Today (this morning at least) the sun is shining in Hertfordshire, England! Yesterday afternoon it snowed big white flakes and the day before the sun played hide and seek with the clouds. Today sunshine rules and I’ve spotted through our lounge window, a sight that consistently lifts my spirits: washing on a line. For most of our lives we took the African sun for granted and hung nappies, shirts, linen,school clothes, underclothes, jeans and towels up under the African sun without a special celebration. Today the pegged washing dancing in the sunshine and breeze – brings a big smile.On rainy washing days, our lounge is filled with draped washed clothing and a mmmmm good- and - fresh a nd- clean smell. But today…..as soon as our own latest machine cycle is done, I want to be outside, doing the washing-line-thing!
PS - the following 11 reasons to use a washing line is not a list to send anyone on a guilt trip. I remember too well our rainy and high humidity Cape Town weather, when washed toweling nappies for baby and toddler never quite reached the "dry" point. How I wished for a dryer in those days! Of course, in our modern times, the norm is disposable nappies, but towels and jeans take just as long to dry.
Here are 11 reasons why all of us should vote for the washing line instead of the dryer.
| 1. Your clothes, linens, and other fabric items will smell fresh. 2. Sunlight is a natural sanitizing and bleaching agent.[ It's perfect for killing insects, bacteria, and other germs. 3. Clotheslines only need energy when they're manufactured. Dryers use energy every single time they're used. 4. Line drying is kinder to your clothes than the dryer; clothes last longer the more they're kept out of the dryer. Line drying is also better for items with printed elements, such as t-shirts. And if you wonder why the elastic in your socks and panties/knickers is disappearing fast, blame the dryer. 5. If you're already buying and using eco-friendly washing products, what is the point of then using an energy-guzzling dryer? Extend your convictions to the drying cycle too! 6. Line drying keeps moisture outdoors. Sure, you can vent the dryer outdoors (and hopefully you are!) and you can even get dryers that collect moisture. But all this has an energy-intensive cost, one that hanging outdoors gets rid of totally! 7. It's a great form of exercise; you might even discover your arm muscles are in need of some stretching! 8. It can be a source of pride and enjoyment. In the old days, housewives took great pride on how neatly they could hang up clothing. It is still a good idea to hang clothing neatly on the line as this can help prevent wrinkling which means less ironing. 9. It's fun as well as rewarding. Getting outdoors even if it's only to hang the clothes can be a way to avoid or dig your way out of depression, so treasure this activity as a "must-do" that gets you some sunshine, kisses from the breeze, and much-needed movement. 10. You'll start noticing the sunny days in between the rainy ones more. They're your "washing days"! 11. Clotheslines don't tend to spontaneously combust no matter how much you mistreat them. Dryers can cause fires if poorly maintained, accounting for 15 deaths a year, 360 injuries a year, and 17,700 structure fires a year! |
God is active in the world and constantly engages our lives, and the life of all creation. The Good News of Jesus Christ is that God has acted decisively for the salvation of all who believe. Christ obediently suffered for us, and then God raised him triumphantly! God’s continued activity in, with and for the sake of the world is consistent with that decisive act of salvation in Jesus Christ.
The Holy Scriptures testify to God’s creative and redemptive work in all things. For example, Paul taught the Christians in Rome: the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved (Romans 8:21-24a).For more on being stewards and caretakers of the earth, click on this link.
Here is one idea out of Somerset, UK, for drying clothes indoors.
