Between the (clean) sheets - by Kandy Shepherd

Can pegging sheets out on the clothesline be counted as a pleasure or a chore?  Yesterday, I came down on the side of pleasure.

The joy of sunshine-dried sheets!

 After a wet, cold winter in my particular part of “Down Under”, with the tumble dryer doing overtime, a glorious spring day presented a perfect opportunity to peg my washing out to dry naturally in the sun and blue sky. In no time at all, my sheets were crisp, fresh, and scented with fresh air and sunshine.

As I folded my clean sheets into my laundry basket, I remembered how much I missed my Australian clothesline—and Australian sunshine—when I lived in central London some years ago. I adored every second of living in England, but I didn’t like that my sheets always had to be dried in the tumble dryer or draped over radiators. Maybe that’s why I rejoice in this simple pleasure.

Toby just grazes around the laundry, helping me mow the grass

 You may think I sound like a fanatic housewife—far from the truth. I lean more to the slovenly end of the scale and frequently bemoan how much I hate housework. I would carry the dishwasher on my back if forced to evacuate my house. When I speculate (as one does) what I would do if I won the lottery, high on my wish list, along with the tropical island vacations, is a housekeeper.

 But I do get a kick from fresh, line-dried laundry. And when my spring garden blooms, I’ll drape my sheets over my lavender bushes so they smell even better!

How apt! I found this on Facebook

Laundry—and other forms of housework—are inescapable for many of us. Such mundane chores rarely make it onto the pages of the books I write. And yet, when I created a heroine cast away on a tropical island paradise alone with a gorgeous, sexy hero in The Castaway Bride , I couldn’t resist having her worry about how she would wash and dry her only garments—the torn remnants of her wedding gown and some lacy thong panties. Oh well, they say you reveal something of yourself in everything you write…

What about you? Is there an aspect of housework you love or loathe? An appliance you couldn't live without? I'd love to hear it!

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Kandy Shepherd writes fun, feel-good fiction. Her books include The Castaway Bride, Something About Joe, Love is a Four-Legged Word and Home Is Where the Bark Is –reading one is a great way to escape the housework!

Visit Kandy at her website

www.kandyshepherd.com