Mark and Oliver buzzed off back to work this morning, leaving me with a long-overdue opportunity for a clear up.
This was quite important, because there was all of the tile-installation debris to be removed.
Despite our tilers’ making every attempt to clear up after themselves, yesterday’s activities had still left the carpets feeling distinctly crunchy underfoot, and small remnants of peacock were liberally distributed all over every surface. In addition to this less than happy situation, I had some preparation to do. Our new washing machine arrives tomorrow, and a welcoming space needed to be cleared in its new Forever Home.
It is going to go in the conservatory. I am aware that this is mildly unusual, however it is just about the only available space in the whole house. This is because we have not had a conservatory for very long, and hence have not yet had time to fill it up with other clutter, although a washing machine will probably fix that fairly thoroughly. It could go in the new living room, but only if we took away an armchair, or alternatively it could go in Oliver’s bedroom next to his drum kit.
I have not even bothered to ask him how he might feel about this.
There is nowhere else in our enormously crowded house where we might put a new washing machine, and not actually have to climb over it to reach other things.
I suppose we could install one in the hallway, and add a couple of stepladders. This would have the advantage of helping us all to get a bit fitter, especially when we were carrying the shopping.
Anyway, it is going to live in the conservatory, and we left out a flower bed on purpose to accommodate it.
I was a bit half-hearted about this. I would have liked another flower bed.
Actually that isn’t really true. The flower bed that I have got is so over-run that I am feeling a bit dubious about it at the moment. It is absolutely overcrowded with plant life that has defiantly exceeded its remit. The dwarf dahlias that I planted to be a bit of colourful ground cover have now grown to be over four feet tall. The sweet peas are a riotous tangle, climbing over everything like a tiresome three-year old in a smart restaurant, and the tomato plants are, quite simply, ten foot tall horticultural thugs.
I need to uproot some of it and give a bit more encouragement to the bananas and the lemon tree, but I am a bit reluctant. They seem to be determinedly holding their own, and the rest of it does look so splendid.
I don’t quite know what has happened to our domestic agriculture this year, maybe there was something exciting in the farm muck. Even the mint in the front garden is as tall as I am. The whole lot needs some serious attention, preferably with some shears and a strimmer.
Maybe tomorrow.
Anyway, the corner which will be occupied by the washing machine is also the corner in which the new tiles have been installed, so there was plenty of opportunity to clear up. There was dust and tile grout all over the place.
There was also a small collection of clutter. This accumulates in any corner where there is even the tiniest hint of available space. Some of it was not very small. I had dumped, and then forgotten, an enormous sack of dog food whilst I was waiting for there to be enough space for it to be hoisted on to the top of the fridge.
This is going to have to happen soon, because Pepper has been trying to gnaw her way into it when she visits after her walk sometimes, usually when she thinks that the wine is flowing nicely and nobody is watching her.
I did not know what to do about the dog food. It was too heavy to be lugged on to the stool and shoved on to the top of the fridge, even if there had been room, which there wasn’t, so I left it there. It can go on the top of the washing machine when it arrives tomorrow.
I am very excited about the washing machine. The Peppers have been very kind indeed about patiently shoving load after load of grubby working trousers through their washing machine, but I am sure they must be fed up of it by now. I most certainly would be.
I expect it will turn up when I am out emptying the dogs.
Have a picture of some peacock tiles and a black cooker hood.
