Earthquake housekeeping consists of picking up shards of glass and china, bricks, wood and anything else broken in the turmoil; washing floors, walls and ceilings covered in kitchen condiments; gathering up books that once again have spread themselves around the room; checking the furniture for splits and broken legs; mopping up the mats from the broken vases; picking up the pots in the garden……

I am now an expert at earthquake housekeeping and I want to change my career. Could someone please ask the Universal Gardener to go plough up some other field and leave us to plant some flowers in our broken garden.

MBW