Wednesday, August 16, 2006


I am shocked, I tell you, shocked! I came to a realisation this morning about myself, a startling glimpse into my personality, a truth about myself I never thought I would have to admit. Now I must warn you, you are about to hear a confession that may rock your world. Are you sitting down for this one?? Ready???

I like doing laundry. I can't believe I said that. After years, a whole decade, in fact, of complaining about what a thankless task washing is I actually enjoy it! I was outside, in glorious winter sunshine this morning, hanging out the laundry, feeling relaxed, happy and even contented. I love the smell of freshly washed clothes, especially straight out of the sunshine. We line dry everything, except when it's been raining for days. I do own a dryer, but use it almost never. Queensland winters are beautifully mild, especially in my corner of the state. Perfect drying weather, sunny, not too hot to go out and hang the clothes, not too cold to be fooling around with wet fabric. I love the clothing looking so neat and tidy hung out on the line. I used cloth nappies (I know, I know, diapers) for the satisfaction of a perfectly arranged Hills Hoist!

I am even a little vain about my laundry. I wash every day, and try to always bring everything in before evening. I feel that laundry is the part of my housekeeping that the neighbours can see. They can't see the clutter in my children's toy boxes, the calcium deposits I can't seem to remove from the glass shower door, the open peanut butter jar on the kitchen bench, but they can tell how often I wash the towels, and that I bring the laundry in at night. I look like a good housekeeper when I do laundry. Now ironing is a whole other story!

On a totally different topic, I am practising with my camera, I can't believe I've had it two years without learning anything more than point and click. I love this picture of Joshua, with his laughing green eyes. He was a very cooperative subject!

6 comments:

Tammy said...

I love to hang laundry out too! It's too muggy here in the summer to think of hanging laundry out, but I always loved hanging out the family wash when I was a teenager.

_ said...

We're starting to use our dryer less and less. We need to get a true clothes line outside though but I'm sure DH will have that soon enough. He's really gotten into line drying everything.

Megan said...

I love doing laundry! I love that the results are so tangible - you started with a big, messy, smelly, dirty pile of clothes, and end up with lovely, neat, clean, warm folded clothes!

Alice said...

Although I'm not keen on hand-washing clothes, I've never minded the rest of the laundry, even when I only had a twin tub washing machine and had to stay with it most of the time.

My four children all wore cloth nappies/diapers, so there's been plenty of washing done in the past 39 years.

I did have a clothes dryer but used it so seldom that it gave up and died anyway. Everything gets hung on the Hills Hoist and it's in a position to get sun all day, even in winter.

I also liked to see the line full of clean washing, and I don't even mind ironing, although I cannot iron and watch TV at the same time.

Actually, this topic has given me enough ideas for another Life Story. Thank you, Emma.

Lisa said...

You tickle me to no end. I enjoyed hanging clothes out when we lived in the last house. I can't really do it here.

I enjoyed your post very much. I kind of enjoy ironing...it's so instantly gratifying. Sweet picture of Joshua. He's a real cutie!

Tanya said...

Laundry is one of my least hated domestic chores, too. And I line dry everything as well (unless we're having a good wet season, which forces me to use a drying rack inside - no energy wasting dryer in this house, I'm happy to say). But the vacuuming, ironing, washing dishes, scrubbing the bathroom - that I hate.