could see that he was just a wee bit uncomfortable.
Anyway, we sat in the conservatory, talking and laughing, and decided that he would come and pick me up at ten the next morning. Tony was again quite rude, and I decided to get Colin to tell me what was going on. At first he rallied round, but I wanted to know if there was a secret, so I asked him to either tell me, or take me home. Apparently he had come into the bar for a meal one Saturday before I came, and as he is quite a nice looking man, Caren, who had way too much to drink, had been coming on to him, and Caren's husband, who was also by now nicely sloshed, took exception to her being all over this man, and called for him to come out to the back, for he wanted to give him a few of the best! And, Colin said, all he wanted to do was to eat his meal in peace, and go home.
So everybody, them being friends, got all mad at this poor man, and all he could do was leave his food, and under heavy verbal attack, took to his heels! I did not know him well enough to know whether he was telling the truth, and that he was as innocent as he pleaded, but he was good company, and took me all over the place, showing me things and places that I had not so far found by myself, but when he wanted me to go to his home for the night, I heard a faint alarm bell ringing, and politely declined! It was a good sign to me that he was not upset, but took me home, and waved me a friendly goodbye. I never thought to see him again, but was not unduly upset by the thought!
I was enjoying my work, as Tony was not looking over my shoulder the whole time, but Harry, the boy, stressed me out a bit. I found him taking huge pieces of cake, and big humps of icecream, and as that was happening a lot of times during the day, I knew that by the time the week-end came, we would be out of icecream, and that I would have to bake extra cakes and I was already so busy. Tony just shrugged his shoulders, maybe not seeing the seriousness of this!
He then started whining again about baking some biscuits, and to get him off my back, I stayed on after my shift ended, and we made a lot of biscuits, and I hoped that that would keep his sweet tooth happy, and that he would stay out of the kitchen. As we are not that close to a town, it is bad if we run out of stuff!
Colin phoned on the Sunday night, as I was off the next day, but I did not want to get involved with someone that I was not quite sure about, so I told him that I have made other plans, which I had, as I was going for a swim in Christina's pool, taking Lizzy with! Much safer!

Trembling like a bally blamange, and clenched fists, the one around a huge knife, I told Theresa to get the hell out from behind my workspace. It was so busy that I found it impossible to get the meals out in good time, and as if the meals were not enough to worry about, everybody wanted puds as well, and I went and told Tony that he must have a good look and me, and see that I am not a bally squid or other animal with eight arms! The poor guy was stressed out of his mind in the bar, but darn it, if people couldn't eat, they would also not drink, and would soon go to another hotel.
So Theresa was told to help me in between, getting things from the fridges, and doing the salads and the puds, and that I would ring the bell twice when I was in need of help. But she obviously thought it her chance to show me just how good she was in the kitchen, and instead of doing what I asked of her, she kept on coming behind my worktop, and interfering with the food, turning steaks when it wasn't ready to be turned, putting chips in the fryer before I wanted it in, and generally getting self into a state of aggravation! The big thing with doing meals is that when I do an order, I arrange everything in my head first, then do it in that order, and if someone then interfered, I lost track, and then it was night!
After telling Theresa to get two gammon steaks from the fridge, I told her to get the salads ready, and do the orders for the puds. It was a table of ten, and in my brain everything was nicely worked out, when to put the chips in the fryer, when to put the steaks on, as some were rare, and other medium rare, with the gammon steaks going on last, as it dries out quickly if on for too long. As we had a large menu, with also lasanges, and chicken, and chicken and leek pies, and curries, and so forth and so forth, it was not always easy to stay on track!
I had everything under control, and was busy with the veggies for the steak pies, and when I turned around, Theresa had put the gammon steaks on!
That is when the last thread of self control just went out of the door, and I bellowed at the woman to get out, or be forever sorry. As I was busy with a sharp knife when I saw what she had done, and was wildly shaking this around, she left in great haste, and I was completely lost, my concentration now at nil!
Tony came in with Barry, Caren's husband, and a big eyed Caren and a smirking Theresa in tow.Tony tried to get my attention, but I was not at the moment available for a squabble, as I was trying to get my concentration on the ready again, so seeing that I was just ignoring them, they went out very silently, maybe scared that I would really throw the knife at them!
The problem here was that none of the others had any experience in a kitchen, so they just do not get it that doing meals are really stressful.

Being so short staffed is really hard on all involved, and I could see that the poor Theresa, who had to do all the rooms, and see to the laundry, and help out in the bar, was getting more and more prickly, and the rooms looked shabbier and shabbier. I was so busy myself, doing absolutely everything on my own, that I just had no time to pull the rooms together most of the time, and every morning during breakfast I had to cope with people complaining that the rooms, although clean enough was really unneat! So whenever I had a wee minute, and a wee bit of energy left, I tried to neaten up the rooms. By just neatening the duvets, and puff up the pillows, and arrange them neatly, the rooms looked more cared for.
Then we got a woman called Caren! Now Caren had worked for the Boys for a little while, but because of her dirty mouth, and slovenly dressing, they had soon got rid of her. As she was the only one in the village left without a job, Tony took her on, and by the pleased smile on his face, I could see that he was well pleased with his new employee! I think they were much of the same standing in society, and it wasn't long before Theresa was going around with a face like a thundercloud, as her authority was sorely taxed, this new woman soon starting to get Tony under her thumb, and trying to give instructions to Theresa.
It was quite entertaining, as both of them started running to Tony with tales about the other one, and to be sure, it was not tales of affection or admiration!
I had always stated that Theresa, although not very neat, worked really hard, and I knew that sometimes she sat out at the back having a cigarette, which I thought she well deserved! But when Caren found her sitting enjoying her cigarette in the sun, she went to Tony, and told him that Theresa was skyving, that means loafing, and Tony and Theresa had one humongous fight, during which she threatened to walk out! I thought it highly necessary for me to intervene, and because I knew how hard Theresa worked, and told Tony to remember that.  Caren got all uptight, and said she would get to me later, as I was interfering in what did not concern me at all.
So I gracefully retreated, hoping that Tony had enough sense to try and calm Theresa down, as, if she took off, we would be in deep trouble. All was well when I came back after my break, well, not fixed, but at least the two women were not fighting anymore, but just walked around throwing dirty looks in each other's way.
Theresa was not letting go so easily, and walked around spitting out words of condemnation, telling all that would listen about this fat slob of a Caren, with her flabby tummy hanging almost to the floor, and her backside as big as a bus, but I was not to be drawn into the fight, so I just laughed softly at her anger!

