Halfway Over the Hill

 Back in September 2017  Standing on tiptoe in the narrow bathroom of my hired lodging in the hilltown of Ilboli, I watched a spectacular show playing out in the night sky through the thin strip of window set high in the wall. Lightening leapt off the shingle roofs, the frenetic sirocco known locally as the FaOoohn whipped round the chimney stacks and whistled inside. The distant hills flashed in and out of existence; and between rumbles and the drumming sluice of heavy rain, deafening thunderclaps rung through the startled house. The naked light bulbs over the wash basin quivered and dimmed repeatedly. Out of the corner of my eye, I was intensely aware of the shadows. I backed out of the bathroom and started at my own image in the mirror. This was my last day here, I'd been on edge all week. The cottage which had been undergoing essential renovation was ready to be moved into. I was going to brave it for a couple of weeks before returning to Paris. My first day there ...

I have stalled on the 'Earth & Air' sequel for lack of information so here is just a filler. How to clean: The best way to clean is to avoid doing it as much as possible i.e. you must develop a strategy that will bring about a situation of low cleaning necessity, primarily achieved by radically lowering your standards. I have a different take on Quentin Crisp's famous saying: Dirt only gets dirty after five years* Now of course that is a bit of an exaggeration. I expect you to clean at least once a year. But we can go one better and aim for a monthly clean. You could get a cleaning person but as most cleaners will only clean an already clean house, that is not really an option for me. Don't be alarmed, I have (almost) never achieved Life of Grime (tv doc) levels of insalubrity. I have my daily shower every other day and I actually take pleasure in hearing the churn of the washing machine on its 15-minute cycle, and hanging out clean laundry on the line is ev...