T minus 37 hours 15 mins and counting. Timing is everything...

Obviously this is about to become a very difficult time for us domestically. The baby is likely to occupy us in one way or another for the next few months at least. Time for keeping the house clean and tidy is going to be very short.

So.... I just sacked the cleaner.

OK, we sacked the cleaner. It was a joint decision, but I actually did the deed. I spend much of my professional life saying difficult things to people and telling other people how they should dismiss their workers and contractors, but actually having to do it is always awful.

She did give us good grounds though - she has broken a number of things of late: a couple of pieces of scuplture and a very beautiful ceramic umbrella stand. Her worst trait (apart from having an obvious aversion to cleaning away cobwebs) is that she used to spend a good part of her time when she was supposed to be working, texting and calling on one of her 4 (yes 4 !) mobile phones. We never did get to the bottom of why she needed so many nor why she should ask us to receive £10,000 for her through our bank account, but suffice it to say we were more than a little concerned as to what her activities entailed. Needless to say, we declined the opportunity to allow the money to come anywhere near our account - not least because it would have gone gloop into our overdraft and we might not have been in a position to pay it on to her !

So anyone know a good reliable cleaner whose laundering skills might extend to ironing, but not to money ?

No sign of the baby today although there have been some strong contractions. I am slowly making the raspberry leaf tea stronger and putting more and more tabasco in the food, but no noticeable effect is being achieved.