I hadn’t done any housework since then either (apart from obvious basic hygiene necessities) and even then it had been downstairs. So when I arrived home, I put a chicken to roast – I’d been planning a casserole but then decided to do a cold meal because I thought they might be tired after their flight and drive from Stansted and want something simple – and then … well, darlings, I had no idea that it was possible to clean this house in two hours. It normally takes about three days, and who has three days to spare on housework? Simpler not to start, then you don’t fail. Admittedly, I didn’t move furniture when I hoovered, I didn’t wash windows or do thorough stuff like that, and I won’t say the house was thoroughly gone through. However, I did clean *in* every single room and if you include hall, landing, cloakroom, passageway and so on, each as separate areas, that makes fifteen of them and I haven’t ever done all that in such a short time, which just shows what tidying up does for you. The Sage and I each have one messy place because – well, we like being untidy.
So I decided not to blog. I got up early yesterday to catch up on computer work, spent a few minutes at a time replying to the most pressing emails as they arrived (life can be simplified with technology, I just did them quickly on phone or pad and they didn’t eat into my time) and wound down at the end of the day with Facebook Scrabble. It doesn’t feel right not to blog most days, but habits are there to be broken after all.
Anyway, the guests – I’d been put in touch with a family in Berlin whose daughter wants to study in England for half a year – this is encouraged in German schools, once the students have taken their GCSE equivalent exams. So she and her father came to meet us, see the school and meet the pupils and teachers. It was the Year 12 induction day yesterday, so she was able to join in with that. She is a delightful girl, we’re still looking for a host family for the period she’s here: of course she can stay with us, but old dears like the Sage and me won’t be much fun for a teenager and it will be far better for her to go to a family with children her own age – and I hope that this will be sorted out soon. But it’s been fun.
I’ve learned more about myself of late. Mainly, and I’ve touched on this before, that the more sociable I am, the happier I am. I still need time by myself, but my natural inclination to solitude makes me too introspective. So it continues to be the social life for me. Plus rising to challenges, and school gives me that. I can’t do the same thing day after day, I love not knowing what’s going to happen week by week.
I’m still lazy though. Now, I’m going to open my post (I’ve been out all morning) which comprises a dividend cheque, the electricity bill and a hand-written envelope in writing I don’t recognise, and then I’ll sit and read the papers. I might even turn on the tennis. I haven’t done that yet this week.
Phew!
I also had a little sleep.
Well done!
Hope you’re well, love x
Priorities. It’s good to have enough demands that you have to set them. For example, I’ve been far too busy writing to think about housework – but that will all change soon.
Well, it takes little more time to clean up a month’s dust than a week’s. Or several months’, come to that.
I’m hugely impressed – in a few weeks we have a large family event and I may have to refer to this post in order to get the house in a fit state to receive them all.