After breakfast, I sent the children to school and then I went to the shops.

早饭后，我送孩子们上学，然后就去了商店。

It was still early when I returned home.

我回到家时，时间还早。

The children were at school, my husband was at work and the house was quiet.

孩子们在上学，我丈夫在上班，家里清静得很。

So I decided to make some meat pies.

于是我决定做些肉馅饼。

In a short time I was busy mixing butter and flour and my hands were soon covered with sticky pastry.

不一会儿我就忙着调拌起了黄油和面粉，很快我的手上就沾满了粘粘的面糊。

At exactly that moment, the telephone rang.

恰恰在此时，电话铃响了。

Nothing could have been more annoying.

没有什么能比这更烦人了。

I picked up the receiver between two sticky fingers and was dismayed when I recognized the voice of Helen Bates.

我用两个沾满面糊的手指捏起了话筒。当听出是海伦.贝茨的声音时，非常丧气。

It took me ten minutes to persuade her to ring back later.

我用了10分钟的时间才说服她过会儿再来电话。

At last I hung up the receiver.

我终于挂上了话筒。

What a mess!

真是糟糕透了！

There was pastry on my fingers, on the telephone, and on the doorknobs.

我的手指上、电话机上以及门的把手上，都沾上了面糊。

I had no sooner got back to the kitchen than the doorbell rang loud enough to wake the dead.

我刚回到厨房，门铃又响了起来，响声足以把死人唤醒。

This time it was the postman and he wanted me to sign for a registered letter!

这次是邮递员，他要我签收一封挂号信！