Yikes, it’s Christmas party time and all my long-term property up-keep must happen at the same time as the party planning.      

The air conditioner ducts need wiping, the paths need sweeping, the glasses need polishing and the lawn edges need tidying.    

There can be no more delaying the task of dragging away fallen branches, sweeping concrete garden borders, hanging new mirrors and hiding the unfolded clean washing, because let’s face it, there will never ever, ever, be a break in the washing cycle, as it just keeps coming, and coming, and coming.  

The laundry basket filled up while I was typing that last paragraph, I just know it.     

It’s time to vamoose Tiani’s year 6 artwork, no matter how much I love it, so there will be space for people to sit down, and while I’m at it, how many coffee mugs have I smashed this year?  

Clearly I need a whole new collection of cups for a party if everyone wants a cuppa at the end of the night.

What will I do for plates? A quick trip to the Salvation Army Thrift Shop I think, but I’m sure I have the cutlery situation covered – I’ll dig out the new box set I got last year.  

Thank goodness I oiled the deck a couple of weekends ago.

I managed to pick a day that wasn’t 43 degrees Celsius this year too, which was good, and I tried out a new brush applicator that meant only one coat – time saver!  

Trimming the grape vines would be wise, so no guests are strangled on their way down our garden path.  

Obviously the carpet needs vacuuming, the floor needs washing and I really should replace the hearth rug so nobody suspects how many times I nearly set the house on fire during winter.  

I’ll try to find time to water the garden each day so there is still something alive in the heat when the guests arrive, and I must clean out the fridge, wipe the front of the kitchen cabinets and fish out the salad tongs.  

Nobody mention the dust.