Organised

I have had the loveliest of lovely days.

I have been reorganising my life.

I dispatched the hangover with some fast-action drugs, washed down with a bucket full of coffee first thing this morning, after which the day was a breeze.

We measured up the camper van wardrobe so that Mark could make a door for it. He has got all of the bits to make a door, except they are in their raw unmodified state at the moment, and one of the bits is a sheet of 8 x 4 board which has got to be taken out of the shed and put somewhere. Given the limited space for putting things Mark decided that he would cut the board into its useful door shape and store it like that.

He has promised to build me some shelves and put a mirror on the inside of the door.

I am very excited about this, not least because that leaves the outside of the door as a big blank space which is just asking to have some pictures painted on it. I have not painted any pictures for ages and would like to have another go, painting is more fun than housework.

Despite it not being much fun, housework was the stuff of the day. We have all been walking farm detritus into the house all week, especially the dogs, who have no idea about wiping their muddy paws, and also Mark, who has been shedding sawdust and brick dust and dusty dust out of every possible fold and crevice of his person.

I had to empty the hoover twice just on the way around the living room.

I washed things in our newly-dodgy washing machine which has got to be filled with the kettle now, and lit some nice-smelling candles. Then I went upstairs to disinfect the children’s bedrooms for their imminent return. Oliver is returning tomorrow, and Lucy the week afterwards, and both of their bedrooms were still sticky from half term.

It is very pleasing to have a bit of your house that is unassailably clean and tidy. The children’s floor is fresh and warm and smells faintly of bathroom cleaner. In this way I know I am a virtuous person.

When I had finished securing my place on the Housewives Roll of Honour I thought I had earned a bit of a break, and so on the pretence of tidying my office I went off to loaf about in front of the computer.

I didn’t just flick to Facebook. Actually I went through my in tray and sorted out some of the things that have needed doing for ages. I signed forms and wrote letters and booked taxi MOT tests, and then I remortgaged the house.

Today it was as simple as that.

After ages and ages of faffing about, today I rang our mortgage company again and they just said something which was financial-speak for: “Yes, cool, whatever.”

They were astonishingly laid back about it. They didn’t even insist that we started paying by direct debit, instead of just paying a bit here and there whenever we feel like it. This is what we always do, because of having an unpredictable income, and in the past mortgage companies have been very unfriendly about it, threatening court action if we don’t do direct debit payments, and so on: but since we have never been behind with the mortgage they have never bothered because of not having a leg to stand on.

In fact during the phone call I discovered to my surprise that we are ahead with the mortgage rather than otherwise.

They agreed to everything, and sent me the paperwork which just had to be signed and uploaded, and that was that.

After that I filled in some paperwork for the Inland Revenue.

I am not allowing myself to hope too much, but it looks as if they might owe us some money.

My goodness, what a happy feeling that is.

I love being organised.

It has unexpected bonuses.

The picture is the outcome of Mark’s day. It is the final departure of the donor taxi and all of his scrap metal. In the end there were three cars and a full skip.

The chap said that when he had sorted it all out he would put some cash in our bank as well.

Life is brilliant.