Mess

 

The cottage looks like something from the blitz
Why does that happen with only one human in the house?
Fuck knows.
Yesterday’s shift was full on, more like a busy A&E than a hospice 
I said to a new family that when I first came I expected lots of nuns looking like Audrey Hepburn floating about.
They expected it too 😞
So, this morning we went for a walk and picked up a McDonalds coffee, and I will be shortly standing in the kitchen and will hike up those bra straps in order to get the place in order.
That’s my only job for the day.

Tomorrow I have an interview with MIND regarding a counselling placement and I’m meeting my friend Polly for lunch. Polly used to be a doctor at the hospice but has now left for pastures new. It’s lovely we keep in touch.
Tomorrow night my sister and are  going to see Dune 2 at the cinema

I’ve just cleaned underneath the kitchen reading chair
One hard dog stool, one rubber chicken, one croc ( chewed) a small cactus(?) 54 p in coins and one pair of underpants

I bought too many cream eggs at the supermarket and stopped down the lane to give Helen and Ian, sailor John and Mrs Trellis one each 

75 comments:

  1. My kitchen suddenly feels cleaner. I have no hidden items under the chairs!

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    1. The items are really BEHIND the chair and most are from Roger’s treasure collection

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  2. Rule Number One - Never look under the kitchen chair!

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    1. But if you don’t , the thought of the mess will haunt you firefer

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  3. Even with one person and no animals to help, a place will creep up on you!!
    Have you read the Dune books? It would be interesting to see if they have kept closely to them

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    Replies
    1. No I haven’t, syfy leaves me cold

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  4. Anonymous11:28 am

    My dog went to doggy day care when she was younger and they didn’t get toys to olay with, only the other dogs. Now she has lots of toys but never plays, she just would like to play with dogs again.she never touches anything in the house so I guess I am lucky. I just read Cro’s post and really feel for him as after being on our boat in Grenada for 16 years and only losing a pair of flip flops from under the boat when it was on the hard we had our boat trashed and anything of value stollen after Hurricane Ivan. It at been opened with a key, so we are sure we know who did it. He was looking after the boat for us! He wasn’t the sharpest and took the hinges off the door, but they could only be removed from inside the boat. We sold the boat, deciding it was time to leave. My money manager just bought a place in France telling me it was dirt cheap, so now I know why. I will warn him about what is going on over there. I can’t comment on Cro’s blog for some strange Google reason. Hope you get your placement and tell Roger to get down off there! Gigi

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    1. Anonymous4:16 pm

      You have a "money manager?"
      I wish I had some money for somebody to manage........


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    2. Yes poor cro, I amazes me that not everyone can give him just sympathy , some commentators have to to say more

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    3. Anonymous11:23 pm

      Sorry

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  5. My Hubs is super tidy, me less so. If he's out of town, it doesn't take any time at all for me to make our tiny place look like someone picked it up and shook it!

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    1. It looks as though the neighbours have called in and had a party

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  6. You need a mess, so when you've cleared it up the contrast is that it is super duper clean!

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    Replies
    1. I could do with a middle man
      A cleaning person

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  7. When you've tidied up you can stand back and admire your handiwork. You can't do that if everything is always clean and tidy. (That's my theory, anyway!) Good luck with the placement. Should be eye opening, although I suspect you've seen and heard almost everything you'll come across. xx

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    1. Yes I was a psychiatric nurse in the 1980S

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  8. I dread to think how a cactus got under the chair!!

    Before I worked with a hospice I always imagined them to be desolate, sad places but nothing could be further from the truth. I used to love the atmosphere that everyone created. Sad at times yes, but with so much brightness and laughter.

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    Replies
    1. Roger’s treasure trove lol
      I sometimes wish all I could hear at work is the swish of a habit

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  9. You will be great in the interview, let your talents shine.

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    1. Anonymous2:36 pm

      That’s easy for you to say

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    2. Anonymous7:11 pm

      Ha ha ha. Brilliant comment there. A

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    3. I’ve had worse trolls

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  11. 54p in coins? Result! Perhaps Roger thinks he's a camel. Camels eat cactus.

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    1. It was only a 50 pence piece and change
      We don’t seem to carry money anymore

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  12. Barbara anne12:57 pm

    Ah, life in the fast lane with Roger. Never a dull moment!
    It is satisfying to tidy up and to bask in the glory of neat surroundings.
    Wishing you well with the placement with MIND. Are they local?

    Hugs!

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    1. They are, based in Abergele which is 20 minutes away

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  13. sillygirl1:12 pm

    Which dog discarded their underpants under that chair?

