Friday, May 03, 2013

It’s off to work we go

Yes, I know that in the UK it’s a Bank Holiday weekend, but I have to grab my opportunities when I can. J Yesterday evening DH left for a three-day visit to his mother and this morning I leapt into action. Just as spring has been much delayed this year, so has my spring-cleaning. Normally I get down to it in February, when DH and his brothers have a family get-together, but this year the weather was so cold and miserable when he was away that I simply couldn't motivate myself to leave the fireside and venture into the chillier regions of our rambling house.

But now the sun is making intermittent appearances and the temperatures are solidly in double figures, I have no excuse. So it’s down to work and out with the cleaning equipment while I have the house to myself with no interruptions. Today I had a practice run in my own study and am in fighting form for tackling the obstacle course that is DH’s office, before moving on to the rest of the house.  

Memo to self – don’t forget to clean beneath the fridge….


48 comments:

  1. Hari Om
    COL!!! But Perpetua-ji - if you find a baseball bat under there I'll have to reassess my opinion of you 8-O

    It's the best feeling, that major clean of the season - I wish you strength and extra hours; 'cos I KNOW there will be some nostalgia appear as you get going, even if it is just last Christmas' cards waiting to be sorted...

    Am gonna have to subscribe to Simon's Cat. It's 'cackle out loud' worthy. Hugs, YAM xx

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    1. Thankfully our fridge is too low for anything too big to roll underneath, Yam. :-) As for the Christmas cards, I went through the last of them this morning, checking off the list, and they are now safely in the paper recycling bag. I'm learning to harden my heart against keeping too much ephemeral material, otherwise I would drown in it.

      Simon's Cat is marvellous and I laugh out loud every time.

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  2. Perpetua, you're making me feel guilty. Though in February I decorated two bedrooms, bought paint and stuff for the stairs and landing and then the sun shone weakly and I've been pottering so to speak, ever since - remainder of dust will have to wait until a rainy day. It is a nice virtuous feeling when it gets done, I agree.

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    1. Perish the thought, Molly! You were productive with decorating materials in February, whilst I just hibernated, so now it's my turn to be busy. It's so much colder today that I'm not tempted to be outside and I simply HAVE to take advantage of having the house to myself. Your day will come.... :-)

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  3. I really sympathise Perpetua - I managed to summon the energy to spring clean the house last month but getting myself motivated takes longer each year. Just think of the great feeling when the task is finished.

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    1. Well done, Rosemary. It feels so good when everything is tidy and clean. I should have done it while we were snowed-in, but just couldn't get myself motivated. I needed the spring this year to get me spring-cleaning. :-)

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  4. Don't bother to clean under the fridge Perpetua, just get yourself a cat.

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    1. That made me laugh, Ray. I'd love to have a cat again, but sadly they don't travel well. When we finally settle down, I shall be a mad old woman with cats....

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  5. I think all the cleaning for spring is either on my to do, or my didn't do lists. :) I'm afraid to look under my fridge. I need Simon's cat.

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    1. Oh, I know that feeling, Bonnie, but at least you have a really good excuse for not having done it, unlike me. I could do with Simon's cat's help in a few awkward places. :-)

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  6. I reckon that the Dweller Under the Sink from the Moomintrolls would not care to be dsturbed...that's my excuse and I stick to it.

    Except that my husband was looking for his satchel today and unearthed a whole Hammer House of Horrors of dustballs....so tomorrow it will be dusters at dawn.

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    1. DD would love that reference, Helen, as she was a Moomintroll fan. :-) The only dweller under our sink is the occasional field mouse taking refuge from the weather outside.

      I'm gearing up to do battle with dustballs and other detritus under DH's desk. He has so much stuff in his office that all I can do is clean up and re-stack it tidily....

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  7. Spring cleaning will have to wait until The Great Dane leaves for Denmark. Til then, dust reigns and I will keep the lights dime. I will have two weeks to take things apart and put them back together again. I am just not able to do it properly while he's here. I envy you your clean surroundings, but will hold onto the thought of what will soon happen here.

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    1. I've been doing the dim lights bit for months now, which is why I'm so glad this visit has come up. Unfortunately it's only for three days which just isn't enough to get through the whole house. I really envy your your fortnight of opportunity while The Great Dane is away. I could do everything!

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  8. Good for you for jumping in and embracing the idea of spring cleaning. I have a lot of chores left undone, and you've certainly reminded me that using weather as an excuse isn't going to ring true from my little corner of the world. I'm almost embarrassed! LOL! Won't DH be surprised to come home and find you've been so busy! How nice, Perpetua! Debra

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    1. But of course you can use your weather as an excuse, Debra. Just claim it's too hot to clean the house. :-) I find it much easier to do heavy work when it's cool as the exercise warms me up. In hot weather I'd melt! Mind you, the strong Californian sunlight which make your photos so wonderful must show up every speck of dust. :-)) I think DH is getting used to my springing into action as soon as he goes away.....

