Web Page No 2736

 

29^th November 2020

 

1^st Picture: Washing Line quandary

2^nd Picture: White and coloured washing separated

3rd Picture: Washing Line prop

4^th Picture:  Washing Line in Venice

 

 

Washing Line Rules.

 

These are some of the rules that our mothers swore by:-

 

The clothes line must always be wiped with a clean cloth to wipe any muck, soot or bird droppings off before any clothes could be hung up. This was done by walking the length of the line with the cloth in hand.

 

Woolen socks must always be hung on the line by their toes never the tops.

 

Trousers must always be hung by the turn up end never by the waistband.

 

Always make sure that towels and sheets are hung on the line so that they hide your ‘unmentionables’.

 

Clothes must always be hung in order and not mixed. Whites should hang with whites and hung first and then coloured items with other coloured items.

 

Men’s shirts must always be hung by the shirt tail and never by the shoulders.

 

For economy always line up your clothes line so that each item shares at least one clothes peg with another.

 

Never put washing out when there is a frost as it will just freeze and not dry.

 

Conversely some mothers claimed that putting clothes out in frosty weather killed all the germs.

 

Always use a clothes line prop to keep large items off of the ground.

Wash Day was Monday, never hang out washing over the weekend.

 

Pegs must always be gathered up and taken in doors when the washing was taken in, they should never be left out on the line.

 

The best dolly pegs were bought from the door to door women gypsy seller.

 

Clothes off the line before dinner time, neatly folded in the clothes basket and ready to be ironed. Now ironing is another totally different subject.

 

 

 

A clothesline was a news forecast,

To neighbours passing by,

There were no secrets you could keep,

When clothes were hung to dry.

 

It also was a friendly link,

For neighbours always knew

If company had stopped on by,

To spend a night or two.

 

For then you’d see the “fancy sheets”,

And towels upon the line;

You’d see the “company table cloths”,

With intricate designs.

 

The line announced a baby’s birth,

From folks who lived inside,

As brand new infant clothes were hung,

So carefully with pride!

 

The ages of the children could,

So readily be known

By watching how the sizes changed,

You’d know how much they’d grown!

 

It also told when illness struck,

As extra sheets were hung;

Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe too,

Haphazardly were strung.

 

It also said, “On holiday now”,

When lines hung limp and bare.

It told, “We’re back!” when full lines sagged,

With not an inch to spare!

 

New folks in town were scorned upon,

If wash was dingy and grey,

As neighbours carefully raised their brows,

And looked the other way.

 

But clotheslines now are of the past,

For dryers make work much less.

Now what goes on inside a home,

Is anybody’s guess!

 

I really miss that way of life,

It was a friendly sign

When neighbours knew each other best…

By what hung out on that line !

Peter

 

gsseditor@gmail.com

 

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News and Views:

 

 

On this day 29th November 1960-1965

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On 29/11/1961 the number one single was Little Sister/His Latest Flame - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Ipswich Town. The top rated TV show was "Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £not very interesting and 13.25 were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Sunday Night at the London Palladium (ATV)".

 

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On 29/11/1965 the number one single was The Carnival is Over - Seekers and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Take Your Pick (AR) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.