tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post2567108989025218444..comments2023-10-29T21:28:41.709+10:30Comments on Pavlov's Cat: Less stuff, more staff: the mature woman's wishlistKerryn Goldsworthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11270814460793882309noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-60263129413410606352007-09-13T00:03:00.000+09:302007-09-13T00:03:00.000+09:30I often think of my mother's comment in times of f...I often think of my mother's comment in times of frustration: 'I need a wife'.Arielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17570339715916432947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-90811662554185599512007-09-08T22:28:00.000+09:302007-09-08T22:28:00.000+09:30HmmMy house is too messy to get a cleaner in too.....Hmm<BR/><BR/>My house is too messy to get a cleaner in too....<BR/><BR/>My two tips - a dishwasher (changed my life!)<BR/><BR/> - and a Roomba (automatic vacuum cleaner - bumps around the floor like a pool cleaner - great for pet hair)<BR/><BR/>I love my washing machine too - anything that does all the work while I am uh 'busy' on the computer is alright with me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-58868850808478592912007-09-08T09:54:00.000+09:302007-09-08T09:54:00.000+09:30New category for blogging - shower hair.Mine is mi...New category for blogging - shower hair.<BR/>Mine is midlength, dark - I have taken to looping it obsessively across the soap holder as I rinse, so less is stuck in the plughole. The winter moults are almost done though.<BR/>Terrific review today, PC - OTT I know, but one must note the presence of supple, plangent prose in the paper whenever one can. Such a pleasure to get up and read (and I think I might get the book, too).genevievehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02895689949182365454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-71395732032895337862007-09-08T09:51:00.000+09:302007-09-08T09:51:00.000+09:30I fell in love with my cleaner the first time i di...I fell in love with my cleaner the first time i didn't tidy up first (yes i fell into that trap) - there were dishes in the sink, crud everywhere, a total mess. In response to my apologetic note, she said "oh don't worry about that - I clean for someone much, much messier than you" :) <BR/><BR/>It took about 4 different cleaners with 2 agencies before I found this gem, someone I'm happy to have a key to the house and leave unsupervised. PC it might seem like a hassle to start with but with the right cleaner you can keep in touch with your inner slattern and come home to a sparkling clean house once a week too!GShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11963643826578219126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-55540217603666398532007-09-07T22:46:00.000+09:302007-09-07T22:46:00.000+09:30This is lovely. I can be half virtuous, I vacuumed...This is lovely. I can be half virtuous, I vacuumed the lounge this week. I can be half ashamed, the drawer is empty of cutlery, it's all in the sink but I am getting to it, honest.<BR/><BR/>Most of the fur in the vac was the cat's. I'm too cheap to throw out the bag until it's falling apart so I empty it by hand and there's fur, fur and more fur. I can't blame him for the red hair in the shower though.JahTehhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02007730071564639411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-64786293680455140072007-09-07T16:55:00.000+09:302007-09-07T16:55:00.000+09:30All those vases as 21st presents, and still, an ol...All those vases as 21st presents, and still, an old Moccona coffee jar is best for most flowers... and no, I haven't ever had the chance to scrub all the glue off it.<BR/><BR/>Doing the grocery shopping online speeds things up a bit too, especially if you work at home because you can get it delivered during the day (when delivery is cheapest). I found ColesOnline ok (the website sucks a bit but it works) and you can add things to your list as you realise you need them, and then order delivery when you've got enough to make it worth while.katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05933494864542847343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-27688186268139749222007-09-07T10:55:00.000+09:302007-09-07T10:55:00.000+09:30Negotiable perks eh? Sounds enticing.Tsk, I though...Negotiable perks eh? Sounds enticing.<BR/>Tsk, I thought I was the one supposed to be doing the tempting.The Devil Drinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00574283722171490665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-66887769750056103192007-09-07T10:39:00.000+09:302007-09-07T10:39:00.000+09:30I have this gorgeous lady at present who cleans re...I have this gorgeous lady at present who cleans really well one fortnight, then loses it the following fortnight, particularly if I have let my end down (most of this centres around one of my showers). <BR/> But my place has seen many cleaners and carers, so it's a case of administer it or never go to art galleries or libraries <I>evah</I> again. (Or blog. Or read. Or do anything even mildly spiritually elevating other than whinge to the lovely neighbours, which usually has the opposite effect.)<BR/>The trick is that you either give them keys once you get to know them, and are never there - or stay for a brief chat, then always, always go shopping. (Doesn't matter where you are really going of course. Today you're SHOPPING. For your sick neighbour if you like.)