09 August 2005

Oh Dear

I've done it again.

You know those hot summer days when the house is acting like some noxious greenhouse? The washing up is covering the kitchen top, hardening away and giving off eau-de cold whatever it was you ate last night - curry, or fish, or chinese? The morning after a couple of lovely bottles of red, when you felt so relaxed about doing it all in the morning, but now realise you need a gas mask just to get in the kitchen?

The pet(s) are generally wandering around giving off pet hair and pet smell to the rest of the place, that hangs round them in the kind of musty way that makes you start to wonder if you can see auras, and the laundry basket is exhibiting endothermic properties. Yuck.

You look at it all, and inwardly, you sag. Still, its an empty day so you decide to say 'sod the lot of it', settle for opening a few windows, and go instead to have a super-long hot bath and a total preen before making a start.

Thats what I do, anyhow. I just can't find the energy to blitz, if I feel grubby myself.

To get to the point (which is something I confess I often have problems with), it is only ever on one of those rare and foul days, when I am padding round the house wrapped in an old bath towel, face plastered in some new face pack - for preference bright blue and starting to crack - that the doorbell rings.


The caller is never just anyone, like a salesman you can shoo away through the letterbox, but someone new and wonderful and likeable, that's just moved in. Someone you've spoken to a couple of times and now remember you told to 'drop by anytime' never really thinking they would find you that interesting.

I always always find myself having to open the door to prove why I cant ask them in, and then they go and say something cheerful like "Oh I don't mind!" and walk in anyhow!

So, The kids are on school holidays and my recent posts have been about other, more wonderful bloggers, or shock-horror snippets in the news with a couple of late light alcohol fuelled poetic attempts in the middle. And then............... and then Michelle, the most prolific, creative, lighthearted blogger with a readership to envy and a long list of funny friends, has gone and named my site, site of the day. I feel very proud and very unprepared.

So here I am, almost awake and slightly hung over, in my towel. I love old towels - they can be boil washed to make them wonderfully scratchy and invigorating. I like my blue face mask, it says it takes years off you, and like owning a lottery ticket, until the grand draw, I am having fun living in hope.

Just excuse me while I wash my face and get dressed - I'd offer you a cuppa, but not until I know for sure that little blue flakes won't drop into it. Nonetheless, whilst I scrabble off to get 'decent' - welcome!

You might want to sit near a window.

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, Michele sent me.....

I will visit again.

I can't believe the water story...Well, I can, I just don't want too.....

Anonymous said...

So funny ...

Actually I take great joy in opening the door wrapped in a towel and face mask - the look on their faces is usually totally hilarious.

As for the housework ... since my eldest son left home last weekend I can't beleive just how little there is to do .. did he really make all that mess all by himself?

I'm not complaining I love the lack of mess but I do miss his prescence around the house.

Anonymous said...

good morning! happy tuesday! Michele sent me :)

Michelle said...

hello, Michele sent me. this is a great blog! congratulations on being site of the day.

Shannin said...

Hi, Michele sent me!
I was in your position last weekend. Why, oh why do I think that washing dishes in the morning is going to be any better than doing them that night?
Great blog...I often dream my house is clean, and always wake up disappointed...

Carl V. Anderson said...

Hello, I'm here by way of Michele. Lovely and very relatable post! The pictures are great...my wife and I have gotten cards for people with the "I dreamed my whole house was clean" image on it.

And yes, men hate doctors...but not entirely for the reasons of poor padlock man!

Kim said...

Hello! Congrats on being Michele's site of the day!

Cheryl said...

I have to say what a lovely day I have had so far, tracking back to see who was kind enough to comment - brilliant blogs!

I hope visited everybody - if not kick me, I'd be sorry to miss out.

Babette said...

Cheryl--Riotous! Michele (the honor!) didn't send me. I came, as always, via Doris. "Sod the lot of it!"--wish I'd adopted that before packing for our vacation!

Doris said...

Oh wowee :-) My blog mentor is Michele's Site of the Day - hooray and well deserved. I'll bring some Galaxy cake bars and some nice biscuits :-)

Cheryl said...

Bonnie - poor you. I don't do holidays - they are a week or so of having to be creative on a budget, surrounded twice as much time before and after, tidying up and doing laundry - at least they are if you have my family.

Doris - shame on you! False modesty becomes you not - ok I talked you into this blogging lark, but you came, you saw, you superceded; and good for you!

Doris said...

Once a mentor - always a mentor! And you can say how well you did giving me that leggy-up. If the hat fits you gotta wear it ;-)

guppyman said...

I don't mind the towel... ear it or not... ;) Great place you have here....

Michele says hello!

Thumper said...

:::waves enthusiastically:::
Hi, Michele sent me. I can totally relate to that feeling...cause my house is often like that and I don't want ANYONE seeing it. I blame the cats. It's the cats that leave stuff on the counters and floors. Really.

trusty getto said...

Hello, Michelle sent me. You have quite a cool blog, and your manners match, I must says. Cheers!

Unknown said...

Hello, Michele sent me!

I enjoyed reading your blog!

Anonymous said...

I've enjoyed my time here...from Michele's, but I'll be back to read some more!

Anonymous said...

Hi, Michele sent me and what a great welcome!!

paula said...

Hello, Michele sent me~ she said you wouldn't mind another visitor so here I am! :)

Steve said...

Hya Michelle didnt send me, I am mad enough to come here every day on my own ;)
Congrats on being Michelles blog of the day,its well deserved xx

Shannon akaMonty said...

I have a list of excuses by the front door...and always leave the chain on. :)

Hello, Michele sent me! :D

srp said...

Hello, Michele sent me.
If someone visits it is for my parents or my daughter. Such is the life. It's ok. Love your blog.

fineartist said...

Love to clean--ya, I'm a sicko like that--loathe to cook.

So I would whisk right in while you went of to dress and scrub those dishes up, then we could visit.

fineartist said...

oops----while you went OFF to dress. Muff up number thirty-six today....and it's early.

Mamacita (The REAL one) said...

Michele sent me and I'm SO glad she did. What a great blog!

Beanhead said...

Hi Michele sent me.

Love the blog and I love my big fluffly towel and green face mask.

Anonymous said...

Hi. Michele sent me. I have to admit to the cold dishes thing once too often and I don't have a bottle of red to blame it on!

Anonymous said...

Michele sent me (it's still the ninth in my timezone), and wow, glad she did. That click you just heard? It wasn't resettling dishes or a failed doorbell, it was me adding you to MY blogroll.

Cheryl said...

Oops yes, they are sold online by Allposters.com, if yours has gone the way of odd socks.

I don't think they own copyright on the pictures - there are no warning signs the site that I can see, but the least I can do is plug them!

Michele said...

Stopping by to say hello....

Guess who sent me! (wink) Thank you so much Cheryl for the very kind words. I am so very glad that you enjoyed the few extra visitors AND they are a WISE group....so I am quite certain a few of them will be back. How could they not? They are wise and you have a GREAT blog!

Have a glorious day.

Ms Mac said...

A very nice analogy!

Well done!

ella m. said...

I purposely moved into a building you have to be buzzed into(with attached intercom system) just to avoid this. If anyone interrupts my time in hace mask and feather fluff high heel slippers I will most likely throw the nearest heavy object at them, thus resulting in their injury and my jail sentence, neither of which is at all necessary. :)