As I'm flying to Switzerland on Monday, and Mum will be taking care of the cats while I'm away for the week, I spent the day cleaning the flat from top to bottom. I am what can best be described as a reluctant housewife, and it takes my mum coming to visit for me to get the place ship-shape or I won't bother. Shame really, 'cause now that it's spic and span, I'm sure I could get used to this...but I know I'll go back to my slovenly ways once I get back.

I also stopped off at a hairdresser's (not my usual), and the girl was so pleased with the result she asked if she could take a picture, presumably to show her family when she got home: "Mum, Dad, look! this is what I've done today"...she was fresh out of hairdressing school.

I'm going over to the care home Dad used to live in until recently tomorrow and see if I can rescue some of his personal belongings. The home moved him so quickly and then failed to give us any sort of indication as to when they expected us to have the room emptied, that when I phoned last Thursday I was surprised to hear they'd already cleared it as we "had failed to comply with the regulation that it had to be done within 3 days after a resident is moved". I was told I had a further 7 days to sort through any items they had stored before they would be destroyed. Then on the way home I'll have to pop into the kosher deli and pick up the 'big bag of licorice' my friends in Zurich have asked me to bring. They may have left The Netherlands 30 years ago, but some habits or a craving for a taste of home still remain. I hope it won't be a wasted trip: isn't Shavuot this weekend?