<BR/><BR/>The admin does suck, an agency can help with this if they are genuinely interested in how good their service is - costs extra, but they can give the cleaner the arse rather than you having to do it. <BR/><BR/>My son goes to less respite than he used to, and I don't miss the admin side of that at all. Which is not actually a very good reason for avoiding help, is it. (Tries to sound like tough granny with posting blogger - fails...)genevievehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02895689949182365454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-3337556210191135192007-09-07T10:29:00.000+09:302007-09-07T10:29:00.000+09:30Oh the joy, to come home every Friday night to a c...Oh the joy, to come home every Friday night to a clean and tidy house... worth every cent! (even if I do spend Thursday night tidying) <BR/><BR/>My mum always said that when she got rich she'd pay someone to make sure she had clean sheets on the bed and clean towels in the bathroom every day.missticklehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11890060421069914561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-73714119568637492242007-09-06T22:48:00.000+09:302007-09-06T22:48:00.000+09:30I have a lot of vases but somehow, none of them ar...I have a lot of vases but somehow, none of them are the right shape...<BR/>*shrug*<BR/>CBAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-66086295042697679872007-09-06T21:06:00.000+09:302007-09-06T21:06:00.000+09:30I am too ashamed of the state of my house to let a...I am too ashamed of the state of my house to let a cleaner see it. Also, there's the cleaner admin issue and the 'she can't clean for toffee but how can I possibly sack her' issue.<BR/><BR/>Lucy S, yes, I can imagine that. When I had long hair and a white ceramic tile bathroom floor, the great tumbleweeds of hair used to make me think I was going bald.<BR/><BR/>Devil Drink, the perks are negotiable.<BR/><BR/>3C, I do not throw apples, and anyway I get sick if I sit in the back.<BR/><BR/>Kathleen, feel free to comment at whatever length you like. All are welcome, as long as they are nice.<BR/><BR/>Lucy T, I would indeed do the massive grocery shop thing in a heartbeat (my folks used to do this when we lived on the farm -- come over to the city to see my grandparents and buy up half of Tom the Cheap's best loo paper and canned peas and so forth while they were here -- but my problem there is chronic lack of storage space. Not just no cupboards but no space to put cupboards in.<BR/><BR/>I can't tell y'all how much better I feel for having had that whinge, though.Kerryn Goldsworthyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11270814460793882309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-69707451939201537312007-09-06T20:47:00.000+09:302007-09-06T20:47:00.000+09:30I find the ridiculously massive bi-monthly grocery...I find the ridiculously massive bi-monthly grocery shop helps a bit: like three dozen tins of tomatoes, two dozen bottles of orange juice, a thousand teabags etc. <BR/><BR/>Sorry, that's all I've got. Not much is it.lucy tartanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09244574932248425378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-57344698744199143132007-09-06T20:22:00.000+09:302007-09-06T20:22:00.000+09:30hmm. I has a cleaner. she doesnt earn too much les...hmm. <BR/><BR/>I has a cleaner.<BR/> she doesnt earn too much less than me, now that I think of it. It takes three hours to clean up before she comes.<BR/>Her husband just left her for an internet bride from the filipines: the cleaner likes a good vent about this.<BR/>In fact, she isn't a great cleaner, but how could I sack her. How could I?<BR/><BR/>What I need is binary fission. then there could be many of me all doing everything at once.fifihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06946945635726214503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-60944481630470058852007-09-06T19:55:00.000+09:302007-09-06T19:55:00.000+09:30Hehe, Kate, ooh, I know, I know.Ditto what everyon...Hehe, Kate, ooh, I know, I know.<BR/><BR/>Ditto what everyone says about cleaners. I've never ever gone more than about a year without one since my kids were quite small. Otherwise my head would just revolve around material matters and books would never get read at all. Much less any writing done.<BR/><BR/>Where I fall down badly is getting kids to do stuff. But even that's improving a bit (well, they are quite nice kids actually. And their mother is happy to take the credit.)<BR/>I want all those people you have on your list PC. No wonder Leonard Woolf wrote all those letters - but we shouldn't need to be civil servants in the colonies in order to learn how to ask for help, should we.genevievehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02895689949182365454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-53594417845015263852007-09-06T11:20:00.000+09:302007-09-06T11:20:00.000+09:30My Mum gave me cash to pay someone to clean the wi...My Mum gave me cash to pay someone to clean the windows for my last birthday. Now I just need a PA to organise them to come.katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05933494864542847343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-49864725909278396502007-09-06T10:41:00.000+09:302007-09-06T10:41:00.000+09:30Aaaah Fox Creek wines. I'm so with you, especially...Aaaah Fox Creek wines. I'm so with you, especially Vixen. Mmmmmmmm......Jen at Semantically drivenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14643066498784270991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-80636320716675162362007-09-06T10:16:00.000+09:302007-09-06T10:16:00.000+09:30Sorry. That was a HUGE whinge. So was yours, PC, b...Sorry. That was a HUGE whinge. So was yours, PC, but...it is...your...blog.