Recently, following the emergency re-fit of the room commonly referred to by others as The Kitchen we seem to have developed something of a problem. A costly problem at that. Like many people who live in the depths of the countryside we are plagued by small furry friends overwintering in the warmth of our home. Temporarily our home becomes theirs. Either that or they are failed kills that escape into the nether regions of the house; just one of the many issues dealt with by cat lovers!
Anyway as you may imagine from reading previous posts I'm not an advocate of noxious chemicals contaminating any part of my estate, and that includes the house. Over the years I've graduated from the usual proprietary cleaning materials scented with eau to exotic orchid and chamomile and other toxic odours to using a variety of home produced cleaning agents which smell clean and don't make me nauseous. The main ingredient? Distilled white vinegar!
I've even had a stab at making my own washing powder which was moderately successful but was drawn to a premature halt due to the cost and availability of borax. Nowadays I use a non-biological powder produced by Lidl which smells like washing powder, doesn't make my clothes stink and does the job. It also has seen off the dreaded black slime build up in the dispenser drawer.
I also use distilled white vinegar as a water softener in my dishwasher. It works a treat and is a fraction of the cost of the fancy rinse-aids that stink to high heaven, I mean, who actually wants to eat off an orchid scented plate? My one sin is that I use dishwasher tablets, most recently bought in bulk from my local Swans Cash & Carry Direct, alongside my gallon of vinegar & Fairy Professional Washing Up Liquid.
So, what I've saved in terms of cost I'm about to blow on an upper door seal for my trusty Meile dishwasher. You see, a couple of months ago one of my not so friendly furrys hopped inside it and got trapped! He must have fallen onto the cutlery rack at the top of the machine from the shelf above; we were in the habit of leaving the door ever so slightly ajar to allow for ventilation and the prevention of the dreaded mildew. This is a habit we will not be indulging in again as the whole episode is about to cost me just under €90.00...
The little blighter tried to gnaw his way to freedom leaving a tell tale trail of small black lozenges at the bottom of the machine. Horrified I sleuthfully examined one fully expecting to find a mouse dropping only to be shocked when I realised it was the black vulcanised rubber of the upper door seal! Then to add insult to injury, the little beastie saw his chance and leapt out of the machine right in front of me. Stunned? I'll say; I just wasn't fast enough & he got away.
And just what does any of this have to do with the joys of Springtime? You mean apart from the mixing of copious quantities of vinegar, fairy & water distilled by the dehumidifier and the six cups of washing soda poured down both plugs in the bathroom? The washing of shoe laces in the kitchen sink and the digging up of last years potatoes, carrots and onions? Well, nothing really except that I'm up for the second time in two days, earlier than usual and full of energy plus I've almost resolved a problem I've been sitting on for far too long. So, what can I do today...?
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| A Well Deserved Rest whilst posing with my boys after Scout Fest '16 (guess which two are actually mine...?) |
SEVERAL MONTHS ON THE RESULT OF THIS STORY IS THAT IT TOOK ME FIVE MINUTES TO FIT THE NEW SEAL ON THE DISH WASHER. WE STILL ARGUE ABOUT WHO'S GOING TO LOAD IT. I HAVE NEW POTATOES GROWING IN THE GARDEN AND ALL IS GOOD APART FROM THE SUDDEN DOWNTURN IN ENERGY FOLLOWING A GRUELLING THREE WEEKS OF FRANTIC ADMINISTRATION!
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| I don't know who to attribute this photo to but it clearly demonstrates where and how I'd like to be right now and into the immediate future... |
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