We are in a lovely holiday cottage and we keep breaking things. Is anyone else as clumsy as us?

[Mollythewally]

Day 1: Dog swished his tail and knocked a glass of red wine up the immaculate pastel coloured matt walls.

Day 2: I smashed a wine glass that can only be sourced in the states (I googled) to try to find a replacement myself.

Day 3: The swing bin lid is broken. I'm not entirely sure this was us but there is an inventory at change over and no mention of this so I assume it's our fault.

Day 4: Dog creates a 'viewing window' in one of those tow along bike trailer things. He hasn't chewed it, just rested his head as we were cycling and ripped a hole in the (fairly insubstantial) lining.

I have ADHD and am exceptionally clumsy and used to paying the ADHD tax for all the things I cock up but this holiday has been something else. We've got 5 more days, what will we break next?

Oh dear. I swear sometimes trying to be careful results in even more breakages.

To be honest I'm not sure anything is too or of the ordinary, glasses get spilled and broken, that's life and if they are set on those ones from the states then that's just daft in a holiday let. More likely a random relative got them a set for their wedding and they shoved them in the cottage. And a holiday let loaning outdoor equipment should expect some rips as part of normal wear and tear.

I was once stressed about a place we went to. Didn't realise it was so posh until we got there, 3 young children including a sleepwalking toddler. It was filled with le creuset, lovely glasses and dishes, expensive retro furniture and so on. The children managed to drop at least 2 things each even though we spent the whole week trying to stop them from carrying anything. The lovely woman who did the end of week check just smiled and said breakages were normal.

Fingers crossed for you!

Christ, move all the valuables and roll up the blinds.

I let out a holiday flat. I think I’d be annoyed about the wall and would retain your deposit or part of it but breaking glasses etc is expected.

Dont expect your deposit back.

Is the tow along trailer meant for the dog? If not then that’s not a clumsy accident that’s just not giving a shit about how you use other people’s belongings?

A waggy dogtail and a wine glass should not be near each other.
That's not clumsiness, that's not thinking

@OakleyStreetisnotinChelsea

Oh dear. I swear sometimes trying to be careful results in even more breakages.

To be honest I'm not sure anything is too or of the ordinary, glasses get spilled and broken, that's life and if they are set on those ones from the states then that's just daft in a holiday let. More likely a random relative got them a set for their wedding and they shoved them in the cottage. And a holiday let loaning outdoor equipment should expect some rips as part of normal wear and tear.

I was once stressed about a place we went to. Didn't realise it was so posh until we got there, 3 young children including a sleepwalking toddler. It was filled with le creuset, lovely glasses and dishes, expensive retro furniture and so on. The children managed to drop at least 2 things each even though we spent the whole week trying to stop them from carrying anything. The lovely woman who did the end of week check just smiled and said breakages were normal.

Fingers crossed for you!

Interesting point, thank you!

Does this happen to you in your own house?

@SnarkyBag

Is the tow along trailer meant for the dog? If not then that’s not a clumsy accident that’s just not giving a shit about how you use other people’s belongings?

It was hired from a bike shop along with the bikes we hired. Same holiday just not part of the let. Yes, it was definitely a dog trailer.

@TheVolturi

Does this happen to you in your own house?

Yes.

Dyspraxia runs in my family, so I relate to this! A couple of years ago my parents invited us all on a big extended family holiday, and I've blanked bits from my mind but there was definitely a red wine/white carpet incident.

I don't know if ADHD is like dyspraxia (I know there is some overlap), but with dyspraxia part of the issue is people don't find it easy to calculate what will knock what, or what's in the path of danger, so if you're dyspraxic you might easily put a wine glass down where a dog's tail could knock it without having realised that.

I have seen my mum put a cup of coffee down in thin air more times than I can remember. And she is still perfectly capable of walking into the door frame in the home she's lived in for more than thirty years.

I'm not sure what all of the snippy comments are about - I've already arranged to pay for the broken items, all of them.

I was asking if anybody else suffers this level of clumsiness.

I'm sorry if that's disappointing of those of you who want to post stern facedly about returned deposits.

@SarahAndQuack

Dyspraxia runs in my family, so I relate to this! A couple of years ago my parents invited us all on a big extended family holiday, and I've blanked bits from my mind but there was definitely a red wine/white carpet incident.

I don't know if ADHD is like dyspraxia (I know there is some overlap), but with dyspraxia part of the issue is people don't find it easy to calculate what will knock what, or what's in the path of danger, so if you're dyspraxic you might easily put a wine glass down where a dog's tail could knock it without having realised that.

I have seen my mum put a cup of coffee down in thin air more times than I can remember. And she is still perfectly capable of walking into the door frame in the home she's lived in for more than thirty years.

Yes, that sounds very familiar.

Well surely a dog trailer should be able to withstand a dog being in it?

As for the rest, these things happen. Agree that the glass is unlikely to be a fond heirloom if they've shovel it in a holiday let. You'll probably have to cover the cost of repainting the wall. I wouldn't say anything about the bin: it probably wasn't you anyway.

