Saturday and most of the morning is spent in bed talking about breaks, cleaning and the usual domestics. It also reflected a poor nights sleep as my prostate got me up more frequently than usual. So it was brunch as the first meal of the day, fresh coffee and drugs. I unpack some new Denby mugs to add to the ones that my youngest daughter bought us for Christmas. I find I’ve bought the wrong hue of blue! Same shape but one hue deeper of blue. I’m not amused, now I have to decide whether to send the back or keep them and gamble on people not noticing. I decide to think about it.

Its time to clean the fish out as my partner cleans the fridge before tackling the rest of the house. All goes well for the most part and in due course the fish’s view of the television is restored. They look pleased and appreciate the renewed water flow from the cleaned pump. Life for the fish will be better for a few weeks now.

I am at the happy stage of clearing things up, with the carpet rolled up and my fish cleaning paraphernalia to put away when my partner appears with the Dyson beast. Its not working, cleaning has come to a halt, this is a crisis. I get my electrical kit and screw drivers and start to check the Dyson beast. Fuse is good. I start to take the machine apart starting with the mains switch and the mains cable. All is well. So I take all the filters out and check them, all is good. I check the hoses and pipes, all are well. I remove the brush guard and de hair the roller brush, now all is well. The machine still refuses to work. I examine the motor housing to find that to may amazement I do not have the right tool to unscrew the housing. I am stumped. I Google the Dyson beast and find it is no longer made. That means spares will be rare or its a case of finding a viable second hand one. Hmmmm, its decision time.

Hmmmm indeed. Answer buy a new one. Want one now. Google research shows that the replacement model, the Dyson Ball (big and small) is the replacement for the Dyson Beast. No where has the Dyson Balls in stock, no where. Right that is not good enough to solve the immediate “no hoover” situation. There is an intense Google research project and the outcome is The Henry Pet and its available from my local Argos. Henry is bought, I nominate my local in Sainsburys Argos to collect from. The confirmation comes through and my partner and set off to our local Sainsburys to pick up our Henry, (already one of the family). I get to Sainsburys and check the email and find that Argos have decided I’m collecting from another branch in the centre of town. I and my partner are not best pleased. We drive grudgingly into town and park. Its a five minute walk to the Argos. The pick up goes well, the walk back to the car park turns into a farmers walk as I clutch the boxed Henry to me. I make it in one go.

We drive home and of course I am like a child with a new toy. I clear the debris from the dead Dyson recovery attempt and assemble green Henry. I give Henry his inaugural run and introduce him to his new home and work environment. I am impressed with his dynamic suction power and willingness to work. The lounge is returned to its tidy state and the ground floor gets Henry clean. In the midst of this I order an Indian take away, no one can face cooking so I take the easy way out. Henry gets a rest, I watch a TV football match till the food arrives and then we feast. Nothings quite gone to plan today. I start the blog and before I know it is gone 10 o’clock. I’ve not had a moment to respond to friends WhatsApp messages and pictures. It seems everyone has been busy either reorganising rooms or socialising. Perhaps this is Spring springing and everyone is making the effort to move forward out of what has been a dark and miserable autumn and winter so far. Thankfully climate warming is bringing the garden spring along quicker this year and all sorts of things are flowering or growing early. Tomorrow the “too blue” mugs need to be solved, a home for Henry found, old mugs stored and the dead beast readied for recycling. Then things can be got on with. Now its time for drugs and bed.