Today my boyfriend’s mother and his brother came to tea.  They were here for the afternoon and dinner, and have just left (it’s 9.30pm).  But my post isn’t really about their visit.  I think they had a nice time, and that’s good, I feel it’s important for my boyfriend’s family to like me.

And that is essentially what this post is about.  I wonder if it’s just the scourge of those brought up in the middle classes that feel the need to impress; to show are homes at their best.  For instance, I spent 3 hours today cleaning.  It’s important to say, I suppose, that my home isn’t particularly dirty and I do clean regularly, but because family were coming over we went that bit further.  Taps are gleaming, mirrors are shining, carpets hoovered to within an inch of their lives, sheets changed, furniture polished, floors mopped (twice) and selves preened and made pretty.

I wonder where this strange antiquated ritual comes from.  It’s been passed down to me from my mother, who always made the house spotless if visiters were coming.  And I presume it was passed down to her from my grandmother, and to her from my great grandmother.  I suppose it spawns from the era(s) when a woman’s place was in the home and their homes where always expected to be as clean as possible.

So if this tradition prevails to this day, how do women with careers, families and a home manage?  How do they do it all?  Maybe that’s something I’ll find out in the days to come, but it’s something of a daunting thought!