A little anxious

I confess to feeling a little anxious. Angie, our cleaner, is on holiday for the next two weeks so the agency will be sending someone else. I hope she turns out to be someone better than last time Angie was off. That time I just got a lot of moans about our house being too clean for it to be worth her time to do anything. She didn't believe in bleach. She had to put her coat on to go to the laundry room for the mop, even though the laundry room is literally only a couple of steps outside. Above all I didn't appreciate being told off for being too clean. I ended up pointing out that the Fox is allergic to house dust so the place must be kept clean. Otherwise he's one long permanent sneeze.

Having a different person come is always tiring for me. Inevitably I spend a lot of time explaining what we want doing & showing her/him where equipment etc is. Not very relaxing at all, but still easier, and safer, than trying to do the cleaning myself.

On the good side the excursion list for our cruise has arrived. It's full of useful information such as how far it is from the boat to the things we might want to see, what the terrain is like in between, where accessible loos are etc. The one trip we had been thinking was a must see, Cologne cathedral, is apparently only 10mins flattish walk from where the boat will be moored. The organised trip is on foot. With this in mind we're thinking we can maybe decide nearer the time. We are on the whole happier exploring on our own. We will be taking our guide book, which is due to arrive any day now, so we don't really feel we need to be in a big group with a human guide, no matter how interesting they may be. 

We're also relieved to see the dress code is casual. The info sheet positively says no ties & jackets needed. At least this time we won't need to take a suit for the Fox. All we will need is something a bit dressier for the captain's welcome & farewell parties at either end of the trip. It should be good.