Etching, is seeking something more elusive. He’s after mist and mizzle and haze and smirr and first light on unstill seas. Shorelines that sink below the horizon and spray that obscures the sky. He is happiest out on the water in a boat chartered for a week or more. Up at half past five, striking off from some tiny place such as Inishbofin — “the most beautiful little island” — off the coast of Connemara, the engine stilled, time to draw. “It’s my idea of bliss. And the boatman’s got a little gimbaled stove, you know? And he catches some fresh mackerel and he’s got some buns and a bit of garlic and butter and he makes a big pot of coffee …” He grins. “You can keep Torremolinos.” Then, in the evenings, “lobster, chips, pints of Guinness”.
Recently I’ve been wondering how I can cut down on housework especially cleaning floors can you do it do it without ruining your life because you worry about it?
If you live alone or with just one other person there are advantages to eating in the kitchen
If you have a big kitchen and everybody in the family can eat their if you have a family
If you eat in the sitting room you’re going to get crumbs on the floor at the least and unless you clean it very frequently they might get tridden into the carpet so I have discovered.
It’s partly a question of the flooring again
If it’s a wooden floor or vinyl or tiles then it’s not so difficult to clean.
If you have a dining room with carpet on the floor that is going to be more difficult to clean than the kitchen floor
So if you eaten a kitchen you would only have to clean the kitchen floor which you will be doing anyway I hope.
Because there are a lot of rodents about.
If you have mobility problem il it’s a good idea to have waste paper baskets in each room
Of course that means emptying them. So alternatively you can keep a small plastic bag in your pocket and put any bits and pieces of rubbish into that as you go
It’s the flu season so therefore the tissue season for most of us but you can’t scatter these around after you’ve blown your nose. I can leave it to your imagination what you do with them but throwing them into the waste paper basket may not be the best idea
But you can throw wrappings and non infectious things in.
Of course eating for some people involves being in bed. Nigella Lawson loves to eat pasta in bed but I recommend that you don’t eat anything in bed and ideally you don’t eat anything in the bedroom. But you can drink tea or wine or even brandy in bed or in the bedroom.
Otherwise imagine all the cleaning you have to do the bedroom……. full of crumbs or spilt milk ditto the living room or the dining room and the kitchen is possibly quite clean
So all that can be done away with and you can just clean the kitchen floor it’s not difficult if you have a lightweight vacuum cleaner or a long handled brush
Sweeping is exercise and it doesn’t use electricity so that’s what I recommend.
Returning to the bedroom my if your home is small you may need to use the bedroom for office work. So definitely need a waste paper basket. And while it’s tempting to throw use tissues about it’s a temptation that you must not succumb to
Why, you might catch an infection from yourself!
Don’t give yourself covid-19 keep your tissues in a plastic Bagvwhen you’ve used them until you can dispose of them in a lidded bin
But do not put them down the toilet because they don’t dissolve in water whereas toilet paper does
That gives me an idea why not use toilet paper to blow your nose? Certainly while you’re at home you had it unless you got a really bad cold and you think the tissue:s going to disintegrate.
It could be cheaper as well to use toilet paper.
And talk about saving efforts on housework never throw anything down the toilet such as medication that you don’t need ,bread, worn out ballpoint pens etc you will be amazed if you ever speak to people who work as plumbers or sewage experts as I once did and people do sometimes put a whole loaf of bread down the toilet now I can’t imagine the thinking behind that unless the dustbin is full. But most people in England have special small bins for disposing of food waste.
Cut down on your rubbish by using non-disposable items as much as possible such as kitchen cloths instead of kitchen paper etc
Cut down on your washing by wearing an apron. If you do anything from painting to cleaning to washing the car wear something over your clothing
My husband had a very nice denim apron although I’m not sure if he wore this outside in the street probably because he never washed the car himself
There are still some things that men don’t want to do especially wearing aprons with flowers all over
So the main thing with housework is to avoid it by avoiding spreading mess and crumbs and dirt as much as you can without becoming obsessional.
And I believe that if you have a certain kind of tiny lightweight vacuum cleaner then you may be quite happy to vacuum your entire floors every day.
