On Wednesday there was a major failure in the dustsheeting and screening of the kitchen alterations.
I had gone out leaving a chaotic, but clean, kitchen and returned to thick dust and soot everywhere - and my grandchildren were due home from school and would be expecting their tea in little over an hour.
There was no way that I could possibly let them eat at the kitchen table or breathe the dusty air.
Think, Elaine, think!
Ignore the mess.
I rummaged in the freezer - kept in the Boot Room - and came up with some frozen burgers and some brioche buns. We have a little gas hob through there, so that was tea sorted. Not quite up to normal standards of nutrition, but it would keep them going.
To make it more fun, I wrapped the cooked burgers and buns in some greaseproof paper and presented them with a 'Takeaway', to be eaten at the patio table. Success! They loved the novelty of it. Pudding was an ice cream cornet, appreciated all the more because the only ice cream I could find was stripy strawberry, vanilla and chocolate mix.
Once their parents had returned to claim them, I had to face the horror of the kitchen. It was such a mess that I had to disconnect my emotions and just plough through the jobs, doing basic cleaning and dust removal.
Unsurprisingly, my thoughts turned to cleaning products and how much I dislike all the chemical ones, I prefer using vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, and dandelions!
A couple of years ago I found an old recipe for Dandelion Cleaner. It was on a detached, raggedy page from an old recipe book. I didn't really expect great things from it, but I was curious to see whether it worked, so I made a brew.
Fabulously frugal, it is made very simply by boiling dandelions in water.
You will need approximately five dandelion plants - roots, leaves and flowers. Dunk them into some water to wash off the soil, insects, etc. then put them into an old saucepan, along with two or three pints of water. Bring to the boil and then simmer, until reduced by about half. You don't need to be too precise.
I then let the brew cool right down before straining the liquid. Discard the dandelion plants and bottle the liquid!
Don't forget to label it and keep it out of reach of children and animals - just in case.
It keeps for a week or two, but after that it begins to smell quite unpleasant.
I find that it works brilliantly on mirrors, windows, paintwork and metalwork. I simply apply it with a soft cloth, rub, then use another soft, clean cloth to dry things.
The building work is ongoing, though not as messy as before (fingers crossed) - the resident housework fairy is delighted to be able to clean the place up without chemical cleaners. 😎
Everywhere sparkles!
