Saturday 15 March 2008

Washing Day - Smallsville

The rack from the ceiling of the balcony.



The rack and the hanging circle of pegs at an adjoining apartment.


My balcony before I hang all my washing.


Some of my washing hanging out to dry.


The sight of people's washing hanging on the balcony of their home, hanging from trees, hanging anywhere seems unsightly to we Aussies, but we are getting used to it - and of course doing some of it ourselves. There is no other way.

Most homes have a washing machine - and we have one here in the flat. All Chinese instructions so we don't mess with it's settings. We just turn it on - and let it do it's thing.

But when you have a pile of washing to dry - the balcony is the only place! There are no Hills Hoists - for there are no back yards. (Now I have looked at roof space - and considered the roof a possibility if you could get there - but I think the balcony is more protective from the pollution!)

I have a little rack - plastic coated - that I generally use for my smalls - and I can with the aid of the wrecked chair that the maintenance man won't take away - I can drape other clothes in the sun to dry. I have remarked that in the three weeks or so we have been here, I've not seen a breeze or a wind. The air is always still!

Each balcony has a roof - and there is a rack from which you can hang coat hangers, or a contraption that I have not yet purchased, with a ring that hangs pegs off - which you can suspend from the rack.

Today I am washing - it is Saturday and a fine warm day - and I have my clothes in a net bag - as the washing machine is pretty vicious on clothes - and I'll drape them on my balcony - just like the Chinese people do.

However, I do not intend to drape my clothes over the hedges in the school, or hang my undies from a tree in the street! Yesterday when M2 and I went to the Tesco supermarket we were dodging ladies undies dangling from the trees in the street!!! We called it "Smallsville!"

1 comment:

Floranel said...

Hi Di
Hope all's going well with you. Great Stories! I will know a lot more about China than I ever did before you went there?
I love the vegetable gardens.
Are you provided with an iron and board for your clothes?
Floranel