CF Acquaintance turned up today despite refusing invite

[Grumpusaurus]

We live in a popular tourist destination and after numerous people took advantage of us, we nip it in the bud now. Most seem to follow the same script by contacting us out of the blue and mentioning that it would be so lovely to see us. I now answer in a very friendly manner that it has been years since we last heard from them and it would indeed be lovely to catch up over coffee in a nearby spot when they are in the area. This does tend to put an end to most of those potential CFs, however, one acquaintance pushed back and asked to stay with us at the beginning of September. I told her that this would not be possible, especially as we have a very tight deadline and will be working flat out to finish a commission. DH and I are self-employed craftspeople and sometimes we do work all day and most of the night to finish pieces and the DC stay at their grandparents during that last push. Not heard back from the acquaintance since July even though she clearly read my WhatsApp message.

The doorbell went this evening, I ignored it as DH and I were in the middle of working on our commission but someone kept pushing the bell. Our property is an L-shape so you can see from our workshop who is at the front door. CF acquaintance was standing there with a suitcase! DH is more of a people pleaser and while really cheesed off was about to answer the door till I told him no bloody way! He redeemed himself by immediately agreeing. The bell went a few more times and then got a flurry of WhatsApp messages, which I ignored. She eventually left after half an hour. I am almost bemused by the cheek of it but there is no way I am going to let anyone railroad me into being their free accommodation and greatly inconveniencing us, especially while we literally get up to work all hours and fall into bed. DH is fretting about her coming back but I told that we will just continue to ignore the doorbell. We have a back gate to a dirt track we can stealth like leave the property if she is holding a siege at the front door 😎 There are plenty of hotels and B&Bs in the area, albeit quite dear. Who does that! A rhetorical question but am just shocked by the cheek of just turning up after saying emphatically No!

Beautifully located philanthropic artists with building skills and top-quality power tools, OP, no wonder everyone wants to know you..

Have you not booked in yet @Herejustforthisone ?
OP's chockablock now until Spring 2023, I've done the decent thing & only bagged a week at Xmas to allow other PP a crack at the whip.
But you've only got yourself to blame, should have PM'd earlier - snooze you lose!

I might just rock up now and see if I can’t get those big studio doors open.

So you would welcome stranger's to stay in your home under the same roof as your children would you? I certainly wouldn't.

😂😂😂

😆

Tactical discussions with DH and PIL, helped by a lot of wine, produced a number of defense strategies for future invaders. I really liked the idea of a moat complete with a few cute alligators. As usual, DH squashed my creativity by his nitpicking, pointing out some minor issues with this plan, mainly the children and dogs. FIL came by today and sorted out the portail, digital code and entry phone, so we have a first line of defense.

Boiling oil, I've always wanted that but settled for thoroughly antisocial (friendly but more than most people want to greet) dogs instead, that keeps away all but my very favourite people who know when to shut up and go and make the tea :D

My heart LEAPT when you wrote 'gleaming workshop'... would you contemplate adopting me please. There is nothing I love more than a gloriously tidy clean workspace......... dribbles a bit... I mean not even a yarn shop compares.

So glad you got the satisfaction of careful people taking the results of your hard work and dedication on to their new home. Hope you get a chance to enjoy a decent (CF-free) rest now with the kids. In fact, I don't know if CF realised or would even care, but who in their right mind would be so busy that their own children go and stay with family to enable them to focus and concentrate, but yet they would gladly host a virtual stranger in their place?!

DH wonders if she might wait till after the deadline to try again, as would still save a big chunk for the remainder of her holiday.

I wonder what she's been doing for accommodation. Has she been paying/booking a hotel on a night-by-night renewing basis? What would happen if she went down one time and asked to extend her stay for yet another single night and was told that her (the last) room had been booked following her currently-booked departure the next morning?

Considering how low she sets her bar for 'closeness of friendship' when seeking free accommodation, I reckon she's been scouting for gullible-looking locals and deliberately trying to befriend them, before hitting them with her elaborate sob story as to why they will need to let her stay with them for the next two weeks or otherwise alien lizard zombies will come and dismember her with lasers - and then everybody will know that they are the evilest of the evil and will forever have her blood solely on their hands.

This thread just keeps on giving. Love the moat idea😂😂😂 but wouldn't be safe for the dog's and Children.

