I’ve shampooed the carpet today, which was a dull and strenuous job. I’ll go over any parts that I didn’t do well enough and do the passageway tomorrow. I had to check online how to work the machine – it was easy enough, in fact, but I wasn’t sure where to put the water as there are two compartments, for clean and for used, dirty water.

The reason for it is that Wink only wants one of her sofas. She’s only had them a shortish time and, whilst there’s room for both of them, she’d rather have the flexibility of armchairs. So I’ve swapped two wing armchairs for her spare sofa. We’d meant to buy a new one a few years ago, but unfortunately the only one we found that we liked was from Multiyork, about a fortnight before they went bust. We wished we’d ordered it as they did fulfil orders. Anyway, whilst this wouldn’t have been our absolute choice, it’s very comfortable and it’ll be fine. If ever we find something we like better, we can always change it. But I don’t suppose I’ll want to move all the furniture to wash the carpet for a while to come.

I’m still going to have to take at least one chair out of the drawing room, though. That’s quite easy – my mother bought a recliner, which is not at all attractive but is extremely comfortable and it was useful when I had my hip done because the only other chair at the right height was one I gave to Wink when she had her hip done. Rather than bring it back, I just used the one I had and I’ve never moved it out. I also have a very handsome Georgian wing armchair and I’d been going to move that back to the dining room, but Tim thinks it would be daft to move such a lovely piece of furniture to somewhere where it won’t be noticed. So some other juggling will be required. At least my big television won’t have to be accommodated any more, because I’ve swapped that for Wink’s little portable, which can go anywhere. We watch tv so little that it’s hardly worth having a big one – though Tim and I both watched High Society last night, 160 miles from each other. Togetherness, after all.

Tomorrow, I must buy chicken feed. I’d been going to fetch some yesterday, after Wince helped me unload the car. Unfortunately, because rain was forecast, he didn’t come. So I trailed back and forwards with heavy boxes for an hour and then decided against fetching 20 kilo bags of food. But the 30+ chickens go through an awful lot of it. I really must rehome some of them.