I decided to have a party for my husband’s birthday. The invitations went out and I organised a day off work to do the cooking.

Now at this point you need to know there were a couple of things that weren’t expected but, by law of averages, happened any way. My eldest daughter, whose circumstances we won’t go into here, had to temporarily move back home with her two children and happily announced that it would be Friday. Yes, the same day as the party.

“Oh joy!”

The second thing. We were having our main bathroom renovated, but because the builder hadn’t been for a few days, as he was waiting on some doors, I guessed we would be okay. Guess again.

7:00 am – Started cooking and made the dips.

8:00 am – Still cooking. The builder arrived. I could already visualise the plaster dust wafting in big, fluffy clouds all over the house as he walked in. Plaster dust had been part of our lives for several weeks now. When I came home from work each night, I tried to clean most of it up, but basically, we just had to live with the bulk of it.

However, there was one positive. Part of the food for the party included these wonderful Chinese Dumplings made at a real Chinese Dumpling House in Box Hill where I work. I bought two huge bags of them and borrowed a steamer from an Asian colleague. I had told all the family how wonderful these dumplings were, how marvellous they tasted, and how everyone was in for a real treat. I couldn’t wait.

11:00 am – The builder came into the kitchen amid a cloud of plaster dust and put on the kettle. A most welcome break, but as we chatted, I could see out of the corner of my eye the ominous plaster dust settling all around me.

12:00 noon – My daughter arrived with several boxes which she left in the dining room. “Um…these aren’t staying here are they?”

“No no, they will all be gone by five.” With that she left in her car for another load. “Just a few more boxes, you won’t even notice.”

“Oh joy!”

2:00 pm – Still cooking, another coffee with the builder, more boxes in the dining room and plaster dust rising and settling itself comfortably on every surface and in every crevice in the house.