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  9. I hate housework, but I also hate a dirty, untidy house, so it has to be done...not particularly well, but enough to satisfy me.Since the other half went away on Wednesday, I have moved bedroom furniture and got rid of the dust that lay beneath, and also sorted and tidied drawers and cupboards, in spite of a flu bug. It's amazing how little housework I need to do when my husband is away...just the way I like it.

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    1. I've always envied your willingness to tackle the heavy cleaning, Ayak. Your energy is amazing! Once I get started I quite enjoy it and love the results, but sadly I'm too easily distracted by more enjoyable activities and too hampered by DH saying "Don't touch that!" to do as much as I should when he's at home and that's all but a few days a year....

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  10. The cat video was so funny! It was a bit like that when one of Lulu's toys went under the sofa!
    A weekend of cleaning can be quite therapeutic - although not as therapeutic as putting your feet up with a good book, a cup of tea and a nice slice of chocolate cake!

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    1. Simon's Cat is truly wonderful and there's lots more on YouTube if you want to explore.

      Just wait until you've retired. You'll find that it's far too easy to while away a LOT of time with the aforesaid tea, cake and good book and increasingly hard to motivate yourself to get the cleaning done. :-)

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  11. All power to your elbow. Whilst I had hoped we wouldn't need spring cleaning this year - having moved in to a new house at the end of March - my mum is due to visit next week and I think I shall have to inspect all corners. (She won't notice but it's my guilt from being a scruffy teenager!)
    Love Simon's Cat! So very funny.
    Axxx

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    1. Thanks, I need that power, Annie, as I find I flag rather more quickly nowadays. Sigh.... Good luck with your house inspection prior to your mum's visit. I know just what you mean as I too always felt the need to give everything a good clean before my mother came to visit. :-) She will love your gorgeous new house and you'll have a wonderful time.

      As for Simon's Cat, there seems to be a cartoon to fit every situation. :-)

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  12. Good luck with all that, Big Sis. You may have whittled off a couple of punds by the end of all that!

    Since The Husband retired and we moved to the smaller of our two houses, selling the other one back in Herts, we have finally done the upgrade to the kitchen we had longed planned and also fitted proper bedroom furniture with ample storage for our clothes and footwear (well, ample If I do not collect and hoard) meaning that the Welsh house is now pretty much JUST as we want it. And we are both at home ot enjoy it, and both at hoome to muddle and mess it up..

    SO we have agreed to divide and conquer when it comes to tidying and cleaning. The Husband does the eat-in kitchen, and I am responsible for the sitting room. I do our bedroom and the bathroom and loo, and he does the guest bedroom and his little study. Of course, our house is dimity and ultra-modern next to your rambling ancient farmhouse, so an hour or so a week each is all it takes to keep our halves clean, the rest of it is trying not to let it get too chaotic in the first place.

    If only I could get The Dog to wipe his feet...

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    1. Oh it won't be finished by the time he gets back, but I'm hoping running up and down the stairs so much will tone a few flabby muscles.

      Your kitchen and bathroom upgradings have turned out wonderfully well and your division of labour sounds very sensible. Sadly DH and I have fallen into bad ways since we finally retired back here six years ago and we're far too preoccupied with our other activities to be as systematic as you about the chores. However, with my first cataract op coming up before long, I really do need to get things clean and tidy, otherwise I'll end up tripping over something while I can't see properly. :-)

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    2. The Herts House, with its four double bedrooms, extra reception rooms and much bigger gardens, used to get on top of me at times and depress me somewhat, so I have sworn to myself not to let it happen again now we are comfortably settled in the smaller of the two houses.

      It helps only to be responsible for half and to have it ordained in writ WHICH half. Since we divvied it up it has been much easier.

      Don't forget we have offered to come and move the dust around while you are "laid up badly"!

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    3. I don't think that would work chez Perpetua, Baby Sis. DH is great at so many chores, but sorting and tidying tend only to be done when I stand over him with a cattle prod. :-)

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    4. Who said I didn't have a cattle prod?

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    5. Ooo, are they legal? :-))

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  13. You're very brave. I took the bull by the horms today too, and tried to empty some of the garage. It's mission impossible; I couldn't bring myself to throw many things away, kept going gooey-eyed over stuff the kids made in infant school, and ended up putting most of it back again. The few things I decided to chuck were retrieved by a contrite PF. Arrrgggh!

