My Mum did the family wash on a Monday, and I followed in her footsteps. Beds are stripped, sheets changed, and all manner of unlikely objects scooped up and deposited in the wash ... such as socks, socks and more socks.
In this part of Australia it is usual to hang out the washing in the morning and bring it in later in the day; dry and ready for ironing.
Not today. The weather forecast was for showers late in the afternoon. With that in mind I stripped the bed before having breakfast, set the machine on Go, and left it to do its duty. Less than half an hour later, and before the load was washed, a 'mizzle' drifted across the land; not enough to be wetting, but wet enough to dampen. A decision was made by Significant Other ... we would take the washed clothes into the laundromat to be dried.
That is done; I have a bundle of folded clothes ready for ironing ... however, Tuesday is ironing day!!
As I sat in the laundromat talking to another lady drying her washing, the conversation turned round to habit. She too washed on a Monday. And my mind slipped back to wash day for my Mum. The copper was filled, a fire lit underneath, and the water boiled. I am not sure of the exact process as I was banned from the wash house. But there was always a smell of steamy soapy water. She used a washboard [the same appliance that was later utilised by skiffle groups!], tubs of rinsing water, and a blue bag, that doubled as an aid to ease the pain of a beesting.
How times have changed! Now we have water running into the washing machine which in turn slips into whatever mode we have set on the dials, lights flash, water spins out, the machine refills, rinses, spins etc, and at the end the machine [well mine anyway] plays a little tune and the lights fade into oblivion.
I wonder when the day will come that an 'automatic' iron is invented?
Was a fun read. Monday is our big waash day as well.Enjoyd the memory of blue bags. Now it comes in bottles:) I think we have a long way to go b4 we get the automatic iron:):)
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