I was having trouble getting used to this new way of running a hotel. Tony was one of those people who wanted to do everything on the cheap, and then expecting people to love the food and the rooms. I was absolutely horrified when I went into one of the bedrooms that stood open, and saw the state of that room. The nightfrill was all skew, and the duvet was just put on, without even an attempt at pulling it into some semblance of neatness, and I had visions of Theresa standing at the door and flinging the pillows onto the bed. I pulled everything straight, and had a good look in the bathroom. That was quite clean, but again, the towels were hanging all skew, and the soaps were yet again the cheap pink ones that I had such a lot of fights over with Anne, one of my previous employers!
I thought of walking out, but knew that the Inn had already appointed another chef in the job they had offered me. So, either I went home, or stay and try and make Tony and Theresa realize that you get the type of people that you cater for! I vowed to keep my ears on the ground in case one of the other hotels lost their chef!
Also in the kitchen he had started to economise, buying the cheapest meat and other stuff, and after the third week of struggling with a cheap scone mix that just was rubbish, and meat cuts that was the worst on a cow, and chickens, I told him roundly that he was flirting with trouble. Where he got the meat from, specially the chicken, I just did not know, but knew that I could not cook with such horrible stuff.
So I sat down with him one afternoon, and had a good and earnest talk, in which he first got angry, then full of excuses, then promised me that he would in future get the food from reputable shops. I was relieved!
But then another botheration stuck out its head, in the form of Harry, Tony's son, who, on the Saturday morning, when I was at my busiest, came into the kitchen, and announced very importantly that I have to help him bake some biscuits! On my telling him that I was too busy, he said that his dad said he was okay with that, and I wondered at the ignorance of this people! He knew that I had a thousand things to do, as we had quite a few bookings, and as it was becoming really busy, the touristy season having begun!
Harry went away to complain to his dad, and it wasn't long before Tony appeared, followed by a very pleased looking Harry, and I felt the hair in my neck standing up straight!
Tony wanted to know what my problem was, and I could only stare at him, as he could see that the working spaces were full of things to prepare, and the oven held a huge lasange, and a pan loaded with veggies roasting. One big brawl followed, as Tony at last opened his eyes, and saw what I still had to do before lunch, but Harry was in no mood to be opposed, and started screaming abuse at me and his dad.
He was living with his mother during the week, and it seemed that he thought it was his due to be allowed whatever he wished for over the week-ends, but I just kept a deaf ear, and went on with my work.
I felt sorry for the lad, and later, when all was calm again, I promised that we could make biscuits the next afternoon after I had done lunch, during my off time.
The house is next to the hotel, and I look out onto it when working in the kitchen.

But my next outing, to Loch Etive, did not happen as planned! On the Monday, my first day off, I reconnected my battery, as I did every year, and the sweet little Panda started immediately! But then she would not move! I tried everything I could think of, and did everything my audience, consisting of villagers and Tourists, told me to do, but the Panda's wheels were as if welded onto the body!
 I phoned Stan, the man who always did the mot for me, and fixed such small problems as arised, and he told me to take a heavy hammer, and hit the wheels, and that should loosen them. So Barry, one of the villagers went to fetch his big hammer, and we knocked the blue blazes out of the wheels, with no avail! I phoned Stan again, and he promised to come and have a look.
I was worried about my wee car, as she and I had many adventures together, and she took me to the most outlandish places without ever leaving me in the lurch! In other words, I loved the little black box-like car!
I could not go anywhere that day, so I just waited for Stan, fretting all the time, wondering what on earth I was going to do If my Panda was scrapped!
Stan came soon after, and he tried just about everything he could think of, but the wheels just would not loosen. Knowing how fond I was of my little car, even he was sad when he told me that there was nothing to be done, and that I would have to scap the car!
So I sat inside the car, telling her that there was just no other way, and when the truck arrived to load her and take her to be squashed, my tears just would not stay back, and the man, a hardy looking fellow, looked at me very strangely. But oh boy, as I stood in the kitchen door watching the truck with my wee car disappear down the road, I sobbed!
The little car was just such a part of my life, and it was as though something precious had disappeared, something the people around me just could not understand.
But the Stan phoned me and offered me a wee Fiesta, his wife's, as she was getting a new car. At the price he offered it to me, and the wonderful condition it was in, I grabbed at the offer, and the next day saw me driving of at a nice pace, to the beautiful Loch Etive.