I apologise for the lack of pictures but I am still having computer problems. Anyway, I think this is one post that will benefit from a lack of images!
Generally I consider myself to be a clean and hygienic person but (I will let you into a secret here) I have never really known how to properly clean a toilet! There are many sites on the Internet advising on how to clean the toilet but they don't cover everything I need to know. For example there is a video clip of a woman using colour coded gloves (used specifically for cleaning the toilet) and then she turns the taps on whilst wearing them. Yuk! After she has cleaned the toilet she changes into another pair of gloves to clean the rest of the bathroom touching the same taps that she has touched with the 'toilet' gloves! Could somebody explain to me what you are supposed to do with the 'toilet' gloves after the cleaning session? Where do you store them?
Some sites advise you to wear eye protection whilst carrying out the toilet cleaning procedure. The reader is advised to clean all surrounding objects, bins etc as 'men don't always aim correctly' and items get sprayed! After reading all this I am feeling even more inadequate with my toilet cleaning as I never imagined that things surrounding the toilet were likely to be covered in pee!
I threw out my toilet brush many months ago as I didn't like the thought of the brush sitting in a soup of germs. How do you keep the brush clean? How often are you supposed to clean it?
Armed with eye protection, rubber gloves, paper towels, a sponge (although some people advise against this) cleaning powder, disinfectant, lime scale remover and bleach spray I am now equipped to clean the toilet. Surely I don't need all this paraphernalia to clean the toilet. Do I need to wear special clothes too? Maybe I should set aside some toilet cleaning overalls and put plastic bags over my shoes. Wearing a dust mask might be a good plan of action too, to protect me from breathing in undesirable chemicals!
This post is written tongue in cheek but I would seriously like to know how you clean your toilet, what you use and how you store the 'toilet' rubber gloves! There must be a simpler way to keep the lavvy clean!
Take 3 ingredients; butter 4 oz, sugar 2 oz, flour 6 oz. Beat together first two ingredients. Add flour and mix into a smooth paste. Press mixture into a small sandwich pan, mark into 8 pieces and prick all over with a fork. Place into a pre-heated oven at 190C, 375F, Gas mark 5 for 20 minutes.
When cooked place onto a wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with caster sugar. Cut through pieces whilst still warm.
Enjoy with a beverage of your choosing. This recipe is especially welcome on a dark and dismal summer's day!
I have been having a very fidgety kind of day so far today. I have faffed around and achieved nothing apart from blogging about it! I can't quite pinpoint why I feel so restless but the fact that I am surrounded by chaos may have something to do with it. The bookshelves above are an indication of how a lot of the nooks and crannies in my house look at the moment. I have lack of storage and lack of organisational skills. Despite having nowhere to put my books I just still keep on buying them.
This used to be a linen cupboard but crafting supplies seemed to take over and the 'linen' became a pile on my bedroom floor. The pile has now been joined with several other piles of homeless items.
Despite the chaos around me I divert my attention to other things such as the books above which I have had for ages and not yet got around to reading.
The books above are my new books that I bought over the last few weeks. I devour a new book within hours and am then looking for the next thing to do. I enjoy receiving new books immensely but am often disappointed with the content. There is never enough to keep me absorbed for long enough. Saying that I do go back to them over and over again.
I am nearly at the end of this blanket. I usually work on it during the evenings when the t.v or radio is on so I don't feel like I am just wasting time. This blanket gave me fidgety fingers! I have the dreaded task of sewing all the little ends in once I have completed a few more rows, unless I find something else to become preoccupied with such as sorting out my dilapidated hovel!!!
It seems we are in a time and place where practising a bit of frugality is called for. The tips listed below are the measures that I have taken in order to save a few pennies. 
I have a rapidly growing collection of Yankee Candles. The large jar candles are my favourites as they infuse the whole house with their wonderful aromas. Each morning I light my Good Morning candle in the kitchen. This one smells of fruity breakfast muffins. In the evening I light my blackberry scented candle in the living room.
With wonderful names such as Indonesian Ginger, Greek Fig and Blackcurrant, Rose of Morocco and Brazilian Passion Fruit, how can I resist? I change my candles to suit my mood. In the summer I tend to like the fresh and fruity scented candles and later in the year I prefer the vanilla and warm spiced ones.
My collection (obsession) doesn't just stop at large jar candles. I have small and medium jar candles, samplers, tea lights, tarts and tart burners and 3 wick candles. I like to think that I have a scent and a candle for every occasion!
There is candle wax in every colour imaginable in the Yankee Candle range. The green ones above are 'Granny Smith' as in the apple and not in as your Granny! The creamy yellow one is 'Sweet Honeysuckle' and the white one is 'Clean Cotton' which is supposedly one of the most popular scents in the range. 