Saturday 12th October 2024 - The House is Officially Clean

Hello all.

Today has been a culmination of all the cleaning and tidying I've been doing over the past two weeks. At long last, my home is clean, and every single room is organised. This has been a therapeutic, hardworking fortnight, and I am so happy and grateful that I have done it.

Juli and I woke up at 8 AM. Before getting out of bed, Juli reminded me that Fearne had a party at 11 AM, and we needed to wake her up and tidy her room before we ran out of time. “Come on then,” I said, “let's do a lap of the house and clean it.”

While Juli and Fearne tackled her bedroom, I headed downstairs to start the ‘lap.’ I gave the living room a quick clean, followed by the dining room. After that, I blitzed the shower room with my cleaning potions and moved on to the bathroom upstairs, making sure it sparkled too.

As Juli vacuumed the bedrooms, I focused on the kitchen. I put a load of clothes in the washing machine, emptied all the bins, loaded and started the dishwasher, and wiped down the countertops. I even cleaned all the windows and scrubbed the kitchen cupboards. It felt so satisfying, and we did it together as a team.

By the time Fearne’s party rolled around, the house looked incredible. I feel like we've turned a corner with our home. Now, with everything organised, we can keep each room tidy and spend just 10 minutes a day maintaining it. This will become the backbone of my daily routine, and I'm genuinely excited to keep the house clean and peaceful.

After a quick bite to eat, I was off to my refereeing appointment—Seaton Carew vs. Brandon United in the Wearside League Premier Division. It was a thrilling football match, despite being spoiled by a heavy downpour. I was soaked through to the skin, but it was worth it. Both teams played great football, and I had very little to intervene on, which made the match even more enjoyable to officiate.

After cycling home, I ran a lovely bath to warm up and put my referee kit on the radiator to dry (since I need it again tomorrow). I took a few moments to meditate, followed by using ice packs on my knees to help with recovery from the game.

The rest of the day was spent in the living room, eating food and watching films with Fearne. We watched Matilda, which is always a heartwarming movie, and then Monster High 2, which was surprisingly entertaining. Later, I decided to watch Se7en for the first time, and I’m so glad I did. What an exceptional movie, with a thought-provoking and memorable ending.

I feel content, not just because of the cleaning or the football, but because I’m learning to appreciate these moments. Gratitude for teamwork with Juli, for time spent with Fearne, and for small accomplishments like keeping the house in order, has made this day feel like a personal victory.