I spent Three Year Anniversary Eve not in clean pyjamas after a nice bath, having an early night looking forward with anticipation and excitement to the next day. No, I did not. Instead, I spent Three Year Anniversary Eve wrestling again with The Moth Unit.
If I just insert this here: 
you will know how it went.
For those wanting all the all gory details, I should warn you that what follows is not for the faint of heart.
I got it into my silly little head that The Moth Unit is one of those jobs that is better behind you than in front of you and that it would be just great to get it out of the way before the end of year three. Actually, my silly little head was absolutely right on both those points, but it was what came between having the thought and the chunk being behind me - or almost behind me, more on the ominous 'almost' to follow - that was the trouble.
As soon as I pulled The Moth Unit away from the wall, I knew I was in some trouble, just not how much. There were countless cocoons and cobwebs on the back of it and on the wall behind it. Old newspapers, packaging and so on were on the floor underneath, obviously from the mountainous regions I had cleared from the front and side in the past. I knew there was nothing for it but to follow a pp's advice - apologies, but I can't remember which wise pp said this - and try to GET IT OUTSIDE. Luckily I was already in my Serious Chunking Attire. As I gingerly manoeuvred and dragged it outside, it merrily shed debris across the lovely clean floor as it went. This is now the floor that I will happily stand on in bare feet as I get changed or even pick up and use a fallen teaspoon from, I might add.
Leaving The MU out in the open to hopefully allow at least some of its residents to disembark into the wild, I cleared the debris from the floor and where the unit had been, gave the floor and the wall behind and above and the side of the dresser next to it all a good vacuuming, followed by a double scrub down and mop.
Outside, I set to on the unit, giving that a good vacuum and scrub down too to remove the webs and cocoons and freshen it all up. I was feeling better about it by this point, especially having seen and been able to read the very old label still stuck on the back of it, detailing exactly where it came from so many years ago. As I stepped back to admire my handiwork, it suddenly dawned on me that I hadn't vacuumed the underside and that I really should just quickly do that before popping the unit back inside and into its new place by the sink unit.
Just quickly - famous last words. As I tipped the unit on its side to vacuum the underside, nothing could have prepared me for the sheer volume of cocoons under there, in every nook and cranny, on every surface and in layers. The number was immeasurable and quite shocking, even already having dealt with the inside in the past. Even at that time of the day, I took my mask and gloves off, made myself a stiff G&T, and sat and drank it in a garden chair. It really was Dutch Courage. I set to with my Psycho carving knife, Chem's suggestion - actually for the underside of the kitchen table - of a wallpaper scraper, the end of DHenry's hose and a pan scrub. Eventually - and I mean eventually - I was able to scrub and wash it all down and move it back indoors to its new place by the sink. In my tired state, it was only then - and here comes the ominous 'almost behind me' bit - that I remembered the still-stuck drawer.
Entering the kitchen the next day, I was immediately struck by the much, much fresher smell in the air now the MU has been - almost! - dealt with. The unit does of course look better now and will provide a useful work surface, especially by the sink and socket. If I had known then though what I know now, and with the benefit of hindsight, it should have just gone straight outside ready to be put in a skip at some future date. It really was not worth all that time and effort. The problem was, by the time I realised that, I had already put significant time and effort in and felt bound to carry on till the bitter end. I think this is a fault of mine. Sometimes you have to re-evaluate, to quit while you're ahead. I really should have followed Chem's advice on the Log Basket of Doom: dragged the MU outside and set light to it!!!
To cheer us all up, me especially, I can end on another positive. The MU could be moved to its new place by the sink because the big old washing machine has been unhooked, Death Water avoided - narrowly, but avoided - moved outside and to the collection point with extra muscle this time, and taken away to the recycling centre in the sky. I also got rid of two more bulky broken electrical items at the same time I had spotted in the sitting room. The floor and outside wall where the old washing machine had been was quite damp and there was evidence of a slug or snail on the wall - maybe the same one from the blind. I used a lot of disinfectant and also poured some neat down the drainage pipe and capped it off - old plastic milk bottle top fit perfectly, needs must! - in case it had come up through there.
There is still a lot to do from that list but I think we're slowly getting there in the kitchen, aren't we? 