Eyes, Flies and Freezers

Patting myself on the back here. I've been unusually domestic goddessy and done some stuff round the place. We got up this morning to a warm fridge, which is a result of a very poor design. Every time a bit of ice builds up in the back of the freezer it blocks the cold air vent that cools the fridge part. We got a chap out the first time it happened because we thought the damn thing had died. He showed us how to take it apart and get to the ice that can't be seen in the main freezer (it's totally frost free in that bit, so you'd have no idea what the problem is). So, I was in there at 7.30am with screwdriver, bits all over the floor and two hairdryers blasting at it. All done and reassembled by just after 8am.

Since I was on a roll I decided to do all the dishes and mop the floors. We have a ridiculously large kitchen and dining room area and a small living room. Daft if you ask me. The floors take an age to mop. This isn't helped by the fact that the flooring is that industrial rubber stuff that marks like billy-o. You have to soak it, scrub it, rinse it and repeat. I'm sweating like a cart horse now (delicious visual there for you). Why I felt the need to do it on the hottest morning of the year is anybody's guess.

The weekend was a pretty groovy one here. Hub and I popped to town on Saturday and I had an eye test. We did some work in the afternoon and chilled out in the evening. Yesterday we had a big walk around the car boot sale. We went to the huge one that takes place in a field and takes about an hour to walk round. The weather was glorious and the smell of freshly cut grass most uplifting. I got a nice book of watercolour paper for 50p.

We ventured to B&Q, internally avoiding the cliché we've become of Sunday morning middle aged potterers. I don't think we'd even be classed as middle aged really, but we certainly walk the walk. The optician had strongly recommended that I illuminate my work area as much as humanly possible, so we were in search of desk lamps. I got three and a gigantic plug extension so I'll actually be sure to use them. If I have to unplug a lamp to use my printer, for example, that there lamp is unlikely to ever be plugged in again. I hate crawling under my desk doing all that gubbins.

The new lighting arrangement had a good test drive in the afternoon. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. I must look like the Wizard of Oz or a space ship captain here at my desk with what can only be described as a bank of floodlights surrounding me. How long before the police come knocking on the door in search of the marijuana farm that must surely be on the go here? My living room can probably be seen from orbit now. Still, it does help a bit. I'm getting double vision when doing really close up stuff, but it's up to me to stop pressing my nose against the page I guess. I was advised against having reading glasses just yet, as apparently it makes your eye muscles lazy and you'll not be able to read or whatever without them within a few weeks. Since I already wear glasses for short sightedness I think I'd be extremely irritated at having to swap from one pair to the other all the time, so I'm happy to go along with his recommendation. One day when I can afford some swish varifocals I'll go for it, but that'll probably be when I'm about 105.

A delicious dinner of chicken and salad went down well and then we took ourselves to the cinema. We'd really fancied seeing The Bridesmaids after catching a few trailers and hub hamming up on the movie reviews (one of his major obsessions). Cor, what a let down. It had been billed as the female version of The Hangover, which we loved. It was nothing of the sort. Yes, there were some funny bits, but on the whole it was naught but a dire and badly paced chic flick. Now I may be a chick, but I am not a fan of that genre at all. The main character was unpleasant and stupid and the storyline a slow painful, boring durge. By the time we wer 20 minutes in I was acutely embarrassed to be sitting there. Poor hub was chewing his own knuckles off in horror. If we hadn't been hemmed in by other viewers between us and the end of the row we'd have walked out. However, we're still terribly British and don't like to cause a fuss, so we remained and suffered. Deeply gutting, especially when we would have probably enjoyed pretty much any other movie that was showing at the same time.

This floor still isn't dry. Testament to the humidity and all round sticky unpleasantness that's going on today. I really don't get how anyone can enjoy this weather. I guess my eastern European ancestry is to blame for my hatred of anything above a tepid climate. My sis has the right idea being up there in Scotland; they're not experiencing anything as volcanic as we at the moment and she'll no doubt be thankful for it. One day we'll move there too. Oh yes.

Three paintings to finish this afternoon. I'm also going to do a whole load more book covers and see if I can get them to dry without flies sticking to them. The little blighters are running amock here because I've got all the windows open. I'm definitely off to the shops later for a can of Flit or whatever they have these days for the murdering of insects. I chased one round with a rolled up newspaper yesterday for a good half hour before pummelling it on the skirting board. It's like they know they're going to die but they want one last belly laugh at me thundering about and cursing. At least the expire with a smile on their face, which is all we can aspire to really.

And now, a nice cup of tea. I deserve it.