Oops sorry

Apologies blogfans.

Have been absent with some quite olympian domestic stuff for which there is no medal though people often tell me I deserve one (I notice Boris scored a hat-trick, though!). Enough of the self-pity, already!

In my absence I have been tagged with a meme by Kerry McCarthy MP. Thanks, Kezza.

I have to recount what I was doing at five key historical moments and then I have to oblige five lucky recipients to do the same. Its a bit like a chain letter but without the nasty consequences like your arms dropping off or your turning into a Tory. Answers forthcoming...

In the meantime, I don't know where I found the cartoon above nor the observations below but aye, say I, to this (my domestic arrangements are slightly different but the sentiments and problems with calling in repairmen remains the same):

I hate housework!

And the housework I hate the most is washing dishes. I don't currently own an automatic dishwasher, and there have been many times when I didn't wash dishes until I didn't have any more clean ones. They just pile up on the kitchen sink until I finally decide I can't avoid them any longer. I do rinse them pretty well before I ignore them, so it's not like there's mold overtaking my kitchen. (Although, if there was, I still might be inclined to ignore it until I needed a chisel to remove it.)

I hate all kinds of housework. In spite of the fact that I just recently bought a fancy, new, bagless vacuum cleaner, I don't have dust bunnies -- I have dust beasts. Occasionally one of the cats will mistake one for a cat toy, they get so big. Like with the dishes, I only clean house when I can no longer avoid it. Sometimes it takes a plumbing problem, or a problem with the air conditioner. Whenever I need a repair person, I have to clean up before they come. I've postponed repairs several times until I could get the dishes done, the carpet vacuumed, and the bathroom tidied up. I both dread and, at the same time, look forward to visits from relatives, because I know I'm going to have to get the house extremely clean before their visit.

I don't think my being a rotten housekeeper is a problem, since I live alone. Whenever I lived with someone, I cleaned up after myself appropriately. I was very considerate. But the cats and dogs just don't care too much about how the house looks. In fact, the youngest - a kitten named Gracie - seems to have much more fun when the floor is covered with little bits of trash!

I keep trying things that I think might make housekeeping easier. About a month ago I bought some of those new, brand-name, disposable dusters. I still have them. I haven't gotten around to dusting lately, so I haven't tried them out. I think the only thing that will really make housekeeping easier is a maid. One day I'll be able to afford one. In the meantime, don't ever show up without calling first.