Although apologies, many of you won't know what I meant by the "ADHD tax" it's the extensive cost of footing up the bill for the endless things you break/lose/cock up/forget to pay etc etc.

It's right there in the OP that I'm paying for this stuff. No need to go overboard, ok?

*shoved

My family are exactly like this.
The first thing I do when we arrive at a holiday cottage is collect up all the breakables that are in shelves, tables etc, and put them away in a high place.
Even then we usually break something.
(And pay, obviously).

@Octavia64

My family are exactly like this. The first thing I do when we arrive at a holiday cottage is collect up all the breakables that are in shelves, tables etc, and put them away in a high place. Even then we usually break something. (And pay, obviously).

My people!

Sorry OP I misread.

I don't know about ADHD but I strongly suspect dd1 is dyspraxic - she broke a toe walking across the room one time and has also injured herself on a cushion previously. Weirdly she's never had any horrendous injuries, but she breaks stuff a lot - plates, glasses, yeah, all of that. Sometimes just from putting them onto counters. I don't quite understand her mechanism but it's different from mine that's for sure.

molly I have thousands of these stories and the bruises to show for them.

Today at work, I did quite a dextrous involved intricate procedure, finished, tripped over a bin and walked into the door.

Also, the #adhd tax is real my friend!!

I once went on a holiday with a large group of friends. This is massively outing if any of them see this!

We arrived, with a car full of shopping and one member of the group who desperately needed the loo. So she runs upstairs and we open the fridge. All the glass shelves and plastic door baskets fall out of the fridge as we open the door. Miraculously only one door shelf is cracked. None of them had been put back on properly, just stuffed in and the door shut quickly - why would none do that?!

Having sorted that disaster out we realise we can hear banging from upstairs. One of the group goes up and realises the friend that needed the loo is trapped in the bathroom. Luckily the door opens inwards so a shoulder barge from outside frees her.

One of the group is a builder - the door handle / latch has been installed wrong so it never completely retracts into the door and the wood architrave around the door is sticking out. Not a good combination. The door handle gets reinstalled and the architrave planed back with a carving knife!

3rd member of the group bringing 'tools' (contents of cutlery drawer) to builder friend manages to pull 4 spindles out of the stairway.

Shower is fitted with a cup hook holding the shower head. When you turn on the water it sprays directly into the electric extractor fan.

Bannister on the top floor 'family room' recommended for children is secured the floor with 2 screws. The whole thing is about 12 ft long, friend leans on it and nearly falls down the stairs, bannister and all.

Garden furniture is provided, lots of white plastic patio chairs. It's quite old and must have gone quite brittle in the sun. Much wine is drunk in the evenings, and one friend has a habit of leaning back suddenly and heavily. Over the course of a week he breaks no less than 4 chairs by leaning back and snapping the back legs off!

We spent the first day in a hardware store trying to mime the things we needed to make the property safe and repair / replace the random broken items.

The last day was spent trying to find a shop that sold white plastic patio furniture!

As most of these are dog related could you not put the dog in kennels and have a dog free holiday,?

We broke 2 glasses and the (really hi tec!) ice cube tray within about 15 minutes or arriving at our last holiday house-I feel your pain!!

@Howshouldibehave

We broke 2 glasses and the (really hi tec!) ice cube tray within about 15 minutes or arriving at our last holiday house-I feel your pain!!

Ouch! What even is a high tech ice cube tray???

@PL15namechange

I once went on a holiday with a large group of friends. This is massively outing if any of them see this!

We arrived, with a car full of shopping and one member of the group who desperately needed the loo. So she runs upstairs and we open the fridge. All the glass shelves and plastic door baskets fall out of the fridge as we open the door. Miraculously only one door shelf is cracked. None of them had been put back on properly, just stuffed in and the door shut quickly - why would none do that?!

Having sorted that disaster out we realise we can hear banging from upstairs. One of the group goes up and realises the friend that needed the loo is trapped in the bathroom. Luckily the door opens inwards so a shoulder barge from outside frees her.

One of the group is a builder - the door handle / latch has been installed wrong so it never completely retracts into the door and the wood architrave around the door is sticking out. Not a good combination. The door handle gets reinstalled and the architrave planed back with a carving knife!

3rd member of the group bringing 'tools' (contents of cutlery drawer) to builder friend manages to pull 4 spindles out of the stairway.

Shower is fitted with a cup hook holding the shower head. When you turn on the water it sprays directly into the electric extractor fan.

Bannister on the top floor 'family room' recommended for children is secured the floor with 2 screws. The whole thing is about 12 ft long, friend leans on it and nearly falls down the stairs, bannister and all.

Garden furniture is provided, lots of white plastic patio chairs. It's quite old and must have gone quite brittle in the sun. Much wine is drunk in the evenings, and one friend has a habit of leaning back suddenly and heavily. Over the course of a week he breaks no less than 4 chairs by leaning back and snapping the back legs off!

We spent the first day in a hardware store trying to mime the things we needed to make the property safe and repair / replace the random broken items.

The last day was spent trying to find a shop that sold white plastic patio furniture!

This sounds like you rented a death trap!