I'm taking the opportunity to do a really good spring-clean. Now that the rooms are empty after the EQC'ing, I'm slowly putting everything back and cleaning as I go. I've just washed the inside of the windows, horrified at the streams of grey water coming from them! Don't remember when I last did this; I'm basically a lazy cow. If the room looks tidy, then it's ok. It doesn't need to be clean as well.
I quite like this kind of housework. I know modern women are supposed to despise it, but it's very satisfying to sit back at the end of the day and know that the house is clean and looking it's best. Cleaning up your own messiness is not as bad as cleaning up after someone else either. It's my house and my mess, not the kids' or a slobby partner (and they invariably mess things up again as soon as you've finished). My ex's attitude was that if I wanted a tidy clean house, then I could do the cleaning and tidying. This sounds perfectly fair in theory, but when one person is constantly making work for the other one to do, it is less than considerate. To say the least. I suppose he thought he was doing me some kind of favour, giving me a reason for living, an interesting on-going hobby?
Cleaning house is an important ritual, and many cultures recognise this. The Jews clean house before Passover, getting rid of anything that might be a yeast culture. The Muslims do it at the end of Ramadan, in China everyone gets new clothes and clean new money at New Year, and I guess our spring cleaning traditionally in the Northern hemisphere probably had something to do with Easter and getting rid of the old worn-out life. It's therapeutic; have a good clean and a chuck out.
Come, fill the cup, and in the fire of spring
The winter garment of repentance fling:
The bird of time has but a little way
To fly - and lo! the bird is on the wing.
Edward Fitzgerald "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam"
Go on, fling that winter garment.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Bliss
It's all over. The nice men have finished and cleaned up and gone. They've done a good job and I'm pleased. They fixed my front door, and my doorbell (hasn't worked for ages) and cleaned up well. Now I have the sheer delight of being back in my bedroom, with my books and order and cleanliness. The spare bed is a tiny one, particularly when shared with two cats. I'd have been more comfortable on the couch, except it was up-ended in the conservatory for the duration. I've got to put all things back again, but it's my long weekend so I can do this at my leisure. It will be fun playing house again, doing the spring-cleaning at the same time, washing curtains and cushion covers and duvets. I'm going to reorganize some of my "stuff" - copious numbers of ornaments and things I'm now too old for or have changed my mind about or am just plain sick of.
The neighbours over the back fence have installed a spa-pool. Oh joy. That will be bubbling away at all hours of the day and night, with drunken screams and splashes no doubt. Perhaps they've decided to take up swinging as a hobby, if she can manage to get him away from his precious machinery. Funny thing, they've got four kids, but there's not really anything for them in the garden. Most people have a swing or a trampoline or a tree hut, but not them, it's all very adult. Hopefully the boys have some sort of indoor riot room.
The people over the road are dreadies, worshippers of Bob Marley. I can hear their stereo right now as we speak. There is a new guy there, hope he's not staying long, wears a hoodie and sits in his car with a stubby in hand and the stereo and the car engine running, right outside my bedroom. So fucking annoying. Then he zooms off, only to reappear in a half-hour. I get the feeling he's some sort of delivery service, wouldn't like to say what I think he's delivering. It's not goodwill, that's for sure. They've got about five vehicles there, a large truck, a small truck, a fourwheel drive, a landrover and a car and a horsefloat. Fairly often they move them all around, just for something to do. Two of the vehicles are parked on the street permanently; why do they need them at all?
So here I am, sandwiched between les nouveaux riches with the House-and-Garden Shrew and her spa-pool and the dreaded daksters across the road. What a weird place I live in, the far-out pa it is in very truth. Whatever happened to nice, quiet people?
The neighbours over the back fence have installed a spa-pool. Oh joy. That will be bubbling away at all hours of the day and night, with drunken screams and splashes no doubt. Perhaps they've decided to take up swinging as a hobby, if she can manage to get him away from his precious machinery. Funny thing, they've got four kids, but there's not really anything for them in the garden. Most people have a swing or a trampoline or a tree hut, but not them, it's all very adult. Hopefully the boys have some sort of indoor riot room.
