I'm sitting reading. My book to the sound of the cleaner hoovering

[MaryBerrysEyelashes]

And the waft of flash.
I've eh booked her for four hours today.

I'm on holiday. I need her when I'm at work but GOD I FEEL AWKWARD. I've been out. I've done the ironing.

I am the indolent bourgeoisie.

I know that feeling! My lovely cleaner is coming on Wednesday so I'm going to the gym and having a long coffee so I don't have to be here when she's cleaning. It is just a bit weird...

Go for another walk and then come back, put the kettle on and have a cuppa with your cleaner!

Thing is. I've got a son here. He's reluctant to move from house season twenty trillion

Can't you cancel her when you are holiday? Or go out? It would feel like a huge waste of money to me (but then I quite like cleaning)

I've only just restarted after the other one left to have a baby.

I did 6 months solo distant look to horizon .

I think it would be mean cancel her when you are on holiday - she is presumably relying on your regular payments.

Agree with eeyore, and I wouldn't want to spend four hours of my holiday cleaning.

My cleaner has gone back to Russia for the holidays. My house is already unfit for habitation. I know what you mean though. I have to go out when she's here. Soo awkward.

I'm lying on the sofa watching TV while the cleaner is vacuuming . In my defence I'm recovering from an op but it feels weird.

Blimey, it's bad enough being in when workmen are around. I can't even imagine how uncomfortable your scenario would make me feel.

I'd hide in my bedroom I think.

Ooo send her round here instead if you like, I wouldn't feel awkward atall having a brew and watching someone else clean

I know how you feel. I work from home and have a babysitter come in for 2.5 hours every morning to look after DS.

Except I've finished up my last project and my next one hasn't really started yet so today I was just faffing around.

I did clean the oven door when they went for a walk though. So that's something.

I am mumsnetting while the window cleaner, cleaner and gardener are all at work. Just done a 500 hr working week, have commissions still do get on with but am not feeling too awkward as it's my hard earned earnings that are paying for them all!

I regularly stop in when my cleaner comes round. We have a good chat and I enjoy the company. No guilt here - I am paying her after all!

God you're so lucky. I'm cleaning while my cleaner reads a book on the beach in Italy.

I am making my DD get dressed so we can go out when the cleaners arrive. Need to be out for at least an hour while they do downstairs normally at work when they come but I don't work in the school hols .

Channel Lady Mary and enjoy your book.

you lucky sod!

I am considering this

I pretend to be doing important paperwork in other rooms.

I am MNing while my teenagers clean their room. I don't have a cleaner as I don't think I would cope very well with the feeling of having my private space invaded.

Next week, collect up DS and arrange a day out on her day. Really, it's the only way to cope.

If she's used to being able to just get on with her work in an empty house, she's probably uncomfortable having you there too - best for everyone if you find somewhere else to be. Surely a Monday could be a grandparent visiting day?

When I had was cleaning it never bothered me if someone was in when I was working - as long as they didn't keep me back. I sat on my arse and read when I had plumbers in my house, didn't occur to me to feel guilty/awkward.

I'm doing a bit of tidying before a new cleaner starts tomorrow. We have a new baby and I haven't done any proper cleaning at all. I'm so excited but I'm going to break her in gently.

But imagine! Floors washed without my footprints from getting the crying baby before I finished what I was doing! Clean windows! Scrubbed tiles!