My sister is coming for a short visit in 48 hrs and I just finished cleaning the cooker. I made a list of what I need to do next: bathroom, guest beds, patio, lots of deadheading of flowers in the garden, washing the kitchen floor and getting rid of as many spider nets as possible. There will not be enough time to weed the flower beds, clean the fridge or the windows. Then there's shopping, she has celiac disease, at least I know what not to get. The last time she came, she called out as she walked into the house, aah that peculiar smell, like mould in Ireland.
As if she knows anything about that.
I have a dear friend coming in 48 hours. I am NOT freaking out. She loves me. I love her. She can deal with dust and dirt. There are flowers and clean sheets.
ReplyDeleteI have three sisters, two older and one younger. I cannot wait to hear how your sister's visit goes.
ReplyDeleteYikes. Older or younger sister?
ReplyDeleteI used to clean the house when my mother came to visit. Now I clean when my daughters are coming!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure she meant 'Irish Moos' (aftershave) http://www.basenotes.net/ID26121491.html
ReplyDelete;-)
After your first sentence I knew what was coming.
ReplyDeleteOne of my daughters cleans heavily when she knows I'm coming.
I remember visiting and asking for cotton swabs. Next thing she saw was Mom on her knees cleaning the grooves of the sliding door to the patio.
Bad on me then - I have stopped that nonsense. It is a 'control' thing. Enjoy the visit. The photo is sooo sweet.
i think your sister was just pushing your buttons. As siblings do. Which one are you in the photo?
ReplyDeleteI looked at the photo of you and your sister for a long time, thinking about what you have said about your growing up years.
ReplyDeleteToday was the first day since our father died in 2003 that my estranged sister and I talked on the telephone. We have yet to visit each other's homes. What a relief that the conversation was not strained, that we were able to laugh, ask questions, listen to each other. I am the oldest of three sisters. My sister is the youngest, five years younger than I am. However, in photos from our childhood, I am the one who looks tentative, the way you do in your old photo. My sister smiled easily as a child. People have asked if she is my older sister because of confident way she carries herself, as if she were the older sister. As an adult, she is taller than I am.
In recent years, I've been painfully aware of sisters and how they relate to each other and have learned much from what you have written about yourself and your sister.
Hope your visit with your sister goes well.
I always go a little cleaning-crazy when we have out of town guests. We're pretty neat, but when guests come I want everything to be shiny bright and perfect. I hope the visit with your sister goes well in every way and that there is plenty of good food (gluten free!) and lots of laughter.
ReplyDeleteLOL -- that is a VERY strange thing to say upon entering someone's house! Good for you for cleaning up so extensively and being such a good host. Hope the visit goes well.
ReplyDeleteI always add as a coda to my huffing and grumbling that it's a good thing really that we get visitors occasionally or not much cleaning would probably get done at all otherwise. We have a German friend who is notorious for the fact we all clean up madly when we know she'll just be dropping by for tea, everyone's quite open about it, including her daughter, who once did an amusing imitation of her (in her presence) inspecting and pronouncing on a bit she'd missed just behind the u-bend underneath the toilet.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely love your kilts and t-bar sandals!
I'll be seeing my sister in a month and she'll make remarks about my weight and my breasts...y'know, I'm 65 and well. shite. This is what 65 looks like.
ReplyDeleteThen hopefully we can have a good time together.
XX Beth