Domesticity

I've lost count of the number of times I've gone out in the garden to do a quick tidy up, only to come haring back in after about five minutes as the heavens open. Breathless, I stand bedraggled and dripping on the door mat, while the cats gazing at me sleepily from their resting places, yawn, stretch and roll over - too lost in the warm fuzz of sleep to even wonder what their "housekeeper" is doing.
The weather is so changeable just now; one minute blue skies and warm summer sun only to suddenly be replaced by cool rain falling in straight darts from a steely grey sky. I know everyone else is complaining about the weather, and while I would like to have some sun, I find that I also enjoy the moodiness of these sudden changes. There's something very relaxing about being inside and hearing the rhythmic tapping against the window pane as the rain falls from the sky.

With all the time I've been spending inside, it's a good thing that we choose this time of the year to update our cooker! Up until this point we had been making do with the cooker that we inherited from the previous owners of our cottage and it was very small. So small that if I did a roast dinner with crispy roast potatoes and creamy Yorkshire puddings I had to do it in relays! First the joint of beef goes in, then comes out and gets wrapped in acres of tin foil to keep it warm while the roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings go in as I hop about next the oven impatiently waiting for them to cook and hoping that the beef doesn't get too cold. But no more! We have a shiny new and slightly larger oven (the beautiful Aga of my dreams will have to wait as we would need to build a new kitchen to accommodate it here!) But we did manage to get a range style cooker in a smaller size which I am very pleased with, although I do feel a few Hyacinth Bouquet moments coming on when I show my new appliance to my friends and they say "Oh, very nice - is the colour cream?" My right eyebrow raises and I manage to disdainfully utter, "No, it's Champagne".
Oh dear, never mind domestic goddess; all this indoor time has changed me into a domestic demon!