Over the past months I have had various workmen around the house, all manner of trades, and without fail they get the vacuum cleaner out and give the place a quick cleaning.

I wonder if their wives know that they are familiar with the business end of a vacuum cleaner.

Sounds like you could hold that information for ransom.

I know a man who is fastidious around the house and who vacuums most days, probably 13 days out of a fortnight. Sometimes he'll do it twice a day. He wore out a Dyson in about two years. We all thought that particular vacuum had done the work of a dozen vacuum cleaners in its short life.

He's a pretty good cook too but his wife of seven years recently told us that he's not cooked a meal (other than when entertaining guests) since they got married! The kitchen sink is spotless, and once he's dried and polished the right hand sink, you can't put a drop of water in there! All the mugs have to face a certain way in the cupboard too. But at least the floor is clean!

Clean and tidy's good, but fastidious would drive me round the bend.

I too have had a string of men in over the last few weeks. They were all tidy and house-trained but one went beyond the call of duty. He traced a leak behind the washing machine and put me on to a plumber, who came two days later and charged me peanuts: and he brought in two pints of milk because I'd been making so much tea. He can come again.

We had a mob of blokes staying here one time and they bought a huge bag of peas with them. They spent an afternoon blanching them and doing whatever else you do to peas making me promise I wasn't to tell a soul.

Well chance'd be a fine thing, Lesley, what am I doing wrong?

Looking after your house so it doesn't need a string of repairs?

Tizzabelle when I was first married I used to vacuum the house from bottom to top every day, every room including all around the edges with the crevice tool, and the kitchen carpet got vacuumed anything up to (or even beyond) half a dozen times each day as the carpet was bottle green and showed every speck. I used to move armchairs and the sofa, and coffee tables. There were only the two of us so it didn't actually get dirty, it wasn't by a road either.

I must have been mad.