Up The Farway Tree

Well, health wise I haven't been feeling on top form this week. Finished my IV antibiotics only last week and had to go straight back onto some oral antibiotics, as I was still feeling puffed and not quite 100%. I did drag myself into work monday and tuesday, but decided the more sensible (and appealing) option was take this week off. I have the following week booked off for my cousins wedding, so fingers crossed I'm feeling revitalised and bouncing around again by the end of that week. Well maybe not bouncing around. That would just be odd.

As I've been feeling so puffed I was experimenting with new ways of getting the dirty washing downstairs with minimal effort. Yesterday I tried the "throw pile of clothes in one large bundle over banisters of stairs" with the hope they would all land in the hallway. This was semi-successful, with most of the clothes making it there, or thereabouts. There was however an unacceptably high number of socks and, dare I say, pants littering the stairs and hall table. After fishing a sock out of a vase, I decided this method may need revised. Perhaps throwing smaller bundles at a time would increase accuracy of landing. The other option, which I think is entirly feasible, would be to train Seb to carry washing downstairs. In support of this is the fact he has no problems carrying socks and other items of clothing around at high speed when he is trying to get 'a chase', so I'm sure the task would not be beyond him. Even larger items like jeans and towels shouldn't be an issue, seeing that he has no problems taking all his bedding outside and dragging it around the lawn. I assume he is just 'airing' it, although I've never asked.

The other issue I need to tackle, is that of learning to behave in an appropriate and normal fashion when the window cleaners come. It is, you must agree, an odd situation to be relaxing in your own home, when suddenly a strange man props up his ladder and appears right outside your window. You are then in the bizzarre situation where despite the fact he can clearly see straight into your living room, he has to pretend he can't see anything and instead becomes strangely fascinated with his squeedgy. This situation is not aided by the fact I am sitting in mismatched pyjamas, cow print slippers and with my pep masked firmly clamped over my face (for those who dont know, the pep mask is for helping with physio and looks like some trauma mask from E.R. Except its blue and yellow and not very subtle). So anyway I try and look casual and slowly remove large blue mask from face and stare at TV (which isn't even on). I then have this sudden and overwhelming compulsion to hide, so slowly get up from sofa, then stride purposefully to the kitchen. Bad move. The other window cleaner has started at back of house, and there he is in full view at the kitchen window. I can't even think of an excuse to be in kichen, so with look of surprise and embarrassment on my face, spin around and scuttle into hall, where I settle down on the stairs and plan to just sit it out. All is going well and I'm almost home and dry, when I suddenly had that strange feeling of being watched. I slowly turn round, heart racing, palms sweating...and there he is, the window cleaner man at the tiny hall window behind me. Now feeling extremely daft having been caught hiding in the hall way, I grab the phone and pretend I am talking to someone (as this would clearly validate the fact I was sitting on the stairs). The fact the phone didn't actually ring, and I didnt actually dial a number is beside the point. I'm sure I got away with it. I'm sure the window cleaner men think I am entirely normal and not in the least eccentric. I'm sure they have seen much worse.