Last Sunday afternoon the memories flooded back as I stood at the ironing board smoothing DH's shirts and trousers for a business trip to California early Monday.
As a child, I always helped my mother with the ironing......and there was plenty of it! No automatic washers and dryers then. Clothes came in from the outdoor line, often stiff as boards on cold, Winter days, but soft and sweet smelling in the Springtime. Because my mother worked full time outside the home six days a week, Sunday was far from a day of rest. We cleaned house, cooked the ubiquitous English Sunday dinner, consisting of a 'roast and three vegs.' along with those British specialties such as Yorkshire Pudding for beef, or fresh mint sauce for lamb....................and of course desserts such as trifle, steamed treacle sponge or gooseberry fool! And we ironed for what sometimes seemed like hours on Sunday afternoons.
I find enjoyment in ironing once I get in the mood to unfold the board and plug in the lightweight modern iron with steam and spray. Nowadays, the French scented linen water in a pretty bottle, for me lavender or verbena, makes this chore a pleasant one. As the iron slides across the clothes I take the time to reminisce about those long ago Sunday afternoons. Once the stacks of fresh clothes and folded linens were done, the kettle was boiled and the tea things set out ~ time to relax and realize the pleasure of a job well done.
These days I iron in the kitchen looking into the back garden and enjoying the sights and sounds of Nature. Out there I see more chores ahead now Spring is here. The gazebo needs re-staining, the beds still have leaves to be cleared, the veggie patches need digging over and refreshed so we can plant on our return from England in early May.
Household and garden chores are never done. Ironing gives one time to plan. Do you enjoy ironing? Where do you iron? Do you have a view making this chore a pleasant one?
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