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    1. Oh, I'm not brave enough to throw anything away that's not mine, MM! Perish the thought. :-) DH would react in exactly the same way as PF, I'm afraid. I will eventually get him to dispose of some things with much persuasion, but all I've done today is sort and tidy so that I could actually get round his room and clean it.

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  14. Spring cleaning ...mmmm...it's now too hot here for that. I'll wait for autumn.

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    1. Oh, to be able to use that excuse for not spring-cleaning! I daren't leave it until autumn or I might never do it at all. :-)

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  15. Spring cleaning.....ummmm...yes I vaguely seem to remember hearing that word in a dim distant past ;-)
    Have got as far as doing all the windows so suddenly the light is better, Sadly an unfortunate side effect is of course the cobbly webs which are suddenly evident amonst the beams..... sigh!

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    1. LOL, Antoinette. :-) There's no way I can do more than a fraction of this house in three days, but at least I've made a start. Don't mention window-cleaning! We have so many windows here that I have to spread that job out over days or my right arm will fall off. :-)

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  16. Just think: if you lived in Argyll you could tell yourself it's still winter and ignore the stour! (5ºC this afternoon ...)

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    1. Brrr! That's much too cold for May! I do hope things improve for you. Having just Googled stour, I can tell you I daren't ignore it any longer....

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  17. You've inspired me to roll back my own sleeves and do a bit of a much needed dust-up and throw-out here, Perpetua. I've actually been filling bags of "stuff" for charity give-aways, but, the windows need sparkling, the upper regions of bookshelves need dusting, and then there is whatever there is under the refrigerator. Thanks for another good Simon.

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    1. Glad to have set a good example, Penny. :-) I've sorted a fair bit of my own stuff, but will need to stand over DH to do his when he gets home. These days I have to do everything in easy stages. No more whirling at high speed through the house like I used to do.....

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  18. I just love that Simon's cat - thanks for another good episode, which reminds me of the time we moved house; the new owner was already moving in as we moved out, and was standing nearby when our removalist shifted our fridge. What Lay Beneath was pretty much what was found by Simon's cat. Including the mouse. Dead....
    Been too hot here to Spring clean for the past 8 months. Maybe I'll try Autumn clean.

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    1. It's positively shaming when that happens, but how many of us ever move our fridges? We all need Simon's cat! :-)

      Your hot and often humid climate must make vigorous exercise like house-cleaning very unappealing. I don't have that excuse - just laziness and nicer things to do. Today is glorious, so I'll probably work in the garden instead.

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  19. I need to spring clean my wardrobe and face the fact that I will never again get into some of the clothes in there...

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    1. Good luck with that. I haven't even thought about inside the wardrobe - too busy cleaning and tidying what's on view. :-) I did the big clear-out when I retired 6 years ago, but it probably needs doing again.....

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  20. I did some of this last month. Unfortunately, I didn't wait until my husband was out of town. He objected to anything but cleaning. Getting rid of the unnecessaries wasn't on his list.

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    1. It sounds like your husband and mine were cut from the same cloth. :-) Now he's home again, the spring-cleaning process has slowed down considerably.....

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  21. Dear Perpetua, Simon's cat would find a treasure trove beneath my refrigerator also. Thus far, the three cats with whom I live haven't shown much interest in that space, but they do paw beneath the doors to the alcove which the washer and dryer call home. Like you, I need to do some spring cleaning but the days have been so overcast here and chilly and rainy that mostly I just keep layering on clothes and reading. So I wish you luck with your venture! Peace.

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    1. Dee, it sounds like your miserable weather has put you off spring-cleaning as thoroughly as ours did to me. Here's hoping yours improves very soon. Here it's been warmer and brighter recently and I got quite a lot done while DH was away, though there's still more to do. I need a Simon's cat or two to stop me having to reach under things all the time. :-)

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  22. I wish we had Simon's cat Perpetua. With Oscar, (now a very senior cat having had his 16th birthday in March), if a cat treat goes under the fridge or the settee, he just looks at us pathetically until we move the item of furniture & rescue his treat :-)

    Sybille's favourite saying is that, 'she sweeps the room with a glance!' But having visitors is what usually drives us into a major cleaning session. We divide responsibilities - I vacuum & dust whilst Sybille cleans both bathrooms & mops the tiled floors.

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    1. Oh, poor Oscar! It must be rather frustrating for a formerly active cat to be so limited in what he can do nowadays, Ricky. I could do with a Simon's cat myself, as I find kneeling to clean under things really hard now, though I can still bend with the best of them. :-)

      Sweeping rooms with a glance is much the best idea! We're hoping to have visitors at the end of the month, hence the need to get on with the major cleaning in what is rather a big house.

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