A mammoth undertaking

After at least eight years, my cleaners have just given notice. I’ve seen it coming for a while, but it’s still unfortunate and inconvenient. They are two sisters, who work together as a team, but their elderly mother has become extremely frail and has moved in with one of them, who now has become virtually a full-time carer, and is finding it very difficult to juggle that with working. Their attendance has become increasingly erratic, as they try to fit their cleaning jobs around their mother’s many medical appointments. Finally, it’s all become too much and they have apologetically handed in their notice.

The agency that employs them appears to have taken the decision not to replace them, but to concentrate on their core business, that of providing home care to the elderly. Domestic cleaning was always a bit of a sideline for them, and one that they clearly don’t find lucrative enough to continue with. I’m a bit surprised at that – I’ve been hurriedly getting quotes from alternative suppliers, and am shocked at the prices I’ve been quoted. They’re significantly steeper than I’ve been used to paying. However, I’m determined to keep my quality of life as high as I can, and if that means using most of Christopher’s small pension to pay for a cleaner, then so be it.

The new cleaning agency starts this week, and at the prices they’re charging, I’m expecting miracles! I’m also deliberately leaving tell-tales on the floor and strategically placed around the house to see how thorough they are!