Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes

The trouble with going away is the work
That needs doing before you depart,
Between all the jobs and the livestock and sons…
You must take a deep breath and take heart.

‘Cause the freezer needs filling with ready-cooked meals
That you’re cooking from scratch every day,
Because being a carer, you have to step up
And make sure he’s fed while you’re away.

Then his housework needs doing, an extra-good job,
And his laundry and garden as well,
The cat-food needs stocking, the fish food filled up,
… And then clean out the pond pump from hell.

By the time that you’re done, you are already whacked,
But you’re not going to get home just yet,
‘Cause the car needs attention, there’s shopping to do,
So there’s time for stuff you might forget.

You are ladened with bags as you walk in the house
And the dog’s bounding up…