Don't blink or you'll miss it

 

 

The last time my ovens were this sparkling was when they were new. Oven cleaning is a domestic chore I've never managed to get into a routine, sadly. We had a scheme when this cooker was new that M would clean it every Monday, but somehow that was never convenient and it just got left! We did have one big blitz a year or so ago, but to be honest it still wasn't that good, especially on the upper and back sides. So when Alex Foster tweeted that he had had his oven cleaned and showed a photo on Twitpic, I got quite excited. More excited than I was about picking up the silk dupion to finish my new textiles pieces or the arrival of a new pair of shoes.

I think I should digress here. I rarely buy shoes. On the whole, I hate the things because I find them uncomfortable. I have been living in blissful unawareness that I am wearing shoes since I discovered Crocs but the Cayman is unsuitable for rainy or very cold weather and the styles designed to cope with these conditions just don't fit the bill for comfort in the same way. So I've been looking for a pair of shoes that can be work when it rains that have that same quality of not reminding me every thirty seconds that I am wearing shoes. It's been a difficult search. My feet seem an odd shape. So when I eventually tracked a pair down, although they were expensive, I decided to splash (oops, sorry!) out. I mean, I'll have them for years and years, and the difference between comfort and discomfort sometimes just has to be paid for. In case you're wondering what they're like, my new red shoes can be seen here. Well, at least until they go out of the catalogue, I guess.

So I was quite pleased with my new shoes. And really a bit excited about the silk dupion. But much, much more excited about the idea that I could pay someone to do a really thorough job of cleaning my oven. How sad is that!

I hope very much not to need their services again, but in case anyone in my area has the same problem, Cotswold Oven Valeting was who I used. They're not the cheapest, but they do work in my area. You may well be able to find someone a little cheaper if they are a member of The Association of Approved Oven Cleaners but sadly, the company that said it covered Gloucestershire didn't cover my bit of Gloucestershire. I'm so pleased that such an organisation exists, though.

I have a brand new magic oven cleaning cloth from Lakeland Limited and I hope this will help me keep my oven sparkly clean if only I can be disciplined enough to use it regularly. Time will tell.