Move over Anthea!

I have been in a cleaning and cooking frenzy this weekend. All three dogs followed me round the house alternatively ducking out of the way of hoover cables and Flash spray residue or dribbling and lurking for dropped items of food - cooked or otherwise. David spent most of today gazing at me as if were an alien from Planet Nigella. Mac is concerned that I'm going to make him eat one of the steak and kidney ("eurgh mummy, no!") pies that are currently cooling on a wire rack in the kitchen.

My frenzy started at 8am yesterday morning when I discovered something sticky on the kitchen floor. I found it with my left, bare foot and it sqeulched unbecomingly as I moved forward on my way to the kettle. Which meant I had to clean the whole floor. From my supine position on the tiles I noticed something unsavoury on the kitchen cabinets - I knew I shouldn't have got white, they show every mark, dribble and tide mark. Once I'd cleaned the cabinet doors I had to do the work surfaces. And on it went - I finished the kitchen at just gone nine. An accident with Mac and a bowl of Rice Krispies en route to the living room to watch Scooby Doo meant I had to do the hallway. By twenty to three I'd done the whole of the ground floor.

I then got something quick out of the freezer for dinner - whilst waiting for Elizabeth to start I'd found the mince, stewing steak and chicken thighs I'd hoiked out of the freezer whilst looking for the Sainsbury's Taste the Difference lasagne. All three items were defrosted and soggy and were unceremoniously hurled into the fridge.

I woke up at ten past ten today. Or so I thought. For, despite texting Charlie, Saskia and Lydia to remind them that the clocks went back this weekend, I'd put every single clock in the house forward an hour. "You idiot!" David said, not unkindly as he realised my error and stopped rushing round the house yelling "I'll be late meeting Neil for golf!". While he got his breathing back to normal, he asked for a "nice chicken casserole" for dinner. This I did (too late did I find this from Silvana) but I put enough wine in it for it to pass muster. Half Coq'd I suppose you could say.

I have several pies (using some pastry I found in the freezer - checking that I hadn't mistakenly left out any other items that would see me up to my oxters in stock and vegetables tomorrow) and I've lost count of the Cottage Pies I've got in the freezer. And I don't even like Cottage Pie. Or its lamb counterpart, Shepherds Pie. Never mind, we've been invited to Bea's Bonfire Night Bash next Saturday so I'll take them with me. Enormous Au Pair will think it's Christmas come early.

The house smells freshingly lemon-y with a mild hint of garlic, Mac is encouraging me to take the steak and kidney pies to Auntie Bea's as well and David is tiddly on the chicken casserole. And I'm currently contemplating eating the last remaining seven chocolates in the Quality Street box and a nice cup of coffee. I think I deserve it, don't you?