Housework

Hello everyone.

At the day for Creative Writing I went to in Broadstairs a couple of weeks ago the theme of memoir and thinking about the past brought to mind some memories that I have since been working on.
It's funny how you can look back and observe details that are just snippets of life going on.
Anyway, one of the things that I remembered was the whole thing of working in the home and how different it was for women before the advance of appliances that made the work easier.
Every day had a specific job allotted .  Monday - washing, Tuesday - ironing,  Wednesday - mending, Thursday - cleaning, Friday - shopping, Saturday - cooking and Sunday a rest as it's the Lord's day.
This routine, very sensible and practical is what I learned when I went to live with my mother in law.
It was all very new to me. My own mother had stepped into the 20th century and we had a machine , a twin tub I think, for the washing and she certainly didn't have the same routine for work in the home that mother in law had.
Thinking of theses things and having to write something for the Writers Workshop last week I produced two small pieces.
We had set ourselves the task of writing a complete piece in exactly 100 words. These are mine:

                                                  Early Risers                     

5.0am start - Six buckets of water,

Fill copper - light.

Add soap shavings - Sunlight Carbolic,

A bit of soda to prevent scum.

It’s Monday- washing, the entire day.

New to me - we had a modern machine.

But, it’s mother in law’s routine.

Whites in first – boil,

Windows open to get rid of steam.

Next coloureds, lastly work clothes.

Wooden tub for hand washing

Washboard for more soiled items.

All laundry rinsed and fed through rollers of mangle.

Tired satisfaction...

No time for anything else.

Even dinner is cold meat from yesterday

With bubble and squeak from leftovers.

100  Words

Ironing

Keeping everything normal, Sheila starts ironing.  It is Tuesday, after all. She’d kept up the regimental routine her mother in law had instilled in her all those years ago. Each day had its particular job - Monday, washing day, Tuesday, Ironing, - a useful distraction on this significant day.

Robot like, she picks up his shirt, the one she bought him last Christmas.  She knew then that she would be here today.  The iron sweeps backwards and forwards. Smiling, she plans how she will go to the greenhouse later and dispose of his body and his mug containing the evidence. 

                                                                

                                                                    100 Words

That's all for now folks.