General Chat

.... if you can remember the

CLOTHESLINE!!!

THIS IS FUNNY AND QUITE TRUE...
WE ARE PROBABLY THE LAST GENERATION TO REMEMBER A CLOTHESLINE!

Great memories for some of us!
It's the poem at the end that's the best!!!

Remembering Mum's Clothesline

There is one thing that was left outside in all weathers.
We had a long wooden pole (clothes pole) that was used to push the clotheslines up so that longer items (sheets / pants etc.) didn't brush the ground and get dirty.
I can hear my mother now.

THE BASIC RULES FOR CLOTHESLINES:

(If you don't even know what clotheslines are, better skip this.)

1. You had to hang the socks by the toes... NOT the top.

2. You hung pants by the BOTTOM / cuffs... NOT the waistbands.

3. You had to WASH the clothesline(s) before hanging any clothes - walk the entire length of each line with a damp cloth around the lines.

4. You had to hang the clothes in a certain order, and always hang "whites" with "whites," and hang them first.

5. You NEVER hung a shirt by the shoulders - always by the tail!
What would the neighbours think?

6. Wash day on a Monday! NEVER hang clothes on the weekend, or on Sunday, for Heaven's sake!

7. Hang the sheets and towels on the OUTSIDE lines so you could hide your "unmentionables" in the middle (perverts and busybodies, y'know!)

8. It didn't matter if it was sub-zero weather... clothes would "freeze-dry."

9. ALWAYS gather the clothes peg when taking down dry clothes!
Pegs left on the lines were "tacky"!

10. If you were efficient, you would line the clothes up so that each item did not need two clothes pegs, but shared one of the clothes pegs with the next washed item.

11. Clothes off the line before dinnertime neatly folded in the clothes basket... and ready to be ironed.

12. IRONED??!! Well, that's a whole OTHER subject!

Now a POEM...

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 upon the line!

I have a "Clothes Line" Barry and all those rules apply.

Well, except for............hanging your knickers up by the (Bottton/cuffs) "gusset" :-D and wash day only on a Monday.

:-D :-D

I love the poem!

;-)

Same as PH in fact just brought the washing in from the clothesline nothing like the smell of freshly dried washing and yes all the rules apply. Love the poem too and yes can tell when my neighbours are back from their hols four full lines at least lol! All that's different with me is I have a metal pole which has seen better days and will have to be renewed sometime soon :-D

... well, Prickles (and Nolls) I'm glad you both enjoyed the poem and....
just to keep you up to date....

I am about to 'hang myself out to dry' - from behind the shower curtain!

(Much more information that you really needed to know, I'm sure!)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

I too have a clothes line and try to put the pegs at the very edge of the washing t.o avoid 'peg marks'. Also I always hang things in groups, all underwear together, all tee shirts together etc.

I certainly can remember the clothesline, I always use one as much cheaper than a tumble dryer. Something is very satisfying to put up the clothes prop and know the wet clothes will dry. I didn't know there were "rules" only certain ways of pegging out wet clothes and doing things all handed down by a lovely Mum, very many years ago

No chance of talking our daughter into using this method, her washer and dryer are together in utility room. She never has to leave the house or keep an eye on the weather in case it should rain either!

LOVE the poem, very funny, mostly true..... thank you.

I'm wondering .... are there not 'strict rules' in recent years from local authorities that only the 'whirly' type of clothes dryers can be used?

This dryer either has to be removed from its concrete support after use or to be folded so it doesn't look 'unsightly'?

On a posh sea estate near to us they have a strict rule that no washing is allowed to be dried outdoors!!

How snooty is that??? LOL

My wife hangs the washing on a clothes line..So much fresher than Tumbling...My mate Rob next door,,wife off to work leaves him with housework...Takes rugs out to shake them,,thinks I'll do what mum used to and beat them...Got a good stick,,hung rugs on line,,picked up stick,,CRASH..Line broke with weight,,front corner of shed came off,,Rob's on way to Homebase for new line before wife comes home...LES....

Les........... :-D :-D :-D

I still use my clothes line, but not for smalls (use an over the bath clothes horse).
I hang clothes on hangers, then peg hooks to the line - no peg marks. Only trouble is, they tend to blow off the line when it's windy! :-D :-D

We used to go on holiday to North Berwick (Scot) the house was at the harbour and the line was at the very edge of the walkway so when you pinned out the washing it was flapping over the sea used to feel very unsteady hanging it out especially if the tide was in , funny feeling, surprisingly nothing ever got blown out to sea thank goodness wouldn't have liked to go paddling/swimming for our smalls :-D :-D :-D

I still use a clothes line but it's undercover to protect clothes from the sun.

We used to call the pole that held the clothes line up a prop. :-)

We still call it a clothes prop.

We have a clothesline Barry and a prop. I did have a rotery dryer but it never was a good as the line.

I love rule number 8. I can remember as a child my Mum getting in washing which was frozen solid like a board :-D My Dads shirts could stand up by themselves

Teresa

Yes! The clothes prop. You have reminded me. Thanks.
That's exactly what Mum called it!
I recall one of the things I had to do to earn my pocket money was to bring the dry clothes indoors.
(When I was told of course! What does a boy know - or care - about dry clothes on the washing line? Lol.)

. . . and Prickles, bit of advice - never peg your gusset - it takes so much longer to dry :-D

I hang everything on my line for a good airing ;-)

Wend............. :-D :-D :-D

..... this is getting personal, Prickles and Wend ... in the nicest possible GR tradition, of course! Lol.