  I guess I should work backwards from today when I fell over during step class. The Universe doesn't really let you get away with anything, I feel. The falling over was clearly payback for thinking ill of the completely uncoordinated girl I was looking at during the beginning of the class and thinking to myself, maybe she's a bit mental.
Not less than two minutes later I'm on the floor having stumbled over my own step and recalcitrant feet. Thankyou Universe, lesson learned, people in glass houses etc etc. Generally the week has been a test for me, as it's been a bit of a routine disruption one, mainly because of the whole house-sitting business. Oh, generally it's been fine, but I'm beginning to wonder what the neighbours think of my constant to-ing and fro-ing from the premises. Not that I'll ever find out, because I've never seen any sign of them in the whole two weeks I've been there. Not one sign. At all. No-one. It's like the Marie Celeste in that cul de sac, I tell you. I have however, been privy to the sounds of the neighbours, in particular the sounds of the creepy Eraserhead-type mewlings of the baby who's room is approximately two feet from the bedroom I'm currently sleeping in. Well, I guess that's a bit harsh, I'm sure the baby is completely delightful, however it seems to cry at incredibly irregular intervals, and although it's never constant or goes on for long periods of time, it's a little unsettling. The thing is, living in a newish, high density development-land, I find myself jolting awake at the sound of the crying baby because it seems to emanate from inside the room, and I immediately think 'oh, the baby is crying again, must get up to feed it'!
It takes a few seconds to register that a) I'm in someone else's house b) it's 3:32am c) the baby is not mine. While I must admit I'm pretty okay on the whole domestic front generally, my forte is clearly inside the home. Having lived my whole life with wonderful parents who've pretty much got the 'looking after the house' thing covered, especially my father who, had he had the means and resources would pretty much have blitzed freakin' Don Burke in terms of gardening prowess, I tend to forget about the outside of homes, ie.
how, when and why to water the lawns, unlock unfamiliar gates, sweep away hideous creatures, mainly because I've never really had to do it. Which prompted the phone call to my sister today to ask 'how long does one leave a sprinkler running on a smallish patch of lawn'. Her answer? 'Until it looks like it doesn't need watering anymore'. This is from the same woman who said, prior to her wedding, 'Yes, I'm happy to do everything inside the house and he can do everything outside the house - that's why I'm going to put the washing machine, vacuum cleaner and kitchen out in the backyard'.
My sister is a classic. Also, I had to replace the smoke alarm battery, I realised this only because someone said to me, 'You need to replace the smoke alarm battery because it's beeping'. I said 'Beeping? Oh, I thought it was a bird outside'. Thankyou Universe, once again, for ensuring I learn these things, because, clearly, my destiny as a spinster will mean such incidences will crop up again and therefore I'll know exactly what to do next time. 