That doesn’t sound very grammatical but I think you get my drift don’t you?
Cut down on washing can you can you do this ? Yes because we wash our clothes too much. Wear your things for two days instead of one and that will be a 50% reduction and will save money. Clothes wear out faster if you keep washing them alternatively you could wear a suit of armour which would not need to go in the washing machine but if it was made of silver you might need to polish yourself every day
Well it sounds like an awful lot of work so maybe the best thing is not to bother about it at all for six days and then on the seventh a day clean everything
Btw you can change your sheets less frequently if you have a shower before you go to bed so it depends on what you prefer and on whether you can afford the hot water
Alternatively when it’s raining stand outside in the rain after you’ve got undressed. Then rub yourself down with a towel but if you live in industrial city then you may be more dirtier after that when you were before
Being sensible it may be enough to wash the sweaty parts of your body before you go to bed.
If this is too much for you just change your sheets when you can manage it and don’t worry because unless you are a coal miner you’re probably not that dirty anyway
I cannot imagine letting a dog sleep on my bed I really would need to change the sheets and dove cover a lot but I’m happy to let cats sleep on the bed
In fact I’ve got a shortage of cats.
But having pets does increase the amount of cleaning you need to do. And there is often a strange odor in a home where there are a lot of animals.
Do not spray under ar deodorant into the air if your living room smells just open the windows and put some fresh flowers in there
I wonder if rosemary would grow inside in a large pot because a rosemary or lavender bush smells wonderful maybe just in the winter time you could have it inside and then put it outside in the summer… I rather fancy that
It’s been so tiring writing this that I tl can’t do any housework today
Art by Katherine 2014 The path on Arnside Knott came to the shore Where sea and river meet at my heart’s core Where wild flowers grow, where butterflies float on. The views of Lakeland Hills ,so ravishing
My heart was only half alive till then The land surpassed imagination I was used to mills and dirty air Despite the heather moors and hilltops bare
Later death came near on Langdale Pike My fingertips were hurting,feet agape Then my toe was back on a foothold The shadow of the mountain huge and cold
Beauty,love and death, the opera calls Singing as we walk the danger walls
Rain falls lightly in the winter wood,
Dampening stones that make a pathway through
The overgrown, the old trees and the new.
The fragrance of the rain on grass is good
I see the acers coming into bud.
The daffodils are waving as I view.
The lily pond is lonely without you.
We used to feed a robin when we could
After Mass on Sunday mornings then
We’d drive to woods and walk to lessen strain.
But now I cannot write, I clutch your pen.
My inspiration gives me life again.
Without your hand in mine, I walk quite lame.
The dampness on my face is tears,is rain
How beautiful it was when the sun shone And I walked with you,my dear husband, through the gardens. How happy I was to sit with you by the lake and to hear the water from the fountain splash. It's our our favourite music now we cannot visit the sea To hear the tide rush in,then fall sucking on the shingley beach. But I see it in my minds eye. Aldeburgh,the fishing boats go out at sunrise. I awoke early and saw the sun across the sea and the boats setting out in the soft light. Dunwich,the heath filled with birds the cliff and the beach where sometimes one can find marble from one of the many churches washed away by the encroaching sea. And Southwold,the marsh so quiet I heard crickets. We went across the Blyth in the rowing boat And saw the place from which our picture of Walberswick was painted... If only life could be captured,slowed, for a few minutes for us to receive the beauty and hear the sound of the sea The everlasting music of the heart
For venturing outside, ensure that your relative wraps up warm in gloves, a scarf and hat. Elderly people should change out of damp or wet clothes immediately to prevent extreme coldness or even hypothermia.
Socks and slippers are essential for keeping feet warm, and a blanket over the legs can be used for some extra heat if necessary. If your relative suffers with coldness, electric blankets and hot water bottles can be a great investment to provide some additional warmth at night.
