LAUNDRY

We have a perfect, sunny day, and naturally, being a housewife with necessary daily chores, household washing is one of the priorities.  While hanging up the washing, I climbed into the ever-present time machine and went on one of my captivating trips. On these impromptu journeys, I find myself soaring into long-forgotten places.

Gone are the days of bending over washing troughs and using homemade soap for this task!  I remember Aunty Susie had large zinc baths for her laundry. The one for the washing had a loose-standing washing board with a ridged surface with which she used green blocks of Sunlight soap and plenty of elbow grease.  Then there was an even bigger one for the rinsing of washing.  Reckitts Blue blocks were used, and this vibrantly blue water always fascinated me.  I think that the memory of this blue water was the origin of it being my most favourite colour!

I was always enchanted to see what a gigantic process this laundry-thing entailed.  It was Mabel’s

task to perform the weekly miracles.  The clean cotton bedsheets had to be wrung dry, and this needed more than one person to perform this task.  I was too small to help, but I was amazed to see the precise teamwork required to wring them dry.  She had a hand-driven mangle or wringer which rounded off this task.  The snowy, clean sheets had to be shaken vigorously before they were hung on the washing line to dry, and part of the magic process was to put four pegs into her mouth for easy access!  The others were in her apron pocket which housed the rest.  I secretly practised this little action until I eventually mastered this special art! 

I remember Mom also mastered the art of putting the pegs into her mouth while hanging washing – she must have learned from her Mother!  I made myself useful by passing the washing to Mom, just wishing for the time to pass.  There was a very special sequence which I had to adhere to : first socks, then undies followed by shirts – these had to be hung with the bottom end over the line so that the collars weren’t unnecessarily creased!  I could then make use of my newly acquired talent of the four washpegs in my mouth!

What an achievement!

Linnie

23 april 2O15