EVERY FAMILY should have an ironing fairy.
We’ve got one.
She lives a couple of miles from us, visits every Sunday to perform miracles with our laundry and, in the last week after our washing machine went on strike, has willingly taken on the role of washing AND ironing fairy.
Even on Christmas Day she is known to ask: “Have you any ironing? “ And then when we say there is none she’ll busy herself with the washing up in the kitchen (even though we have a dishwasher), because Ironing Fairies are versatile and helpful.
I hope that one day I will become an Ironing Fairy, possibly even a Babysitting Fairy.
Being useful to others is of great importance to human beings and a great way to stay young. My Ironing Fairy mum might be in her early eighties but she’s always doing something or going on her travels and nothing is ever too much trouble.
I suspect there are many elderly people sitting at home on their own who would love to be someone’s Ironing Fairy or Babysitting Fairy, it’s just a great shame they can’t be matched up with families who need them.
l Although New Year’s resolutions are destined to fall at the first hurdle, I have decided that 2012 will be the year that I take up regular swimming and gyming. I have to admit that neither activity is a particular favourite of mine but, as the Man-in-Charge says, it’s all a question of mind over matter.
For the past few weeks I’ve been limping around with sciatica and moderate exercise has been suggested as a way to overcome the, at times, crippling pain. So I have the best possible motivation. If anyone has any other curative ideas I’d be glad to hear them.
l Our cats are already suffering from seasonal stress disorder. It all began when we started moving furniture around to accommodate the new table football table, which the Man has bought himself for Christmas. Then the Christmas tree went up. And mid-week the house began to fill up with visitors.
Cats, like some people, don’t like change. It makes them feel unsettled and anxious. It also makes tom cats indulge in a bit of territorial spraying so I’ve had to go around our rooms doing some spraying of my own - from a bottle containing the soothing pheromones of a lactating cat. Now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d type.
If only there was something similar for humans. But I guess there is, it’s called a nice bottle of Chardonnay. Cheers.
