If you have been reading my recent blogs, you will, no doubt, have built up a picture of me in your head. A lady who knows her laundry, I'm sure you're thinking; a domestic goddess, I hear you say; pride of her family, fabulous cook....... oh stop, stop I'm blushing. No I'm not, I'm being ironic.

Housework, to me, is something imposed by some sadistic ancestor who wanted to stop us doing more interesting things. Yes I like the billows, but the rest can go hang as far as I'm concerned. It's strictly done on the basis of pure necessity. When you can't get from one end of the house to the other without things falling on you, then it's time to tidy and now I'm being neither metaphorical nor ironic, although I am slightly disappointed that the household robot I predicted as a child has yet to be invented.

I've been tired today, after all the toing and froing to the hospital, which is quite a drive from my house, visiting my dear old dad and transporting my mum hither and thither (usually one or the other, sometimes both), my shoulders ache and my eyes are on the blink.

It doesn't help that we also went to my brother's house for dinner last night and the wine flowed rather freely. A smidgeon kept finding its way into my glass and, aware that my sister in law is rather houseproud, it seemed only polite to tidy it away. I found myself doing a lot of wine tidying over the course of the evening.

The meal was delicious, the dessert, made with my dairy intolerance in mind , was an old family recipe and very tasty in a light, frothy heavenly cloudlike way.  I woke up this morning with a combination of slight hangover and serious headache from yoghurt in the dessert that was so small in quantity, it was assumed that I wouldn't have a problem.

These negative experiences have coincided with the kitchen's need for attention. The shelves of fridge, freezer and cupboard are groaning under the weight of fresh, delicious comestables; and yet various members of the family have been sauntering in, complaining that there's nothing to eat, dirtying plates and cups with lots of nothing and then wandering out again. Things are threatening to fall and they've all managed to find something important to do. I'll get in there and sort it out....... in a minute. Better have a fortifying cup of rooibos first.