Sweep It Away!

Today (9th January) is "Dusting the House Day", so to speak.  It's the day we dust and get rid of cobwebs from the ceilings and walls in preparation for the Chinese New Year.  In the old days, Mum used to consult the geomancer and ask him to choose a "good" day for this work.  Today happens to be a "full" day (according to the Chinese calendar), meaning it's pregnant with good vibrations and all things "good".  So I thought I'd better go ahead and get this chore over and done with.  Mum used to buy a bunch of  bamboo leaves and tie them to a long bamboo pole,  then she'll use this to sweep away all the unwanted dirt.  Bamboo symbolises longevity but unfortunately bamboo poles are hard to find these days, so I opted for a feather duster tied to a long plastic pole!  Mum would shiver in horror if she saw it but I've no choice. This is the first and one of the many preparations for the coming of the new year and sometimes I'm tempted to shut the house and go off somewhere on holiday to escape this drudgery but I know Mum would never forgive me if I did that!