The Occasion Of The Chimney Sweep.

 An opportunity in irrational & idiotic cleaning behaviour.

You'd think the queen was coming for a visit. Floors scrubbed, covers neatened, kitchen cleaned, bathroom too and cat told to be on best behaviour. All morning I have been attending to domestic chores above and beyond, and all to ensure our chimney sweep doesn't think badly of my domestic abilities.

How stupid and how predictable. All for a chap who only pops in three times a year and never more than for five minutes or so. Honestly, I wouldn't even recognize him if I were to pass him in town. But, the royal carpet was rolled out. By the by, he isn't the only one after of course the family, plumber and electrician.

Is it nature or nurture? The inevitable " Gosh, what might the neighbours think!  " is more of a learned behaviour and many a time during my youth I had occasion to see my mum go into domestic overdrive for those arbitrary visitors.

Only yesterday when our postman dropped off a parcel at our door I hastened to apologize for our muddy driveway. As if I had done it on purpose! He laughed and said:

                     " Oh don't worry, everyone's driveway is muddy as hell. Mine at home too! "

Goes to show that for the postmen, chimney sweeps, electricians and plumbers of the world the view of domestic abilities is seen through a different prism and more importantly, not noticed or judged the way we women tend to imagine.

The irony of today's domestic exercise was that once he arrived and had done his sweeping of the chimney in the attic, he never even set foot inside our house. All my cleaning extravaganza for nothing...When will I learn?

Biggi