Sunday 21st February 2021

Many years ago there was an advert on television advertising Flash floor cleaner, the screen split and there was Mrs Spick and Span with her mop and bright bucket with the magic addition of Flash and on the other side, Mrs I Hate Housework with her old galvanised bucket, tired mop and grey water.  Mrs SAS finished her floor in five seconds with every touch producing a sparkle, while Mrs IHH laboured over her dull wet floor.

Mrs SAS, now dressed to the nines, caught the bus into town while Mrs IHH, hair standing on end, missed it.

They could have used me and my then neighbour for the advert and I seem to have continued along the IHH path, while Mrs SAS now lives in a welcoming but nevertheless Ideal Homes sort of house and oddly we are the best of friends, you know what they say about opposites.

I refer to this because, please God, we seem to be seeing a light at the end of this interminable tunnel but already I am troubled because most of the things I alluded to doing last March, just haven’t got done. I won’t be able to hide any more, people will be wanting to come to my house and for the most part it will appear to be in a time warp since last March.  So….. I am galvanised into the action which began last week, I have paint brushes between my teeth, cobweb brushes and dusters in my hands and the proverbial broom wherever it might fit.  I have this desperate feeling of urgency to get every job in house and garden done in order that I can allow myself to enjoy a bit of social life, although I have to confess I feel a little nervous at the prospect now that I am so into the little world of me Audrey and Worry.

Yesterday I met Wendy (SAS) in Maresfield (she got there first, she always does!) and we went for a four mile walk with Audrey, a lot of it by the side of Batt’s Bridge stream, more like a young river at the moment.  It was so nice to walk in mild weather and everywhere clumps of wild snowdrops hailing Spring.

Audrey went charging off through the undergrowth as she does, appearing every so often just ahead of us but suddenly we heard her crying in distress, she didn’t sound far away but we couldn’t see her at first and then realised she had gone down the steep bank into the stream and was unable to get out again.  I found a place a little further down that would have been easier and called her but eventually she made it up the steep part and thanked me by shaking herself all over me and then leaning heavily and ‘wetly’ against my legs for a few minutes for comfort.  It doesn’t seem to have put her off water but she may be a little more cautious in future.