Goodness, it has been warm.

I am sorry to say that we have stayed warm, not to mention sweaty, sticky and uncomfortable. We did not go swimming. This was because Mark has been mending his taxi and I have been getting on with housework . I was not pleased about this. Housework is very dull.

Before you remind me that I might also sympathise with Mark’s car-repairing activities, let me just observe that Mark repairs cars for pleasure. When I met him he had dozens of rusty vehicles, mostly ancient Land Rovers, all in different states of repair, and spent every minute of his spare time enthusiastically nailing them back together, so I am not wasting my sympathy on him. It is his favourite sort of thing to do. He was quite merry this morning when he remembered that he had the exciting challenge of a new injector to fit and a dent to be restored to wholeness. He chirped on for quite some time about the happiness of pulling the latter out with some dent-reversing invention he has created.

Certainly he likes it much better than I like dusting and hoovering.

Still, that was what I did, albeit through gritted teeth. I have to say that I looked at the bedroom this morning and thought that I would rather set fire to it than clean it ever again, but of course I didn’t. I wiped the dust away and hoovered, patiently.

It is very dusty at the moment, because it is so dry. Everything at the front of the house, which is close to the main road, is coated in a gritty layer of sandy dust. It is blowing in through the open windows and creating a grubby film all over everything.

I should have cleaned the windows as well, but thought I would rather gargle with sump oil.

After that I thought I would add some interest to my day by trying to get eBay to refund the cash for some earphones purchased by Oliver. The order for these was cancelled , but the seller has failed to return the money. This turned out to be more complicated than I had thought. One of the dozen or so chat-line operators to whom I was connected accidentally told me that the seller was under formal investigation for rogue-mis-selling and all of his eBay accounts had been frozen. He assured me that Oliver would get his money back in the end, but it might take a few days.

It took me ages to extract this assurance, and whilst on endless eBay hold, I occupied the time in gazing longingly at a teapot that I coveted, the auction for which finishes at eight o’clock tonight, and which I can’t afford.

This did nothing to raise my spirits.

I wondered if I ought to ask Mark if he would get it for my birthday, which is coming up soon, but decided that it would be a waste of talking, because of him being fully occupied with dent-contemplation. I have already asked him for some blotting paper for my birthday, but frankly, since neither Autoparts nor Jewsons stock it, I think my chances are slim. I might revise the request and ask for some plumbing fittings and a rear brake calliper instead, that way I would be absolutely bound to be delighted.

In the end I got sick of wiping dog hair and grit off things, and went downstairs to get dinner ready. We had thought we might get a takeaway this evening, as a sort of happy night-off thing to do, but then we discovered the cost of the new injector required to repair the taxi to a state of MOT-worthiness, so I left Mark to it and went out to work instead.

At least on the taxi rank I do not need to clean anything. I am now sitting peacefully by the lake, drinking tea and having a happy evening.

I think I would like a career when I grow up. Being at work is lovely.

I am going to read my book now.

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