I have always had a fascination with washing and clotheslines....in every house I have lived in the clothesline and the laundry have been been important!
Recently I brought this child size clothesline to display my handmade creations on....when it arrived Ms Ambler put it together, I sat like a little child waiting for her christmas present to be to be ready so I could play with it! I oohed and ached over this little toy...but did I mention it also came with its own little trolley and washing basket...a complete set!
Recently I brought this child size clothesline to display my handmade creations on....when it arrived Ms Ambler put it together, I sat like a little child waiting for her christmas present to be to be ready so I could play with it! I oohed and ached over this little toy...but did I mention it also came with its own little trolley and washing basket...a complete set!
On a holiday to Tasmania last year, we went to the Cascades Female Factory....if you have not been there do yourself a favour and go...very emotional! Anyway, one of the installations on the site is a series of clotheslines, these represented the work that the female convicts had to do until they were released. I spent considerable time looking at these installations, thinking about the work that was required to do the washing....no automatic washing machines back then! I felt quite moved to think that this daily task must have taken a toll on the women who carried it out....included in this process was washing the babies nappies and clothes...yes there were babies in these factories.....this was one of the tasks that was considered a privilege to do!
So where's all this leading...well...I visited my youngest Ambling son and his girlfriend, who I will call Ms Divine....they had just moved into a new house and were in the process of getting their things together. I noticed that Ms Divine had hands that were red raw and looked quite sore, I asked her what had she been doing to get her hands like this, she replied "oh I've been hand washing."
"Handwashing....what do you mean?", "Well we don't have a washing machine as yet and I thought if it was good enough for the women in the olden days to hand wash everything, it was good enough for me!" Her words brought tears to my eyes as she recounted that she found it therapeutic, that it gave her time to think and that it gave her a new understanding of women had to do back then.
She was not complaining about what she was doing, she was proud....my Ambling son did not expect her to do it, she found that she had learnt a lot from the experience!
What an inspiration she is.....there a some things that we can't do with out, one of them is a washing machine! Ms Ambler and I went out and brought them one.....their story moved us so much that we wanted to make life a little easier for them. Ms Divine cried and cried....I did too, Ambling son proudly set the machine up and before long the machine was whirring along....now for a cuppa!!
"Handwashing....what do you mean?", "Well we don't have a washing machine as yet and I thought if it was good enough for the women in the olden days to hand wash everything, it was good enough for me!" Her words brought tears to my eyes as she recounted that she found it therapeutic, that it gave her time to think and that it gave her a new understanding of women had to do back then.
She was not complaining about what she was doing, she was proud....my Ambling son did not expect her to do it, she found that she had learnt a lot from the experience!
What an inspiration she is.....there a some things that we can't do with out, one of them is a washing machine! Ms Ambler and I went out and brought them one.....their story moved us so much that we wanted to make life a little easier for them. Ms Divine cried and cried....I did too, Ambling son proudly set the machine up and before long the machine was whirring along....now for a cuppa!!
I learnt a lot from Ms Divine.....to her I say thank you! My life has been enriched by this experience.....
Until next time...
Amanda xx
"Just ambling home....."
Update: The last conversation with my youngest Ambling son was that Ms Divine had washed everything in the house....aah it's the little things!!
Until next time...
Amanda xx
"Just ambling home....."
Update: The last conversation with my youngest Ambling son was that Ms Divine had washed everything in the house....aah it's the little things!!