January 6

It is always sad to take the Christmas tree down, although we know it can’t always be up.

‘Why can’t we be that odd family that has a Christmas tree up the whole year?’ asks Ellie.  I know this would suit her.  Ellie is one of those people who would run a Christmas Shop the whole year round.

In the afternoon, my dad, Sian, Ellie and I wash my car.  I have a theory that the car you drive represents you as your energy is transferred directly onto it.  My car is looking decidedly neglected so we give it a good scrub and even clean the engine.  Hopefully, this means I will wake up tomorrow and feel as though I have had a makeover.

People who have gardeners don’t realise how lucky they are.  When you have to wash your own car, you don’t do it as often.  There are people I know who drive into their properties and are immediately surrounded by a host of people who carry their bags and their shopping and then give the car a clean before it is used again. When we lived in Ndola, we were in a townhouse complex.  The man opposite us was absolutely fanatic about his car.  The maid cleaned it before he left for work in the morning and, when he came home at lunchtime, she would run out with a stool and bucket of water and wash the whole car, including all the mats.  The car was clearly only used by him so much of her daily work was entirely superfluous.  The funniest thing was that this man would lock his car with his remote control and then walk around it, checking every single door before he went inside his house.

Before Christmas, I was going to pick up a parcel from someone’s house.  I messaged to say I was coming and received the reply that ‘the staff had been informed’ and I could pick it up.  There are many days when I wish I could talk about ‘the staff’.  I imagine a life of gardeners and maids floating about in crisp, clean uniforms, running the show with expert efficiency.  Sadly, 100-year old Elizabeth who can’t even answer a phone, does not quite fit the picture.