In November 1995 Brenda and Malcolm arranged a weekend break to celebrate their wedding anniversary on 14 November. They had booked a night in a Shropshire farmhouse that boasted a four poster bed which sounded quite romantic. From the time of their arrival they quickly became aware that it was not as idyllic as as it had been portayed. From the outside the farmhouse looked nive but acess was through the farmyard which was awash with slurry from the dairy sheds.

There was a nice welcome from the farmer's wife who showed Malcolm and Brenda to their room which was large and did have the four poster bed as advertised. The floor was uneven and creaky as one might expect in an old building. Unfortunately, the bed was not as glamorous as might have been expected. It looked as if it had been put together with bits of other furniture and proved to be quite uncomfortable.

The night passed and Malcolm and Brenda went down in the morning with the prospect of the advertised farmhouse breakfast. It was served by the farmer and it proved to be another disappointment as it was small in quantity and served on a sideplate.

On their way home, the couple stopped in Shrewsbury where they walked around the town to look at the lovely old buildings. They found a 'smoke free' pub where they took lunch. Another couple in there engaged then in conversation and proved to have a decent sense of humour. The man said to Malcolm that they came from Birmingham. Malcolm replied that he appreciated their apology but there was no need. They got on very well after that.