The North Wind Doth Blow ....

.... and although we probably won't have snow (thank goodness), I am hoping that the keen northerly wind will go some way to drying my washing.

Getting the washing dry becomes something of a military procedure this time of year.  It involves carefully watching the weather forecast to see what day has the best chance of sun and / or wind.  As the days are very short I need to have the washing out on the line by 8.00 am to really stand any chance of getting it dry which means having it all washed and ready to hang out the night before.  Unfortunately, even if the sun is shining, the rotary washing line is located too near the fence to gain any real benefit.  If this was our house I would definitely put in another post for the rotary dryer much further across the garden where it would at least get some sunshine in the depths of winter, but it's not our house so I make do with what we've got.  It also means sliding around on the very wet and muddy grass to hang out the washing.  Luckily I've got an old pair of Birkenstocks which I wear in the garden but they have to be taken off the minute I get back into the house otherwise I'm walking mud and soggy leaves everywhere.  Then there is the draping of damp articles all over the radiators once I've brought the washing in.  This can only be done with things that don't need ironing otherwise they become so crispy it is nigh-on impossible to get the creases out.  Anything that is going to be ironed goes into the ironing basket whilst still damp and is aired once it has been ironed.  As I say, a bit of a military procedure - and all to get the washing dry.  I do sometimes fantasise about a tumble dryer but I don't have room for one in the kitchen in this house, and I'm not sure I would feel comfortable about the vast amounts of electricity a tumble dryer uses - our utility bills are high enough as it is!

I made up P's Christmas card yesterday and I'm quite pleased with how it's turned out.

I invested in some double-sided Sellotape to affix the embroidery to the card and it worked a treat.  This is the last of the card blanks I've got so this morning I bought this very scary-looking craft knife for £1 in the market.

 

I'm going to have a go at cutting up some of the cardstock I've got into postcard size pieces so that I can attach some of the other little embroideries to them.  I think I'll wait until P is home before I start on this project in case a nasty injury occurs!

Comments

[Denise]

Thanks for your comment on my blog - the scouts near us have a jumble sale twice a year, and the Salvation Army have them fairly often (but usually on a Friday so I can't go because of work). Schools used to do jumble sales, but I think they used to end up with so much junk they mostly seem to have stopped.

I sympathize with the washing line situation - our garden is sunny in the summer so we have a washing line that runs the length of the garden. But very little sun reaches the washing line this time of year. My solution is a retractable one - it's attached by just a single screw at one end and to a hook at the other end - just attached to fence posts. It's not as high as normal washing line, but it gets that little bit of fresh air that makes all the difference to the smell and texture of the washing. I think I only paid £2.99 for it!
Best wishes

[Gill]

Hi Elizabeth,
Yes washing's a pain for me too, I don't have much of a garden (more of a yard) and it's north facing so no sun at all during winter. I use a small rotary line during summer but in winter I have to use a combination of clothes airer on the landing and the tumble dryer for smalls and towels. Like you I had no space for a tumble dryer and I was eyeing up the condenser dryers last year which can go anywhere.But they're twice the price of standard dryers. Then I found the bargain of the year at the boot sale, a condenser dryer which looked like new, the sellers found it in the garage of their new house and didn't want it as they already had one, I paid £30 and it's running like a dream. And due to lack of space it's in a cupboard in my bedroom, strange place I know but with a family of four I need a helping hand!
This is what I want for my small yard next year, should solve my lack of space problem!

http://www.brabantia.com/Index.php?page_id=17&base_group=20314&product=135810

[Claire]

Hiya

The card is lovely. Couple of tips for you in case you haen't tried them before - I am a member of my local scrap store and got some lovely card for blanks from there, for free, so it's either little or no cost (depends on the scrap store in your area) and I know they do packs of 10 here for £1 if you want them pre-done. If you can't get hold of any let me know and I will send you some. The other thing you may want to try is Freecycle/ Realcycle. They're online networks and run through Yahoo groups. Once you sign up to them you can post wanteds and offers (great for getting rid of random clutter) - I have got some gorgeous craft materials from there before, and the purpose is to keep things out of landfill, and reduce carbon footprints, so if you can get it from your local area then all the better. You may be able to get a tumble drier, or even a couple of big clothes horses from it (as I have) for drying things near radiators - that way they are far less crispy.
Best wishes

[Jen]

I had to "LOL" because you described washing-drying at my house so accurately... until we got a tumble dryer that is. We have a tiny kitchen so it's in the dining room - not ideal but I could not STAND it any more.