Mary was going out for a meal with some former colleagues who had taught underfunctioning analysis and triquacking theory.She stood in her bedroom, surrounded by piles of clothes, wondering how hot the restaurant might be and how cold and frosty the air in the road by the bus stop. I think I’ll phone Pete she told herself. Pete answered on the first ring.After so many years, she still recognised his semi- South African accent and pleasing,humorous voice Hello,it’s Mary Dear-Brown here, she said shyly. Hello Mary Dear-Brown, he responded instantly Why, he sounds like the Amazon website, she thought to herself.That figures! Hello Pete, I was wondering if you could give me a lift to the restaurant tonight You don’t need a lift, it’s on the ground floor, he informed her quietly and sensitively I mean in your car.I can’t drive now. Why not? he said testily. Actually, I never took the Test because I always drove very fast Why didn’t you use the brakes? he teased her.I reckon you might have passed. I stopped the car and vowed never to drive again but now it is a problem with Stan dead.I can get a cab if you are too busy Well, what time do you suggest we meet? Shall I come earlier? Why does he say that,she pondered No, it will take ages to put all my clothes away.I can’t make up my mind what to wear. Why not just copy Hilary Clinton? he asked I must not buy any more clothes.Shall I dress smartly? Or smart casual or unsmart? I know, said Pete.Shut your eyes and pick up 3 things off the bed and then wear those. Mary closed her eyes.When she opened them she had a pair of Arran legwarmers, a green silk shirt and a black pleated Windsmoor initiation silk skirt. I suppose if I wear my new long camel coat, the leg warmers will be hidden, she whispered.She took a bottle of dandruff shampoo and washed her light gold locks and then waxed her bikini line by mistake. My goodness, why and how did I ever think of doing that, she pondered ruefully?And in the winter who wears a bikini? Dressed in her almost pure silk outfit, the legwarmers hidden under thigh high red leather boots, she created a buzz in the restaurant as she climbed in through the window followed by Pete in his yellow wool suit,shirt and green tie. Why did you come in via the window, asked Tom McDonne, the former head of the maths department. We didn’t see any doors, she cried gaily.And Mossad wants more women agents so I thought MI5 might like to see me. Who is this Mossad, Tom asked angrily? It’s the Israeli intelligence service.You must have heard of them. But they don’t want old people! Tom told her ignorantly That’s why we came through the window, so if any spies are here they will see how agile I am still.And I still know what uncountable infinity is.Aleph, aleph.Null. Tom led them to a long table. Wow, it’s a log table Mary screamed.I’ve not seen one for years. Well, with computers and such like we don’t really need them anymore, Tom revealed. Are they real logs, she queried. No, they are vinyl, the waiter admitted furtively.Easier to wash. Mother never washed my log tables, Mary told the men impudently. Let’s order some food, Tom said, as they all sat down I fancy the Polish Hussar Roast, he admitted. What has a Polish Hussar ever done to you, Mary asked? Nothing yet but I live in hope And so do all of
All this year erratic winds have blown Cold in winter,humid in the spring Whirling human minds like little stones
Ethics,truth,humility disowned In their place what will the demons bring? In this era, winds erratic blow
All the owls and other birds have flown They sense the truth, there is no lingering As whirl our human minds like pebblestone
In the blackbirds garden, they say :go As they flutter on their open wings Even in that place, winds strange do blow
Under masks of sweetness, poison shows Bombs are nuclear, once mere arrows stung As whirl our ancient minds, as mothers moan
On the cross, the Christ in grief still hangs Underneath, the proud snake shows its fangs All this year the monstrous winds have blown Stirring up our patterns,seeking form
I am writing my autobiography.So far I’ve written just the titles of the volumes and that took me three days:
Daddy doesn’t smoke here any more.[ Early to mid childhood]
My family and other criminals [Sibling rivalry]
Nuns are not a jot of fun [School days]
Scholarship and yearnings [Hire Education]
Insane but true [My love life]
The heart has its treasons.[My adult life]
Under the haystack. [How I became a gypsy]
Am I too cold for you ? [Age and its mysteries]
How I double crossed the quiver [ Almost dead but still very trying]
Black eyed floosie [My medical history ]
I saw that life as we know it is just a film but we are too close to spy the hand that turns the roller [Nearer to death and seeing the clouds from above]
How my heart speaks 