The people over the road are dreadies, worshippers of Bob Marley. I can hear their stereo right now as we speak. There is a new guy there, hope he's not staying long, wears a hoodie and sits in his car with a stubby in hand and the stereo and the car engine running, right outside my bedroom. So fucking annoying. Then he zooms off, only to reappear in a half-hour. I get the feeling he's some sort of delivery service, wouldn't like to say what I think he's delivering. It's not goodwill, that's for sure. They've got about five vehicles there, a large truck, a small truck, a fourwheel drive, a landrover and a car and a horsefloat. Fairly often they move them all around, just for something to do. Two of the vehicles are parked on the street permanently; why do they need them at all?
So here I am, sandwiched between les nouveaux riches with the House-and-Garden Shrew and her spa-pool and the dreaded daksters across the road. What a weird place I live in, the far-out pa it is in very truth. Whatever happened to nice, quiet people?
Monday, August 27, 2012
Sunday, August 26, 2012
A frustrating day ending with a gift.
Day off today, but had the painters were here so I felt like a guest in my own house - you know how you get that feeling they'd rather have you out of the way, so they could do as they please? So I went off to Little River for lunch. Gorgeous day, the air smelled like vanilla from all the plum blossom. Fell asleep in the sun at Halswell Quarry on the way back. Got back and the painter was a bit annoyed; apparently I'd given them the wrong colour name. But after a look at my old colour charts, I am vindicated; can I help it if paint companies use the same name for two different colours over two different years? Of course, his attitude was that I'm a silly little woman who doesn't know her arse from her elbow - don't you HATE that? But I've got the paint chart to prove it. Sometimes it is a good idea to keep things, not throw them out.
They've started on my bedroom, so I'm all squoozed up in the spare room but it's not too bad. Problem is the dust, not just the clean plaster dust but the mouldy crud from the old wallpaper. I can feel my nose blocking up as I write.
My friend Maggie came round this morning, and I was telling her about brave Thom's rat catching exploits. When I came home tonight, guess what? I've been given another rat as a present, laid out in the usual viewing place at the back of the pear tree. Don't know if he gave it to me to cheer me up, or as a thankyou for having extolled his hunting prowess. I like getting rats as long as they're well dead; it means there's one fewer to make more rats. People go on about how terrible cats are for killing the native birds, but if we didn't have cats we'd also be knee deep in vermin, and the rats would be eating the baby birds anyway.
They've started on my bedroom, so I'm all squoozed up in the spare room but it's not too bad. Problem is the dust, not just the clean plaster dust but the mouldy crud from the old wallpaper. I can feel my nose blocking up as I write.
My friend Maggie came round this morning, and I was telling her about brave Thom's rat catching exploits. When I came home tonight, guess what? I've been given another rat as a present, laid out in the usual viewing place at the back of the pear tree. Don't know if he gave it to me to cheer me up, or as a thankyou for having extolled his hunting prowess. I like getting rats as long as they're well dead; it means there's one fewer to make more rats. People go on about how terrible cats are for killing the native birds, but if we didn't have cats we'd also be knee deep in vermin, and the rats would be eating the baby birds anyway.
A few piccys
Beautiful Magnolia 'San Jose' in my garden.
Opening bud in the morning light
And grungy waterstain on leaky ceiling!
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Nice day
Weather-wise anyway. Yesterday was gorgeous, very warm and daffodils all springing about. Busy in the Gardens, lots of people out enjoying the sun. I sat in the Rose Garden before work, basking in the early morning sun. Only spoiled by four weird lone men, one a stoner/street kid who I've seen before who just wanders aimlessly about, another a creepy guy who is a regular (pretends he can't talk and writes his name on things, so we know who he is - a petty criminal with a nasty streak) and two others that I hadn't seen before. There does seem to be more crazies about lately; I guess their usual support networks (family, mainly) are struggling with other problems now and the crazy relative is the straw that breaks the camel's back. The cheaper rentals and hostels have disappeared with the quakes. so there's fewer places to stay when the psychiatric hospital turfs them out at the end of their "treatment".
Work today too. Feel like I need a holiday, perhaps I'll go away for the day tomorrow, seeing as how the painter dudes will be here all day. I don't know how people can stand to have major renovations done, I feel for those who have had to live like this for the last two years, in quake damaged houses and gardens.
Work today too. Feel like I need a holiday, perhaps I'll go away for the day tomorrow, seeing as how the painter dudes will be here all day. I don't know how people can stand to have major renovations done, I feel for those who have had to live like this for the last two years, in quake damaged houses and gardens.
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