Things that ought to be great, but are invariably disappointing....

[ClashCityRocker]

Baths with wine and candles.

The heat from the bath means the wine gets tepid rather quickly, and the candle light is never strong enough to read a book in. Also, submerging to rinse the soap off results in a tidal wave of water, putting out the candles and resulting in being sat in darkness. The scramble for the light switch usually involves knocking over the precariously perched wine glass or candle, resulting in wine and candle wax everywhere.

See also breakfast in bed.

It's not a great position to eat breakfast in, really, being half recumbent. I'm usually a wee bit sweaty, would rather get up and have a cigarette and always end up with toast crumbs on the sheets.

What things that sound lovely in principle are really not that great in practice?

Completely agree with many of these. Especially baths - just don't get it and also gigs. Too crowded, can't see a thing an ways wish I hadn't bothered. I am quite short and always get the tallest person in the room standing in front of me 2 minutes before the band come on.
I also agree agree about restaurants especially Italian. Other people seem to sit raving about over priced food which I end up thinking I could have cooked better myself.
Got to disagree about picnics though. One of our favourite summer activities with the kids. Love sitting in the sun munching away chatting while the kids are playing.

Silver and gold cake, it looks fantastic, but takes ages to make and the taste does not live up to the look.

Dragging the kids to cultural experiences like musical performances when neither me nor the kids are musically inclined...and paying through the nose for the experience....and pretending to be excited about it to the kids

Family days out.

Me and DH walking at different speeds (I hate that why can't he wait.) kids arguing. Everywhere crowded. No parking

Christmas ice skating ...or any ice skating for that matter. Freezing, wet feet before you start and then watching your hands turn blue while sliding onto your arse.
I also find buying live music on a cd can be really disappointing too.

Spa treatments. I go about once a year with my lovely friend because she loves it. We have facials, massage, manicure. I hate it because I feel uncomfortable that this beautiful girl is being paid minimum wage to manhandle me. I don't really understand facials and I don't like massages because they always say I have muscle knots and try to deal with them, which is agony. My nails look nice for about 8 minutes until I smudge them.

And the whole thing costs me a fortune. So I feel simultaneous exploiting and exploited.

I love picnics and coffee though

Halloumi. Wtf? Rubbery and tasteless

you know you have to cook it, right?

Trying to do anything when the weather is nice in the UK as invariably everyone else has got there before you so you can't whether it's a riverside pub lunch or going to the lido.

Metallica live. Seen them eight times. Walked early six of those times.

Why do I keep going back?
They are usually headlining festivals I am at.

London.

yep, the beach on a hot day.
unless you have the sea breeze, it is just awful. can't walk on the shingle anyway.
and we have a dog now so i dont want to take her to the beach, so basically we dont go

This thread has cheered me up and actually I had a candle lit bath a couple of nights ago for the first time in years in a bid to calm myself after work and as usual I can only stand a few minutes before I get out and I think what's wrong with me I should be wallowing in pleasure . Clearly I'm not alone !
Other things are eating outside - don't get it
Expensive room diffusers/candles
Two weeks abroad in the summer
Charlie Bingham ready meals

egg sandwiches - what am i doing wrong? they are far too tasteless when on a picnic

i love this thread.

fish and chips, eat it so fast because of Gluttony.

burp, feel sick

Christmas dinner...
Someone ends up in the kitchen most of the morning and the day before cooking what will be eaten in a tiny fraction of the time. Plus then the house smells of the fat the potatoes were cooked in.

YY to Christmas dinner, we normally have something like pizza or fajitas instead

Agree with Dyson. Style over substance.

Definitely agree with cadburys. It was so much nicer years ago.

The Strictly final. Not as interesting as the rounds.

Christmas school/church fetes. Love the notion. Don't love the instant coffee in polystyrene cups, the crowding, and the stalls selling homemade tat for the tree.

Stollen, it should be lovely and moist and marzipan-y but it is just dry and disappointing.

Live gigs. Paying out enough for a decent weekend away to watch some self-indulgent has-been playing their entire new album and a token couple of old hits whilst your view is obscured by a heavy-set six-foot-fiver with his screeching girlfriend on his shoulders.

Kids

I agree with breakfast in bed.

Baths with candles too. I live baths, but with normal light, snacks, a book and my phone.
I love being in the water. But not for washing, that's what showers are for.

babies, puppies.
What a lot of hard work - they look cute though.

Mr Frostys used to be lovely. They were more creamy. They are too icy now :(

Christmas.. All that preparation to find out you have to work boxing day