Bed and Breakfast Tales (3)

During our first year we had an Australian couple stay just one night, on a tour of the UK.  We expected them early evening between 5 and 6pm.  6 o'clock came and went.  6.30 also. 7.00 too sped by.  7.30 - silence.  8.00 - nothing.

Sometime after 8.00 pm we got a call to say that they were running very late as they had got lost but should be with us by 9.00pm.  They were arguing with each other whilst making the call, so I knew when they arrived they would be "frayed at the edges".  Well, they arrived at around 9.30pm, frayed and frazzled, and still arguing!  The gps had been set, and one of them (the driver) had decided that it was wrong and had chosen to turn off the device, and go in a direction that seemed right to them.  Mmmm.  In completely another direction - thus adding at least 3 hours to a journey that was long enough to start with!  Now I understand that Australians think nothing of a 5 hour drive to see a friend but they were exhausted, bad tempered and they were staying in our house!!  A large cup of tea, a slice of cake, and all was calm - for a few minutes.  But I have come across this before, some relationships thrive on arguments - and as it continued over breakfast too, this was one of them.  Everything.  The time to start on the next step of their journey, how long it was take to get to their next stop, even where the next step was.......   But off they went, and as they were a retired couple who had been together over 40 years, I am sure that they are still together even now, bickering away and loving each other to bits!