I’m not quite sure how it happened but everything we own seemed to conspire together to all be dirty at once. This weekend I have washed eight loads of washing, including three sets of sheets, numerous towels and just about every item of clothing we own. As the cliché goes, if I’d waited another day, we’d have been wearing our swimming costumes under our clothes. The stupid thing is that it’s only been a week or so since I last washed stuff.

The beautiful thing is that despite giving my washing machine a complete bashing, I’ve not switched on the tumble drier once. It’s all gone on the line and been dried outside in the fabulous spring weather we’ve had.

I have done peg shots and washing line shots before I know but I still love to see a line full of washing blowing in the wind and think that there is no nicer smell for your laundry than the fresh air. I’d much rather that than the synthetic scent of a tumble drier sheet.

I’m not sure if I’ve confessed my “dirty little secret” here before but I have a thing about fabric. It’s a comfort thing, a bit like stroking a dog. I get a little sliver of fabric in between my fingers and rub it gently and all of the cares in my world go away. It works much better with natural fabrics than synthetics although something like Cupro will make me almost as happy as cotton. The best ones are the really fine weaves. Good quality cotton or spun silk or even a really high quality woven wool are the best.

Perhaps that’s why I love the washing being on the line so much. I can fondle the fabric to my heart’s content and bury my face in its folds and sniff the fresh air. I suspect if you’ve not thought of me already as having a screw loose then now is the time that you realise just how much that’s true.

The downside of all this good honest graft is that there is now a pile of ironing the size of Ben Nevis in our bedroom and I can’t put off tackling it any longer……