The Freecycling Misssymartin

I've really been living la vida loca this weekend. I have spent my entire Saturday cleaning out the debris from Indy's Temple of Doom. Louis's bedroom managed to cough up 7 black bags of utter crap by the time I'd finished and at the end of it all I dropped to my knees "Shawshank Redemption" style, looked heavenward and thanked the Lord for deliverance from housework hell. I'm nothing if not a drama queen. You know that.

The exercise gave me a chance to lose my "Freecycle" virginity however. "Freecycle" is a nationwide internet community dedicated to giving items you don't want anymore a new home. It's like Ebay but for free. It's a Utopian reality and am now a disciple. ( Hey, I'm heavy on the religious rhetoric today, aren't I?)

I have been a member of the Aberdeen branch for about 5 months but until yesterday never did anything about it. So yesterday, I listed all Louis's Action Men (in various states of undress- it was like chucking out time in a 1970's San Francisco nightclub in that box), two wardrobes, walkie talkies, bean bag and duvet cover, numerous books and videos and a metal detector that seemed a great idea at the time.

Within half an hour all had been snapped up, and today most of it has been collected by grateful people bringing me gifts of biscuits and chocolate (how did they know?)

The reason for this mass clearout is not that I have become a clean freak (I can only dream…); it's that we are to be hosts to a couple of teachers from the Sri Lankan Blind School we visited last year, and they will be staying in Indy's Temple of Doom.

That last paragraph makes the whole enterprise sound like an episode of Blue Peter but actually we're not entirely sure what the deal is with these Sri Lankans. We met them for an afternoon last July when we delivered funds that Turriff Academy had raised for them, and vowed to keep in touch.

Within a couple of months the English teacher emailed and said she was going to visit us for a month. She would be bringing another teacher. It transpired that the other teacher would be a man. So you need two bedrooms, then? Actually no, one will do. Oh and I'm now using my maiden name…..

Arms crossed, knowing glances, Les Dawson style. Aha!

So, why are they coming over for a month, how are they going to finance this trip, what will be doing when they get here? John turns all protestant and moral, "I am not hosting a Sri Lankan shag fest!"

Anyway, they were supposed to arrive today but apparently their visas have been refused. The government is not satisfied that they have enough money to support themselves for a month. But watch this space, they are determined to come and I'm guessing there's blogging mileage in this puppy yet….