Thursday 18 April 2013

Unpredictable Weather is a Major Pain in the Neck!

CATCH-UP TIME!

We've had a horrible couple of days weatherwise but there have been a few gaps between the clouds, leaving it dry enough for long enough to get the washing out on the line.
 
Laundry is something few think about nowadays, when they have modern central heating, tumble dryers and so little time spent at home to do things the frugal way. (I don't iron anything that doesn't need ironed.) We have neither central heating nor a tumble dryer here - not yet, anyway - so it is very much a case of hoping for dry weather, pegging wet washing on the line and then getting it over the airers to finish drying if the sunshine and wind have been insufficient.
 
So...  today's washing is on the line, but I need to nip to the shop for a few essentials. Easier said than done, when 'nipping to the shop' entails almost 10 miles round trip on a bicycle while attempting to pedal in blustering winds - it's like hitting a wall sometimes! Hmm... there's always the option to sling on a backpack and walk, but that takes about 3 hours out of the day and runs even more of a risk of running out of dry weather. In fact, we just did and it's now raining!
 
Washing is now back in off the line, the bike's back in the shed before I even got the shopping basket attached and I dont know if I should trust the weather forecast, which said it would be raining all day, or trust looking out the window - we've had a couple of hours of sunshine, there's a hower just now, I can see a tiny bit of blue sky but there are still plenty of grey clouds looming.
 
Maybe I'd be as well doing something else, instead! Get some bread dough on the go, bake some rolls and biscuits, make a pot of soup, distribute some eggs to the neighbours, plant some potatoes, water the seedlings in the greenhouse and try to arrange to get a joiner out here soon, so there's at least one room done in the house. Life is so exasperating, sometimes!

11 comments:

  1. Just had to rush outside for our washing as well despite the weather forecast saying wet morning (dry) and dry afternoon (showery)!

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    1. I can now see my breath in the sittingroom (must get stove lit) and it is battering down with hailstones here. Ugh! At least the washing almost dried and I did get some baking done AND... have managed to arrange for a joiner to come out tomorrow to quote for some of the work! Yeah! :)

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  2. It rained on my washing before and I didn't even notice, oh well the sun's back out so it will be dry again soon.

    It's proper April showers here this year, must be the first time in years. Fingers crossed for a nice Summer, we deserve it!

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  3. Hi Nyk, this was the week I decided to get back out every day on the bike. the wind has been terrible. I have managed to cycle 106 miles since Saturday but it has been tough and I didn't go on the bike yesterday as it was just too dangerous winds over 60mph. DH did go out and with the wind on his back did 21mph without peddling. It was different on the way back , struggling to make 7mph into the headwind. We've not had much in the way of showers though so quite lucky. DS1 found ladies knickers blowing on the street so someone has lost them off the line!!

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    1. You are doing brilliantly with all that cycling! Mine's more a mode of transport, so I'm very much a fair-weather cyclist but it is a good way of getting further afield than when walking... not sure whether to congratulate or commiserate you son on the finding of the ladies knickers, though! LOL

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  4. We have problems getting washing dry too. I won't wash a load unless it is a full load and combining that with a dry day can mean that we sometimes wait ages for it to happen right.

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    1. Drying weather comes along like country buses - never on schedule! LOL Then the sun arrives and we need to get 3 loads packed into one day. LOL

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  5. We've done ok drying washing lately.

    We will leave it indoors to dry during the day too but would rather not.

    No tumble dryer here! No central heating too!

    Just 1 storage heater (off now) and our multi-fuel stove.

    Good job we live in a tiny cottage :)

    Sft x

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  6. Hi
    I like your blog about frugal life in Galloway. Very inspiring.

    I'm in Dumfriesshire and have been on the frugal path for quite some time now.

    No tumble drier but I have a stove which I find great for drying washing on an airer when it's raining. Also have thingys from Betterware which go on top of the door where you can hang washing on clothes hangers to dry.

    I recently acquired an Acme mangle so soon will be testing out doing washing the old fashioned way without electricity. Every little bit of saving helps :)

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    1. Sorry it took so long to respond, my email notifications haven't been getting through, for some reason. Glad you're enjoying the blog and I'm going to try and get it back on track now that the frugal holiday that was the Ben Nevis trip is done and dusted. :) Please let me know how you get on with the mangle and join us on http://frugaldom.myfreeforum.org so we can all keep up to date. :)

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