I live in a teeny-tiny old cottage with a tall teenager, a small kitten and around 25 spiders.
Not as pets or anything, they just hang around in gangs in dark corners and chuck their webs everywhere. Normally I’m quite happy to lie on my sofa, dazed with MS fatigue, tracking their progress across the ceiling and back (I’m in awe of their bustling energy).
There was a huge one in the bathroom for months who became such a fixture I’d nod and say, ‘Morning, Kevin’ every day; when The Teenager finally cottoned on, Kevin mysteriously disappeared.
Anyway, we’ve had an obscene amount of sunshine these last couple of weeks which has showed up my general lapse in housekeeping in all it’s glory ( I blame all the essays I’m writing at the moment …). Coupled with a go-faster kitten who tears around the house at top speed all day, leaving chaos wherever she goes, our house is in desperate need of a little Spring Cleaning TLC.
So today I put my plan into action. It’s simple: do only what is Absolutely Necessary. I dug out my feather duster, stumbled after the kitten who lunged for it and ran away, knocked my knee against the bannister and sat down for a nice cup of tea and a slice of Battenburg.
Suitably recovered, I knew the bath non-slip thingie needed cleaning so I filled the bath with cold water, sloshed a bit of bleach in it and left it to marinade for a couple of hours. Simple.
I flicked the duster around the whole house, chased by the pesky kitten and numerous spiders. I used a tumble-dryer sheet (cheating, but it works) to dust the books and ornaments and straightened rugs and cushions. Then I stopped for an espresso and another slice of cake.
Ok, next thing. Tidied my desk. Re-arranged my Sharpies. Shuffled a few piles of papers. Done.
Got the cordless vacuum out – bought after endless bouts of tripping over the cord of my old one. Shoved it round a little, battery ran out, put it on to re-charge. Sit down.
Give up.
It’s fine. I’ve fitted low-wattage bulbs to ensure I see less dust. We’re definitely going to rock the boho-chic-tiny-cottage look for a little while longer. If I have the energy, I’ll fluff the duvets. Making sure the kitten isn’t nestling in the middle of it first, chewing on my feather duster.