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    1. Roger loves collecting ‘discarded’ items , his second stash ( and main one) is inside his crate , where today was located three shoes,( never chewed) bits of plastic, a yogurt container, a spoon, a toothbrush , and a drinks coaster

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    2. Hope you get a new toothbrush!

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  14. That picture is very surreal. I'm dying to know why a cactus was under your chair!

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    Replies
    1. So do I , it’s small, and was in a tiny pot, and it’s not mine lol

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  15. Anonymous1:45 pm

    Ah, Roger must be entering his teenage years. Mind is a wonderful charity, but even so I think they will be lucky to have you on placement. I had a counselling session this morning and part of my letting everything sift down is reading your blog John so thank you for that. Sarah in Sussex

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  16. My mother firmly advised me to NEVER pull out the 'fridge unless one was prepared to deal with the discoveries. (She had an array of cleaning supplies, trash bag, kitchen gloves and a barn cat drafted for possible active duty...)

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    1. “Brace yourself “ is something I’d have to yell, when moving the couch

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  17. Forget the cactus- why were the underpants under the chair? I am assuming that a dog dragged them there?

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  18. It's not messy, it's just lived in. X

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    1. Now it looks pristine ( well until tomorrow)

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  19. Hope you enjoy the film. Enjoy your cleaning/relaxing day, John. Best of luck with the interview!

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  20. Really, John? Undies under the kitchen chair? You really have to be more cognizant of your surroundings and at least wait until you are on the stairs before stripping out of your undies. Oh, the picture.....

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    1. My underpants have lives of their own ( and legs it would seem)

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    2. Anonymous9:05 pm

      How unfortunate

      Lee

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  21. Order brings calm and a fresh clean feeling. That said, it does not take long before another round of cleaning is required. It is an endless cycle. Roger? He thinks it is ok to be standing on the counter?

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    1. He was stood on his crate, which I’d covered with a blanket as Mary loves to sleep on it

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  22. Anonymous3:05 pm

    The dirty laundry pile has always been a favorite nesting spot for our dogs, one of whom also would select some choice item and present it to favored visitors. Fortunately the current really small dog isn't able to do that but she does sleep in the dirty clothes basket.

    Good luck with your interview, these are good practice even if they don't turn out to produce a good match.

    Ceci

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  23. The most interesting thing I ever find under the couch is lego, and dog balls. One day I found four balls under the couch.

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    1. The cactus is most interesting as it’s not mine

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  24. There is something so satisfying about cleaning beneath a piece of furniture that hasn't been moved in a long time. I'm still patting myself on the back for last week's "under the stove" haul.

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    1. That’s a dirty one, like a dirty protest

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  25. Anonymous4:07 pm

    What a wonderful happy mess, lovingly inhabited by you and the ever daft doggies, just how life is!! Good luck for tomorrow and enjoy your evening. Jan in Castle Gresley

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  26. There's a review of Dune 2 in the NYTimes today, after you see the movie I'd be curious to know if you agree with it...maybe read it after you've seen the flick.
    Enjoy your cleaning day.

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  27. Oh dear, the answer to the puzzle under the chair is canine related. Nuns,yes. Counsel placement close to home.Bra straps . Walk and a good coffee. The whole post is a gem.

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    1. Thank u Gemma just a chatty nothing day

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  28. Dune 1 is currently on a streaming service. I'm going to wait until Dune 2 is streaming as well, so I can watch them both together in one go. I've never read the book, but I know its reputation.

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    1. Never read it, and hated the old 1980s movie, loved the first half though beautiful to look at it

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  29. Whose underpants were they?

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  30. krayolakris11:09 pm

    Extra cream eggs indeed. You are such a dear.
    I also wondered about the underpants’ owner!

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  31. Could be those dogs might have something to do with the mess!

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  32. How did Mrs Trellis react when you gave her one? I bet she was squealing with delight!

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  33. You bought extra creme eggs? AND GAVE THEM AWAY???? *stands in quiet awe*

    You are a saint, John. I, too, have bought extra creme eggs. And I never gave them away.

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    1. I ate one and the sticky inside stuck to an ulcer in my mouth, , it all got a bit fraught

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  34. To me, John, that sounds like a lovely day's tidying-up.

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  35. Roger looks so proud of himself standing on his crate! It must be hard to stay on top of absolutely everything on your own, while all the time holding down a job and counselling course.

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  36. Anonymous3:59 pm

    There are many of us tryng to manage on our own, I've been on my own for the past 4 years, am getting on in years and wish I'd shown more gratitude for my husband when he was here. Trying to do chores today with arthritic limbs and I could cry.

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