I really liked the idea of a moat complete with a few cute alligators. As usual, DH squashed my creativity by his nitpicking, pointing out some minor issues with this plan, mainly the children and dogs

You wouldn't have this issue with a portcullis: you can raise the gate when the visitors are permitted, and keep it firmly lowered for CFs. It would need a proper gate house, which would give you somewhere to keep @WiddlinDiddlin 's boiling oil.

Midpmcoffee · 03/09/2022 09:39
numerous people took advantage of us, we nip it in the bud now. Most seem to follow the same script by contacting us out of the blue and mentioning that it would be so lovely to see us
I wonder how many times this has actually happened. That “numerous” people in your life a) have your number b) know where you live c) close enough to ask to stay with you and you say yes
i suspect a little hyperbole in the op

No right to suspect anything.
OP did exactly right thing in their circumstances and do not owe CF any response.

@BrightYellowDaffodil

Ooooh, now you are giving us ideas! DH is already looking at various portcullis and showing me that they are really easy to construct, checking out counterweight mechanisms and considering adding decorative metal spikes to the bottom. We had actually discussed adding another front and side to form an inner patio, like a modern Moroccan courtyard garden. On the cadastre plan, this part of the terrain is marked as living area, as at one point there must have been a bigger building, so it should be straightforward to get a building permit. My dream is to create a big, long glass house opposite the workshop and have an orangery with an indoor pool. If we did all the work ourselves, we may eventually be able to do it. The final fourth side/front could feature a full height portcullis in a Mediterranean style. The Cité de Carcassonne or forts of Narbonne etc are a bit far but we could do a day trip to Fort Carré etc for some inspiration. But a portcullis cries out for a moat… My idea is to sculpt/cast some friendly crocodiles floating around. Maybe some animatronics...?

@Grumpusaurus I'm TOTALLY missing the point of this thread but if MIL wants to rescue a pup, she might want to check out Save Our Spaniels. They primarily rescue in France and Spain, mostly Breton spaniels but other lovely pups too. They have a good Facebook group and a website 😊

Thank you for that tip! Mil has her heart set on a greyhound or Spanish greyhound, aka a Galgo. We know and support several rescue groups. Mil has been looking and seen one beautiful girl and a boy but cannot decide. We reckon she will get both of them...

You wouldn't have this issue with a portcullis: 😂
What I heart most about this comment & all who engendered it, is the tone of solemn authority bought by hard earned experience. Which of us do not have dogs, boiling oil & moats available to repel boarders?

@WiddlinDiddlin you are a flatcoated retriever's human, & I claim my £5.
Plus, boo sucks on you for getting in first with this -
would you contemplate adopting me please
It's an outrage, have you SEEN the queue of PP round OP's moat this evening?
All I can do is put a dampener on your evil ploy by commissioning a giant artwork from her, so you get immediately outsourced to the PiL's. (Tho they sound like good eggs too, you won't have it too bad.)

I have an ex racing greyhound.
I have come across Pedenco on facebook which seem to be a similar type of dog bred in Spain and there are a group who rescue and rehome them.

The rescue groups I have shown to MIL have both greyhounds and Podencos. Podencos can be bigger escape artists though and a bit more energetic. But I adore their ears. MIL fell in love with sight hounds because of their wonderful relaxed nature and their 22 hour power naps.

Galgos are like whippets, aren't they? Whippets are best kept in twos (or more).

Galgos are very close to Greyhounds and often not that easy to distinguish. Galgos tend to be a bit narrower and have longer snouts. They really do best in pairs or more.

I have a Podenco crossed with a spaniel, she is like a spaniel on stilts, I also live in a tourist hotspot and have had so many CF wishing to visit and expecting an airport pickup , the firat year we were mugs and said yes, now i dont care if i am rude. Not once do they offer to pay for fuel, food or wine ....they just leave me a massive pile of washing. Apart from my SIL, she actually stripped and washed her bedding ....it was so nice.

It would be like this…

With you craft skills you could (and should) knock up a trebuchet.

Now you've mentioned constructing your own portcullis I'm even more sure I know what your trade is!

Now you've mentioned constructing your own portcullis I'm even more sure I know what your trade is!

@dropthevipers Trebuchet takes me right back to 2nd year History class!