Alien sunflower

This is one of the illegal sunflowers that the birds planted in the middle of my gladioli. But since the gladies have mostly tumbled over under the weight of their own flowers, perhaps it's just as well there's something else there.

Back to the depressing grindstone of applying for freelance work that will be given to someone prepared to write 10 TOP QUALITY 500 word articles for 0.5/1 cent per word. And these aren't even folk who live in countries where you hear about people living on a dollar a day. It gets me down really on every count possible.

So, to cheer myself up, back to scrubbing the hall floor. So far this floor has had on it:

- 5 litres of hydrochloric acid (diluted and applied with mop)
- 2kg of citric acid (dissolved and applied with mop)
- 300g of bicarbonate of soda (scrubbed in with scrubbing brush)
- 100g of citric acid (scrubbed in with scrubbing brush)
- approx 3 bottles of regular floor cleaning (mop)
- half a tub of that special cleaner I got from Lakeland that's orange

And finally today I found something that actually works. Jif (now called Cif, it appears). Yup, that yellow stuff for cleaning your bath works wonders on plaster-stained ceramic tiles. And no, I'm not sponsored by them - though if any of their marketing folk read this, I'm nearly at the bottom of the bottle now and would happily provide a glowing ceramic tile related testimonial if you send me another bottle.

So, a quarter of the hall now looks just sort of a bit old and grubby, rather than like someone spilt wet plaster all over it and ineffectually wiped it a bit with some kitchen roll.

Mr B seemed to have a good day in London, which sort of made up for the kids missing dinner again-again-again. They know what time dinner will be. They have watches. I even shouted for them. So, cold duck and chips for them and no pudding. And it put me in a grumpy enough mood that I cancelled our proposed trip to the free music show in town. Mind you, they would have hated it, so I'm not sure that punishes anyone but me.

Meanwhile, I have ironing and trashy tv. Sounds like an evening.