You can't judge a book by its cover........

Yes, it is beautiful, we thought the same.  Thanks for all the lovely comments.  We couldn't wait to meet it in person!!!

Upon arriving, we loved the place, we got to run around checking and picking out our bedrooms, fully intending to stay here for a least the coming year.  We'd made 'friends' with Levi's 30 minute walk to school, loved where the house was located, between his school and the city centre, and it fit right in with my love of the old houses and antiques.   We went to bed happy, sleeping at least 12 hours each after that long and exhausting, over-night flight.

It was quite early on that we (mostly me) noticed some issues with the place.  Day 1, after sleeping so well, I realized the place had a rough smell to it.  No worries, it was beautiful outside, so I opened every window and began to air out the place.  I started to realize it was a lingering smoke smell, a smoker must have lived here, so I got out their hoover and vacuumed the floor and couches and every rug I could find.  It didn't touch the smell.  By day 3, I had ordered my own hoover (Shark is better than Dyson, prove me wrong!) and started sending the management company messages that the couches and rugs needed to be shampooed.  I got to the point of NOT ever sitting on the couches, that is how bad they were.  

Once Amazon delivered my hoover, I got to work, here is what I found:

Can you even believe this!  This is how they got the apartment ready for us.  It isn't any landlord that I want!

Seriously, this is how we found the couch when I removed the cushions

The management company would not commit to shampooing stuff, even after that video, which was aggravating at best.  (they did end up doing it in the end).

As this argument was heating up, I started to clean all of the rooms.  To say they were nasty is an understatement.  Remember how I told you the place was an airbnb before me?  Well, on the surface, everything looked beautiful.  But as you can see, underneath wasn't even clean.  I imagined I would clean, I even brought my own mirco-fibre clothes in my luggage anticipating as much, but this was 'a-whole-nother' level.

The baseboards throughout the place were filthy.  This is the kitchen.  And don't get me started on the chandeliers.  

This is under the bed in the master bedroom.  Seriously?!?!

The drains in the showers were NASTY!

Here is my list of what was filthy:  white doors full of dirt & smudges where hands go, baseboards, mold in the coffee machine and washing machine, windows, shower drains (full of mold and hair).  Then to add insult to injury here is the list of things broken or not working: burner in the center of the stove, dryer, shades to cover windows, drains in kitchen and J's bathroom, and the hoover.

To top it all off, the management company would barely respond.

So, that is when I started looking for a new place to live!  This was unacceptable and how do you rent from people who don't even follow up?  It was atrocious and I was DONE!

We started moving out this past Friday and are BEYOND THRILLED with our new home.  I am still grateful for Park Circus, even though it lived up to its name and was managed by clowns.  It taught me so much about the rental market.  I still love its location too, as I'm a city girl and I loved getting there in 20 minutes via foot.  It also showed us Glasgow from the perspective of lovely parks and waterways, and I'll never forget the view of Glasgow Uni from here.  But everything happens for a reason, and we are on our way to better pastures...hopefully.

At this point in time, I've asked for compensation, and the matter seems to be headed straight to the Scottish Letting courts. And just think, now I get to learn about the legal system....lucky me.  But know one thing, I'm totally ready!  The management company keeps sending me veiled threats, but what they don't know, is that is just fueling the fire!  I got this (thank god for my friends here), because with their knowledge and my willingness to fight for fairness - I'm TOTALLY ready!

.........but, as I sit here contemplating all of my travels, I am wholly questioning the cleanliness of all those airbnb's I've stayed in around the world............  ick...........

kitty crocker's cooking korner:

Okay Paul, I hope you don't mind, but we took your white chicken chili and raised it a notch!  I googled a bit and added things like light cream cheese.  Who knew you could add that to chili?  It was so novel, I had to try it.  I started with a whole chicken.  Yup, that's how I'm rolling.  I made it for dinner one night and then boiled the bones the next day to make the stock needed.  Jackson LOVED the baked chicken, so I'll be doing that simple recipe again soon.  I couldn't find great northern beans here (is it a michigan thing?), so I got anything that was white-ish, including chick peas!  The end result was fabulous and the boys loved it!  Ayala Kost, your recipe is up next, but the easy one, not the hard one yet, I need more practice first!  

Coming soon is our new home in Queensborough Gardens.  And with it, Levi's new walk to school which is now only 15 minutes.  

Happy days,

Kitty