A Day of Cleaning

We seem to be hurtling towards Christmas and we still have visitors coming!  At the weekend our regular annual and sometimes bi-annual visitors Jane and John arrive.  They are only here for two weeks and the day after they return my sister arrives.  We will be ready - we always are - we adopt the 'what we haven't got we won't miss' attitude but where I thought I was ahead of the game I am now feeling more doubtful.

I want to do a big clean and tidy and cull before visitors but we have a busy week ahead of us.  I have made small inroads to this, not that you would notice much as I seem to have moved things around rather than got rid.  

I want to get the winter curtains for the conservatory up - the evenings are getting mighty chilly and that room gets freezing.  The rugs will be out soon too - I just need to give the floor a right good clean.

The microwave was getting a clean today after Mum had been for lunch.  I was using the pack of Elbow Grease oven cleaner that was a gift from my lovely neighbour Jan!  I am super excited because these things have been missing from the island for months. 

Mum arrived safe and sound although looked like an international woman of mystery as she was sporting her visor and a face mask - I realised that she had been to the dermatologist this week to have more of her 'sun damage' zapped  - I have to say it doesn't look good whilst it is healing but afterwards she is left with lovely smooth fresh new skin.

She ate a really good meal today - we had slow cooked shin of beef with mustard mash and vegetables and she ate almost as much as me and then a whole pear. sultana, caramel toffee crumble swimming in cream.  She looked to have really enjoyed it which is good.

Mum left at around 3.30pm.  She acknowledges that the sun is now lower in the sky which can be awkward and it gets dark really early now so once she had gone it gave me an hour or so to do some bits in the garden.  I have taken some cuttings of my hydrangea and am delighted to see that they have begun to sprout - as you can see I have had one failure but the remaining three seem quite strong.  I plan an hour or so on Wednesday morning to get more of the Wysteria leaves cut back as it is beginning to make a mess.

I have also planned a trip to the garden centre on Thursday and I know my neighbour Gail needs to go to get some fleece to protect a tree which she has out the front of the house.  I shall throw an invitation of to the Ladies of Lordos 1 to see if anyone else wants to join us.

We had a lovely quiet evening watching the last remaining episodes of House of the Dragon which we have really enjoyed.  Up early tomorrow as walking with Nicky.