I'm no super hero. I'm pretty resilient, don't get sick often, am adaptable to change but I'm heartily glad to be home for a bit.
In the first 7 weeks of this year, I have been on 14 flights (5 of those overnight flights) and had three weekends away from home. My kid has started college for the first time and my other kid has entered her final semester. Thank god, the dog still loves me.
I'm thankful that the work is rewarding but when I got home on Saturday morning, I was determined the rest of the weekend was going to be all for home life. My oldest picked me up from the airport with dog in tow and we headed straight to Silo. They've done a beautiful refurbishment. No major changes but some good rearrangement of the front portion so there is more room for customers at the front waiting for takeaway and a nice bench arrangement along the wall to make seating cleaner. I went in for croissants. I said "shall I get coffee or will you make it when we get home?". The eye roll told me she had done a hundred coffees at work and was glad to have someone else make it for us. We ate the pastries and take away coffees at home and I set to imprinting myself on the house after she set off for her afternoon shift.
When I was married and my husband travelled, it would drive me nuts when he came home and started wielding a cloth wiping surfaces in the kitchen. Now I do it myself, and I realise I did him a disservice as it was not so much a judgement on my housekeeping as a way of connecting back with the household. Having said that, I definitely have different standards to my offspring. Plus, I was aiming for that level of cleanliness we had when we were selling the house and had troops of people inspecting my housekeeping standards.
I wiped the blades of all the ceiling fangs, wiped down the plantation shutters, wiped the skirting boards, lifted the sofa cushions and vacuumed, took the rugs out and hung them over the deck railings and beat them (somewhat ineffectively) with a big stick, vacuumed the entire house, steam cleaned the floors and cleaned the stove. I did not clean the oven despite it being on my list for months. I am counting on high heat burning off any residual deposits and frankly cook anything high fat on the bbq anyway.
I took the dog for two walks, talked to my youngest for 30 minutes, went to Coles, restocked the fridge, roasted a chicken with tarragon and garlic while I had a bath and ate dinner on the sofa with a glass of wine. I went to bed at 9pm and was glad to be home.
S had another early shift this morning so I got up when she left at 7.15 and took Charlie up Red Hill for a good long walk. When we got home I had another bath, ate poached eggs, bacon and spinach for breakfast and messed around on the internet.
For dinner we ate slow roasted pork, home made tortillas (the joy of my tortilla press) avocado smash and tomato salsa and then ate mini chocolate eggs while watching Say Yes to the Dress, Atlanta. I also started reading Elizabeth is Missing which is very good. I'm now in bed again before 10 and wondering if there is anything nicer than clean sheets, an early night and a good read.
Coincidence! Just finished reading Elizabeth in missing. Enjoyed it inmmemsely.
Posted by: Azura | Monday, 23 February 2015 at 09:44 AM
Azura, my friend, so much for the early night, I stayed up to finish it. I really, really liked it but god, it made me depressed about developing dementia. Must practice more sudoko! I wish you were blogging but maybe when the kid leaves for college…..
Posted by: amanda | Monday, 23 February 2015 at 10:03 AM
Hmm, I wasn't that taken with Elizabeth is Missing. I found it quite hard work to begin with. Am however convinced that I might be developing dementia and am considering buying a pot of peanut butter (I don't eat it) for testing purposes only.
Posted by: ganching | Monday, 23 February 2015 at 07:18 PM
This is at superwoman levels of achievement.
I need some of your energy.
Posted by: carolbaby | Wednesday, 25 February 2015 at 02:42 PM