The freezer ...... (don't read at mealtimes)

Monday night - at midnight, after posting my first night's stitching on FF, I turned everything off preparing to go to bed and then thought, "Oh what the hey - I'll just stitch that little border around the edge - it'll look better!"

So there I am sitting in the quiet and the stillness with only my lamp lights on doing a bit of stitching and revelling in the quiet. I hear a sound on the very edge of hearing - a whirring sound that cuts out out after a few seconds, a minute later I hear it again. Hmmm did I leave one of the stove elements on just the teeniest bit ...... no they're firmly off - so's the oven and grill. The fridge ???? No its fine - thank the gods!!!! Hmmm can't tell where the noise is coming from - oh well - clean out the cat litter and off to bed I'm already an hour over my bedtime ...

As I'm cleaning the cat litter I hear the noise again - its here in the laundry..... not the washing machine, not the dryer - all that's left is the freezer, I'll lift the lid .....


The freezer was firmly plugged in, it had just given up the ghost - I was discussing with mum last night and she thinks it might have been around 27 years old - it was a hand-me-down of a hand-me-down. And in the hot weather it just gave out. As it is a large chest freezer that is bust high on me, I don't use it much - it mainly had three quarters of a sheep cut into three pieces only. My dad gives me huge chunks of meat forgetting that there's only me - and there's only so much meat I can eat at one time....

Oh there were also some freezer bottles, some oils and fats for my soaping - but those three hunks of dead animal were the main problem - oh and the half a foot of blood and melted ice and goodness knows what else sloshing around the bottom .....

I didn;t attempt anything else that night - it was nearly 1am - I just slammed the lid shut unplugged it from the wall, opened the window and went to bed.

Got up yesterday morning, readied myself for work, got out a few bags, and prepared to open the freezer - I looked at my work clothes I was wearing , I looked at my watch, I wussed out and went to work.

Worked 8am - 6pm. Got my housebound customers organised for the next week and avoided story time! After work I went shopping for morning tea supplies .... I don't drink tea or coffee at work, I don't consume the milk and I can't eat the bikkies - why was *I* in charge of the morning tea fund???

Got home at 7pm. Readied the bags. Informed the neighbour. Opened all the doors and windows int he house. Wrapped an old tea towel round my nose and mouth. OK braced myself. Opened the freezer and shoved the warm gooey slimy rotting *smelly* (oh I'm gagging just remembering it) hunks into bags and them into more bags and then I threw them into the bottom of the fridge freezer and slammed the door. I slammed the lid down on the chest freezer and ran out on the balcony for a few deep breaths and lots and lots of retching ... it took me a few goes to get everything out of the freezer.

My logic went thusly .... the bins don't get emptied until Thursday. To get the garbage to the bins, I need to carry them down in my car. I wasn't carrying that god-awful smelly mess in my car and having that smell in my car and any vomit I might add to it - not to mention the council can fine me for leaving such smelly garbage out there for days.

I hauled the freezer outside. Tipped out the blood and melted ice mess onto the garden. Washed it in with a few buckets of fresh water. Washed out the freezer with a few buckets of fresh water - righted it - put in a few buckets of hot soapy water and half a bottle of eucalyptus essential oil and slammed the lid again.

Came back inside, mopped the laundry floor with hot soapy water and eucalyptus oil. The freezer hadn;t leaked, but the smell had permeated. I then went for a shower to get the stink off me and afterwards washed the clothes I had been wearing.

Feeling sooo much better about the whole thing - and proud of myself for getting through it .... I fed the cat. Then I opened the fridge... slammed the door again doubled over and retched ont he kitchen floor for a few minutes.

The smell had permeated through all the plastic I had wrapped it in, through the freezer and then up into the fridge and infected the whole fridge. I did what any person would do - I rang my mum !!!!

Mum and I went through it again with 20 20 hindsight and decided that given the circumstances, I probably did the best thing possible - with the slight alteration of getting everything out of the fridge first next time !!!!!

I did open the fridge again on mum's suggestion and turned the thermometer waaay down in the hopes it would cool the stuff quicker. I haven't touched the fridge door since.

Its now the next morning. It was a hot night - not getting under 30 degrees Celsius the whole night! So it was a hot sticky night. I slept badly because of that and because instead of locking the house up tight, as is my wont, I left *all* the doors and windows open (I kept the security screen doors shut and locked though - I'm not that stupid).

Today is Wednesday. The plan for tonight is to take the hopefully frozen messes out into the car and then into the bin (and cross my fingers they don't thaw out again overnight). Clean out the contents of the fridge and freezer and I expect most if not all will also be joining the mess in the garbage. Then I will turn the fridge off, clean it out thoroughly, wipe it over with vanilla and then leave it open and airing for the next 24 hours and then on Friday, close it, turn it back on, and then restock by the weekend.

I might even feel like breakfast by the time I get to work today - goddess knows I didn't eat anything last night! Oh that stench !!!