Last night proved to be quite a full one, once Meg was asleep in bed. But the evening did not get off to a flying start because the anticipated carer who was due to arrive at 7.00pm (and was scheduled to assist him) did not turn up and the relief care worker turned up at 7.40pm. By this time, Meg was well and truly asleep and badly slumped in her chair so it always more difficult to prepare Meg for bed under these circumstances. I had set myself the task of washing all of the really good glassware which normally occupies a pride of place in our display cabinet, being wedding presents in the main. Glasses stored in a display cabinet like this acquire a sort of dull bloom and we used to empty the cabinet once a year as part of a spring-cleaning routine but those days have long gone. I started the seemingly endless cycle of washing the glass, drying it and then remembering how they were actually stored but I did manage to complete this task sometime after 9.00pm. Then there remained three large cardboard boxes filled with all kinds of things that we have accumulated over the years, so I completed the task of emptying one of them which was filled with some ornaments and pictures that adorn the walls and shelves of our dining room. Then I placed one of the two remaining boxes on the table and started on its contents. A 10.00pm having got all of the glassware back into the unit and two of its lights working again (not an easy task as the supply cord had been trapped behind it by the decorators who had not seen fit to rescue it before it was moved back into position) I decided to have a break. Unusually, I thought I would treat myself to an especially fine flavoured low alcohol beer but then, not to break the habit of the last few months, I promptly fell asleep with the beer glass falling from my grasp. Most of this ended up on my trousers (straight into the washer) and some of the rest on a protective mat I have in position to guard against such an event but the remainder on the carpet. Now I have to swing into a well-rehearsed routine to clean spills off the carpet which involved a lot of water and then drying off with liberal amounts of kitchen towel using bare feet to get the right degree of moisture absorbing pressure (a tip got from a local renowned carpet cleaning expert). Then I really have gone to bed, but I wanted to watch a bit of NewsNight in view of the global financial reaction to the Trump tariffs and then I could not resist a little start on one of the remaining boxes. Here I discovered all kinds of things long forgotten about but often, I suspect, Christmas style gifts. The box proved to be a cornucopia of forgotten things but I did discover a wine thermometer, a fine Italian leather note wallet and a couple of pencil portraits that a holiday friend of ours - quite a renowned artist in his own right - had sketched of Meg and I whilst we were on one of many vacations with him and his wife. We might just get these framed when I am next in the vicinity of the local photographic shops that sells frames in variety and will find a place to give them the airing they deserve. Needless to say, I am finding some things to throw away but not quite as much as I expected.
The carers arrived at a time schedules slightly later than usual and they got a sleepy Meg up, washed and dressed whilst I supplied her with porridge as per usual. I had a quick excursion to get my Saturday newspaper, and I had not been back for long when the electrician turned up to re-install the light fittings taken down before the decoration. As he was doing his work, I questioned him about things electrical and I pointed out that I needed to get a 221mm picture (strip light) for the central panel of the unit. He thought these things unobtainable and did a quick search on the internet through his mobile phone to no avail but said he would look for me to see if any his suppliers had any old stock. I searched on eBay and found one source that sold the longer (280mm) strip lights, so I emailed him to ask him if the shorter picture light was still available and did he happen to have any? I then had a bit of brainwave and cannibalised the size of bulb I needed from the companion corner unit so now the main unit has all of its three lights working for the first time in years. I did a quick Amazon style search and did find a 221mm bulb so promptly ordered it because I suspect that they are (or may become) as rare as hen's teeth. I contribute to be inspired by my clearing out zeal so carried on apace with the second last box until everything here had been sorted. Then I started on the final box and, by Sod's law, found a bulb of exactly the kind I was looking for, so it was soon fixed in the corner unit and is working perfectly. The late morning carer came round to check on Meg but she was comfortable, so I mentioned to the carer how I was de-cluttering and disposing of unwanted stuff from the dining room. As it turned out, she was absolutely mad about candles and so I let her have a good supply them to her. At the same time, I established that she was a gardener as well, so she left clutching one of my big RS encyclopadias which reduces my book clutter a little. Then I carried on until the entire table and was cleared and I reestablished the normal table decoration - the dining room looks tidier than it has been for about 15 years! I took a photo of it and and am now resolved to keep it in its nice clutter-free state. I still have some files of paperwork to sort through and file or discard, but I can do that anywhere and at my leisure.
© Mike Hart [2025]