The lists just keep coming!  Here are my Top 10 things I never seem to get properly done in my home…. sinful but true…

1.  Cobweb Removal

However much I try, these things just keep coming.  I live in a period house with 12ft ceilings, so those little weaving people have a lot of space.  Sometimes I can go weeks without noticing, and then the sun comes out and.. LO!  Once there were so many on one ceiling that I performed an impressive ‘candyfloss’ manoeuvre and swirled a stick that pulled them all in one go.  It was very satisfying.  The downside of the cobwebs is that you then have to hunt for the critter that perpetrated them, and I am not a fan of spiders…

2.  Paperwork

I have many piles all over the house.. some to do, some done, some not even opened.  Even when I have a monthly purge I discover really old and important things that I have managed to miss.  That can include bills, permission for school trips, and the worst one was a Safeguarding document which could have resulted in a school having an emergency Ofsted inspection (luckily I found it 24 hours before the time was up, I was not popular that week).  I do try the in/out box thing that everyone recommends, but it is just not really me…. (note to self: sort it out or hire a secretary).

3.  Christmas Decoration management

Keep all Christmas Decorations/Lights/Stockings and so on together when they are stored away.  Last year I managed to lose all of the fairy lights.  I then had to go out and buy all new ones, (and we use a LOT).  On packing the new ones away after Christmas, I found all the lost ones (in the linen cupboard under some sheets of all places).  It was a pure irritation moment, and one that I need to address.

Our Christmas decoration boxes have themes from the last two decades; cute gingerbread, smart navy, homespun stuff.  They document my children’s ages more than anything, so I am loathe to get rid of them, but they do take up an awful lot of space for things that actually do not get used anymore.  If you change themes a lot, be ruthless and get rid of old ones that make you wince when you remember how stylish you thought they were at the time, oh and keep the lights with the decorations if you can…

4.  Window & MIrror Cleaning

This sits along nicely with the cobwebs moments.  Everything looks great in the house until the sun comes out and shines through the windows.  Except it isn’t shining, but turgidly trying to break through the grime accumulated on the glass.

We have a lot of open fires, so the insides of the windows get as bad as the outside.  Although it is a dull task, the difference is amazing when they are cleaned.  I swear I thought my garden was generally blurred recently until the windows were cleaned, and I realised I was not short-sighted but just peering through filthy glass.

Mirrors are a different matter.  They look lovely when sparkling clean, but I also think they are incredibly flattering with a fine mist of dust as they take years off my appearance.  A sort of de-liner of lines if you will.

5. discovering what actually lurks under the stairs, or not.