The house is clean. Spotless in fact. The lovely lady who has transformed it from a grubby, dusty mess into a serene space of clean light was on holiday last week so it was particularly bad after two weeks of neglect. The morale boost of a tidy house to an irritable mother cannot be underestimated. Years ago I used to have a girl called Magda help me in London. Although she made the place look gorgeous there were always a few incidents. I came home early one day to find her spraying my perfume liberally over herself. I would often get phone calls asking for her from overseas. Magda also cleaned the house of a friend of mine. His girlfriend came home to find Magda fully reclined on his la-z-boy chair enjoying a chat with one of her Polish compatriots on his landline. I liked the girl but she clearly needed to re-evaluate where her professional boundaries lay.
It's Christmas eve and our house is full of excitement. We have been discussing Father Christmas and what we think he's probably up to right at this very minute, wondering whether the snow and ice in England will impede his reindeer of if they'll feel it's a 'home from home' and speed them up. This evening we will be having roast chicken for dinner then after the children have all gone to bed the husband and I will wrap up their presents, drink sherry and listen to Christmas carols. The weather forecast for tomorrow is clear blue skies which would be glorious. Our Christmas Day will be spent with the husband's family which is always fun. I will miss my family terribly but they are coming in 4 weeks on my birthday so there is plenty to look forward to with them.
Yo ho ho Merry Christmas to one and all love from Jenny Jane Rudd
