Mr Removal Man

I usually try to keep on top of things, but with Ramadan here there are piles of washing everywhere (how do three kids go through enough stuff to clothe an army? Little Lady’s clothes are covered in paint, Little Man’s in mud and grass, and Gorgeous’s in baby-food), sink is always full of dishes (i.e. right up to the tap, on the window-sill, the counter and the sink drainer) and house is a tip. Alhamdullilah, you can’t be gorgeous and keep a perfect house ;-).

My husband started his business recently, he does removals, delivery and house clearances, so he keeps turning up with all sorts of thing, the other day he turned up with beautician course books (ahem, I’m sure I’ll think of something to do with them) and a very cool, very heavy clock that looks like a car tyre. The hands and the spokes all blend in, so at suhoor and iftar time, we all sit there peering up at it for ages, think I will paint the arms. A few days ago he had a customer who’s uncle used to run an electronics business (that’s Asian’s for you – uncles everywhere) and left all his stuff behind at her house, she gave them to hubby to flog (printers, camera’s, a maaassive TV etc) and split the proceeds. So at the moment my front room looks like a mini-warehouse, and we have to keep the curtains shut in case the dodgy family down the road catch sight of the stuff (might do a post about them).

Last week he did a warehouse move and the owner gave him a case of little olive-oil bottles (the baby-massage type), a crate of Fanta and a wholesale pack of loo-roll (will be useful seeing how many relatives like to descend on our humble home). What more can a girl ask for?

One day he turned up with a giant mirror the size of one of our walls (he and his brother tried jumping on it, then he bashed it with a hammer, it still didn’t break, so he brought it home – just as well, I don’t like to see things destroyed or wasted). In the end we sold it for £30, plus he charged £20 to deliver it to the guy who bought it!

On the downside they did a house-move for brother-in-laws friend who paid them by giving them a car (I still maintain it saved him from having to pay to get it scrapped). I spent a good chunk of my maternity leave growing flowers in pots for the front garden, they were just all blooming at the same time (fuchsia, mini-rose, some stringy anemone’s, freesia’s), when this lovely rusty silver Sunny Datsun (I think that’s the right name) turns up and is parked right in front of the pots so you cant see them from the street. Then we found out that in-laws are coming, so we had to clear our spare-room out and had no-where to put the stuff (Asian’s can never, ever, ever have enough storage). All the stuff went into the car. So we have it parked outside full of bags, boxes, a pram and an enormous teddy in the driving seat. Only consolation is my husbands big van is parked on the road just outside the house, which obscures the view of our whole house and front anyway.

So you can imagine what my house looks like at the mo (3 adults, three kids and endless junk) and why life has become chaotic. Two more in-laws due on Saturday, so more helping hands inshallah – plus Eid pressies hopefully.

In a way this has been good for me. I am so used to clock-watching and order and routine and having everything just so, that the only way to deal with the mess is to chill out a bit about the state of things and stick to what is important: taking care of the little kids, the big kids and myself and also making the most of Ramadan (don’t you always feel you never made the most of this precious time?).

Hope that all of my brothers and sisters are keeping in good health, that you are able to worship as much as possible, and that all of your dua’s are being accepted. Ameen.