Living on a boat, this is by far the most cleaning I’ve done in my life so far.
Some chores I’m doing for the first time ever – like vacuuming and mopping floors, not to mention cleaning toilets (and boat toilets are a whole other nasty ball game).
Even during relatively poverty-stricken student days in the eighties (kicked out of the parental home for alleged inappropriate behaviour and forced to live with admittedly unsuitable boyfriend), I could afford a cleaner, courtesy of my waitressing job, not to mention the attractive apartheid-era cleaning rates. And, happily for me, that’s how matters continued.
Sixteen years of expatriate life in Singapore did nothing to expand my cleaning repertoire, of course. A succession of more-or-less delightful Filipino women continued to keep my life shipshape, with very little effort on my part.
Now I find myself in England. Here, having a cleaner is clearly not the norm, especially for an almost-retired couple living in a 49-foot, one-bedroomed home – albeit one that floats. Indoors are expanses of wooden flooring and cabinetry, a full kitchen, one-and-a-half bathrooms, ornaments and pictures and more. And, as one of my neighbours warned me darkly from Day One, we’re surrounded by Nature, and the air that blows in is full of willow-pollen, insects and dust.
Problem is, I find I can’t just live with dust, let alone those mysterious dust-bunnies that collect in corners. It creeps me out to pick up something from the floor and find it covered in dirt, bits of fluff and strands of hair – and that includes my own.
What can that remaining 0.01 percent of germs be?
Fortunately, I reflect, as we trawl the supermarket aisles, cleaning products seem to have come a long way. And later, I thank goodness for Waitrose rubber gloves (the thin latex ones for sensitive skins and improved sensation – what does that remind you of?), as I gingerly work my way through packets of wipes for leather, wipes for wood, wipes for stainless steel, wipes for granite and wipes for lavatorial surfaces – most of which promise to kill 99.99 percent of all known germs. (Incidentally, what can that remaining 0.01 percent of germs be?)
Resolved to be happy in my unaccustomed work, I’m counting my blessings and naming them one by one. First on the list is Mr Dyson, whose eponymous sucking appliance has brought new life to the 12-year-old Persian rug I bought at a wine-fuelled Oriental Carpets auction 14 years ago. Second is our built-in dishwasher, and Roy’s ardent attachment to it. Third is a certain flexibility of character that lets me sleep in exquisite comfort on un-ironed Egyptian cotton bedsheets.
A woman’s got to draw the line somewhere, and I draw it at ironing sheets.
Kim and I are enjoying your posts very much. I spotted the old toll bridge at Whitchurch-on-Thames, where I lived, in the early 90s, just up the road from the bridge and close to a winery called Boze Down. Their white wine was not up to NZ or SA standard but easy drinking and won some local awards. I believe it has since been converted into an alpaca farm. The toll to cross the bridge was just 2p at that time! It seems you have since found a very nice spot at Pontoon D. Good luck with the wonder wipes and I wholeheartedly agree with your views on ironing sheets. Please keep the posts coming. We were in Wapping a couple of weeks ago, when the weather was warming up nicely, so you should be in for a lovely late summer with long balmy evenings.
This post made me nod my head furiously as i was reading!! Post Singapore and our delightful helpers, I too have collected a good batch of wipes for every surface, a Mr Dyson contraption and now sleep on un-ironed sheets! I still do find fluff balls in corners but have not yet used the “sensitive” gloves to retrieve – must buy them tomorrow.
Great to read your blog, really enjoying it. Since returning to Canada I can relate to the cleaning stuff and lack of ironed sheets. I have been looking into the Dyson 8 vacuum, how do you like it? We have been able to hire a cleaning woman, she comes in once a week but does not iron sheets?
I hope you continue having a good time on your journey! Kim