Downton Abbey Household Logistics

Sometimes it would be great if household operations on the domestic front, were perhaps a little more Downton Abbey-ish.

To have Carson the Butler on hand, to help oversee the running of the household systems, routines and organization, would be so fantastic!

Oh, what it would be like to have Carson in charge of the pantry... the wine cellar (or in our case, the preparation of freshly squeezed jugs of citrus juice!).

To have Carson to oversee all that happens at the dining table..... and to have various household members with allocated responsibilities accountable to him.... what organizational bliss could be had!

To have such faithful oversight present, to keep things ticking over nicely. Oh! How brilliant!

To know that reliable, trustworthy Carson would keep a watchful eye out.

That he would see to it that household workers were being diligent, with both the regular and the deep clean tasks.

To have Carson present to ensure all domestic operations got done in a timely fashion and with delightful precision..... how lovely it would be!

How nice it might be to be a little more like Lady Mary or Lady Edith or Lady Sybil and have exquisite clothes, shoes, jewellery and accessories at one's disposal.

To have all the washing, mending, ironing, folding and putting away handled by a lady's maid. How amazing that would be!

What delectable morsels could be had if only one had an on-staff, full-time cook!

A dedicated cook, who produced palatable deliciousness at every meal.

To have thoughtful menu planning from breakfast through to supper.... if only Mrs Patmore was Cook!

Constantly. Everyday. Imagine it!

Masterful culinary expertise. Consistently involved and applied, for all meals created. Daily.

Sometimes it would be great if life was perhaps a little more like Downton Abbey when it came to household logistics.

Yet real life is real life. It involves getting on and getting stuck in. Ourselves.

It involves occasionally getting out a power tool or two, in order to simply to get a job done. Ourselves.

Real life involves keeping a tab, ourselves, on what happens each week for each household member so that everyone meets their commitments, obligations and responsibilities.

This has to all be done by the very people who live in the home environment, with the skills they have determining the delegation of chores and household tasks.

Real life involves dealing to dishes that repeatedly require washing, drying and putting away by ourselves.

Real life involves lining rubbish bins. Filing bill payments and bank statements.

It involves unblocking shower drains. Regularly. Diligently. Getting it done. Ourselves.

Real life involves making decisions about what is for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Plus morning tea and afternoon tea - and any snacks between! Getting it sorted. Ourselves.

Real life involves loading a load of washing into the washing machine, having collected whatever requires attention, from around the home.

Sorting, hand-washing, sorting, folding, sorting, putting away. Again, we have to do it ourselves.

Real life requires regular cleaning of bathrooms, toilets, benchtops, floors and walls. Polishing. Waxing. Scrubbing. Dusting. Wiping.

Real life requires being Carson, Bates, Anna, Mrs Patmore......ourselves. All for the overall good of everyone, who lives within the four walls we refer to as home.

It involves getting on. Moving forward. Aiming higher. Wider.

It involves being both people focused and task focused. Getting things done. All of it.

Conscientiously getting things done, as time and energy allow. Ourselves.

It involves applying some of that world famous kiwi can-do attitude and getting on and getting it done.

Without fuss. Without drama. Without excuse.

There are no cooks, maids, servants, butlers, chauffeurs in our-neck-of-the-woods. It is instead a family team of household members working together, as best they can.

It is about getting on with the time and energy we have, in a small corner of New Zealand that we know as home. Regularly. Sacrificially. Lovingly. Often.

It requires flexible schedules and the willingness to make allowances and compromises occasionally.

It requires systems of organization that work for everyone.

It requires determining specific places for keys, cellphones, sellotape, medicines, extra blankets, hair clips, toys, socks, torches and raincoats to be kept, and returned to.

Real life requires regular routine cleaning, dusting, vaccuming.... all to be done around school and preschool drop-offs, times spent with friends, catching trains, and driving cars to music lessons and everything else we are involved with.

Kiwi can-do. Getting on. Getting it done. Getting it sorted.

It does require at times deep cleaning to occur, the labelling of containers, the purging of clutter.

In our own way, making the most of our own resources, time and energy, we enjoy our own variation and style of Downton Abbey Household Logistics.

We are committed to our household, our people, our family, our own life journey, our own unique family story. Nothing could and can be better.