<BR/><BR/>Sorry.'signorina'https://www.blogger.com/profile/17552800884239465316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-5599336099005689532007-09-06T10:14:00.000+09:302007-09-06T10:14:00.000+09:30This makes me feel so much better about my recent ...This makes me feel so much better about my recent pondering of the need for household help:<BR/><BR/>* I'm barely in my 30s, shouldn't I have more energy?<BR/>* my job is busy, but at the end of the day, it's over - so why am I so exhausted when I do come home?<BR/>* there's only three of us (cat included) in the house, with a half-person presented in the form of my partner's son, half the time - can we possibly generate this much dust, dirt, hair, fur, laundry, half-read books, newspapers, and magazines? (Okay, one of us - no, not the cat, she already has hers - is finishing his PhD, but still...)<BR/>* we're only IN the bloody house on random occasions, because if we're not at work, we're going out.<BR/>* every two days there's THREE sinkloads of washing-up.<BR/>* every two days the laundry basket starts vomiting up its contents all over the bathroom.<BR/><BR/>I don't understand it. When we moved in, we mocked the idea of the dishwasher-sized hole in the kitchen counter: who would need a dishwasher for two-and-a-half people? Ha.<BR/><BR/>Answer: we do. And a cleaner. And a cat-wrangler. Don't even get me STARTED on how cats know you've just changed the sheets, so it's the perfect moment to cough up a nice, juicy furball.<BR/><BR/>At least it's not just me. And at least I now have some modicum of respect for the job my mum did of keeping four kids, a husband, and three cats clothed, fed, cleaned, vaccinated, etc. etc.'signorina'https://www.blogger.com/profile/17552800884239465316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-71690077039246915022007-09-06T09:46:00.000+09:302007-09-06T09:46:00.000+09:30If you are a quiet passenger and won't throw apple...If you are a quiet passenger and won't throw apple cores at me from the back seat ('just to see if I could hit that spikey part of your hair), I will be your driver on said trips to the Barossa Valley.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-47345218404704415832007-09-06T09:22:00.000+09:302007-09-06T09:22:00.000+09:30I love my cleaner and even when it was just me, 1 ...I love my cleaner and even when it was just me, 1 cat and a very small house - I wouldn't give her up. Now with twice the humans and 4 x the felines (I swear once they have expired I'll have one, non-shedding variety like a devon rex) I wish I could have her every day. Life is too short to dust, sweep, mop...when the sun is shining and cats need to be entertained.GShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11963643826578219126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-49243789892047818452007-09-06T09:10:00.000+09:302007-09-06T09:10:00.000+09:30Comicstriphero, take my word for it, when you've g...Comicstriphero, take my word for it, when you've got enough smokes and bourbon, moderate hygiene can be an optional extra. You never never know if you never never go.<BR/>PC: I'm available for diet advice for zip. Still waiting on that heart foundation tick, though.<BR/>What are the perks?The Devil Drinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00574283722171490665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-35968266491560857222007-09-06T08:58:00.000+09:302007-09-06T08:58:00.000+09:30Julian's cited reason for getting a haircut: 'Doin...Julian's cited reason for getting a haircut: 'Doing the vacuuming I found that most of the fluff was cat hair, Lucy hair, and my hair.' So he decided to do something about his fourth of the fluff. Lucy SussexAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17433936.post-86000905395778750902007-09-06T08:27:00.000+09:302007-09-06T08:27:00.000+09:30Look - get yourself at LEAST the cleaner.I can't t...Look - get yourself at LEAST the cleaner.<BR/><BR/>I can't tell you how good it is.<BR/><BR/>After struggling for 3 months with 12-hour days and just about every weekend on the road travelling north to support 'a very sick parent', something had to give.<BR/><BR/>I struggled for a time with some kind of weird (probably protestant) guilt about having someone else vacuum up the cat hair and scrub the loo. There was also a bit of guilt about shelling out money to someone else to do something I was perfectly able to do myself.<BR/><BR/>But then I thought "sod it. other people blow their cash on smokes, bourbon and betting. I'm going to blow mine on a moderate amount of everyday hygeine and cleanliness."<BR/><BR/>They come once a week and, bless their souls, even empty the kitchen bin.<BR/><BR/>Now, if I have a Saturday at home, I can spend it phoning friends, making cakes or playing with the cat.<BR/><BR/>Best money I ever spent.comicstripherohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05160377451440156332noreply@blogger.com