The annual iron – or, dullest post ever

I’ve been doing a spot of housework.  Remarkable, I know.  But I’m a surprisingly resolute little thing and I intend to go through all the cupboards and drawers in the house, in my own time.  Today, it was the double cupboard in the kitchen where I keep crockery, followed by all the spices I could amass.  Of the former, not a lot has changed but the bewilderingly dusty cupboard isn’t any longer – how does dust get in a closed cupboard that I empty and wash at least once a year?  And all the out of date spices have gone and I must buy some jars because I keep too many in packets and can’t tell what they contain without removing the packet from the shelf.

This sounds terribly, terribly dull, but it gets worse.  I spent half an hour ironing.  Worse, I was ironing tablecloths.  Except that, after three of them, plus a number of napkins and handkerchiefs, I rebelled and shoved the other two tablecloths back whence they came.  But I’m going to do the lot, which includes my entire stock of double damask dinner napkins and most of my summer wardrobe.

After that, we had kippers for supper.

12 comments on “The annual iron – or, dullest post ever

  1. allotmentqueen

    Quite frankly, if you employ cleaners, gardeners, Stevo (I’m not sure what category he comes into), etc then I’d be putting out the ironing of damask things (I don’t even know I’d recognise such things if they graced my doorstep) to some lovely person in the village who could do with a few extra pounds. I’m sure I’d rather be out pruning the wisteria (what you mean you haven’t started that yet???) than ironing some flat things. But maybe that’s just me.

    Reply
  2. Beryl Ament

    It’s all your fault. I spent the evening watching Joyce Grenfell on YouTube because I swear I remember her doing a wonderful monologue on double damask napkins. Does anyone remember it? Does anyone remember Joyce Grenfell? Or am I rather old?

    Reply
  3. chairwoman ros

    Was that before the Mitfords decided it was non u to say Serviettes?.

    When I was a teenager I met Miss Courtneidge’s daughter at a point-to-point, and she was one of the poshest people I have ever met.

    Reply
  4. Z Post author

    AQ, five hours per week of a gardener for an acre, plus four hours of housework per month for a fairly big house don’t make me a very lucrative employer. Stevo is a 17-year-old college student who does odd jobs. I’m afraid I’m doomed to do my own ironing – frankly, I’d rather do that than dig the garden nowadays, though I’m happy to prune the wisteria!

    Beryl, I remember her, and the sketch, very well. She was wonderfully funny. I didn’t know Di’s Dame Cicely piece, though.

    Was it Nancy Mitford, Ros? I have to admit, I was brought up with napkins rather than serviettes, which would have been from the 50s.

    Reply
  5. Z Post author

    Nothing dull at all! And yes, I have no idea either. Nor has Tim.

    There is that, Helen. I’ve got an awful lot of cupboards in this house, though. It’ll take a while.

    Reply
  6. Tim

    Fair point, Helen, but don’t try it with the chest freezer. Last time I did that I found a kipper, right at the bottom.

    Reply

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