playing house




With Richard and three quarters of the children gone for the week, I all of a sudden had so much time that I was wondering if the days got longer and nobody had told me*. It wouldn't surprise me, I have not watched the news in weeks!

In between working or playing with fabrics or watching Netflix, I have been blitzing parts of the house. There are so many things that need attention and never get it. Whilst I don't exactly love tidying and cleaning, I enjoy the results and to some extent, I enjoyed the process of working my magic.

First I got to work on some of the upholstered pieces of furniture. Seat and armrests of the older of my two sun yellow armchairs had taken on a hue of French mustard gone bad. I have been trying really hard not to notice but both chair and its footstool were in dire need of a scrub. The footstool was also one of Jack's favourite chewy targets when he was a puppy (he is nearly three), the fabric in a bottom corner was torn. I found some upholstery cleaner and went down to business. I lost interest very quickly but I didn't fancy a 'before and after' effect on one single item. What a difference a bit of elbow grease can make. I also mended the tear in the stool but will have to get a fabric sample to patch it up better. Did you know you can get fabric samples at Ikea?

Next I tended to our neglected rugs. We don't have many but all were in need of a good clean. I considered renting one of those rug doctor machines but didn't fancy carrying it home on my bike. So I went down on my knees and did a bit more scrubbing, giving our living room rug my full attention. The  rug under the dining room table also got some attention but less as it is newer. Again, the difference was amazing. The colours are so much more intense, almost like new. I also trimmed the threads from the underside of the rug in the one corner that Jack chewed up back when he was still a naughty pup.

I washed bedding, wooly winter jumpers, sleeping bags and picnic blankets because they needed it.

I attempted to do some gardening, just weeding and pulling up plants that mysteriously died. Our garden is on a steep hill, which the previous owners had terraced. This makes tending to my flower boarders quite convenient because it is gentle on old joints and bones, no kneeling down. I gave up sooner than I wanted to because I managed to disturb an ant colony in the sage pot. They were irascible ants, I barely touched the pot but they went to full assault mode, two million ants in my cleavage (I was reaching over the pot to pull some weeds). It was a painful experience I do not wish to repeat anytime soon. I guess there are disadvantages to terraced flower boarders.

I sorted my fabric stash (but you know that already)

And finally, I de-haired the living room. There was enough animal hairs in there to stuff a cushion. I sometimes wish we had opted for non-shedding pet varieties. Tortoises maybe.

If it wasn't for ironing my fabric stash, I might have tackled the insides of our kitchen cupboards.

When the crew got back, things very quickly deteriorated and of course nobody noticed the sparkling rugs. Ah well.

Disclaimer: at the off chance that you think I am a perfect homemaker, I am not. I did not use more than 30 minutes of my precious 'holiday' time for each of the above. There was of course less of the usual large family associated mess as there were just two people in the house.

Anyway, not the most exhilarating of posts, I know. It is good however to remind myself of the minutiae of life, otherwise (in the distant future) I might delude myself into thinking that my life was a succession of holidays and making beautiful things.

Thanks for stopping by and saying hello. x

*I read a book once where the rotation of the earth suddenly slowed down, resulting in a change of day and night length. It was quite frankly, a terrifying thought project.


Comments

  1. Yes! My favorite kind of day. I had a whole day at home yesterday for the first time in almost three weeks and I got SO MUCH done!

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  2. I love the picture at the top! Nice upholstery work, Mac did a patch by slicing off a piece of fabric from where it doesn't show and glueing it on the front of our couch. Cat damage, but not from Miss Kitty.
    If I clean for more than a half hour I not only get tired I get bored, I'm easily distracted.

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  3. Sounds like a good day to me, lots achieved. Love the colour of the chair, beautiful.

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  4. Sounds like you have had a little taste of retirement. Having time to do those jobs, but normally don't have time for. Love the yellow chairs, very cheery. The family won't recognise the house on their return :). B x

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  5. Amazing how much you can get done with fewer children around isn't it. And how the whole effect vanishes within thirty minutes of their arrival home. We know it's been done though. I am hanging on in there for the day when the puppy stops chewing things. No landline downstairs at the moment which I am blaming him for. In fact I can hear him chewing something as I type... CJ xx

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  6. It doesn't happen often but once in a blue moon when I have the house to myself I find it quite satisfying to have a thorough clean and tidy. But it really doesn't happen often. I'm still squirming at the thought of ants in your cleavage!

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  7. LOVE that chair. Isn't it funny when children and their father go missing how much slower the days seem to dawdle by. So glad your cleaning frenzy didn't take too long as there are so many other more enjoyable tasks to enjoy.........! About the tortoise, not really sure as they do tend to pong a little.

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  8. I'm very impressed with your industry! It's really hot here so we're just trying to stay cool. Our dining room rug is in need of some serious scrubbing, too. Have a super week. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  9. It is lovely to get these things done isn't it!

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  10. Ants in your cleavage! Oooh, if ever you need an excuse to stop gardening, that's it. A little bit of scrubbing can make a huge difference, but unfortunately it gets dirty again too quickly. Love that yellow armchair.

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  11. I love getting those niggly jobs done that have been hanging around waiting for attention for a while, it's always so much easier to knuckle down when the family are out of the house and I feel much better when everything's been tackled. Awww, I love that first photo, a boy and his dog.

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  12. You got loads done and I bet you feel better for it. I often think I will tackle all the little jobs once I am off then get distracted with sewing and making more mess. xx

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  13. I'm back from holiday and doing this kind of tidying/cleaning too. I sorted my wardrobe yesterday. Very satisfying but also rather dull.

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