I mean, I had to do the dishes by hand!!!!
Yeah.......you really had it tough, didn't you?
Every Woman Deserves a Washing Machine
- Thread starter Bargain Hunter
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Yeah.......you really had it tough, didn't you?
Geez showing your age there Macca
Hi Jacque,
LOL That was way back in the 60s, (1900 not 1800
)Hi Jacque,
LOL That was way back in the 60s, (1900 not 1800
Sadly mine was late 70's early 80's.
I don't have a washing machine
Our current house (caravan) is so small we can't fit a washing machine in it so I have to use the fee for use washing machines in the caravan park laundry.
The cost is $3-$4.00 per load and the clothes dryer is usualy $4.00 for 10 minutes and you need 2 to 3 lots of $4.00 to dry a load [$8-$12]. Needless to say I only wash on sunny days.
Thank heavens for wireless internet and the bom site so I know when the sun is expected.
Sheryn
Our current house (caravan) is so small we can't fit a washing machine in it so I have to use the fee for use washing machines in the caravan park laundry.
The cost is $3-$4.00 per load and the clothes dryer is usualy $4.00 for 10 minutes and you need 2 to 3 lots of $4.00 to dry a load [$8-$12]. Needless to say I only wash on sunny days.
Thank heavens for wireless internet and the bom site so I know when the sun is expected.
Sheryn
roflmaof :d
Our current house (caravan) is so small we can't fit a washing machine in it so I have to use the fee for use washing machines in the caravan park laundry.
The cost is $3-$4.00 per load and the clothes dryer is usualy $4.00 for 10 minutes and you need 2 to 3 lots of $4.00 to dry a load [$8-$12]. Needless to say I only wash on sunny days.
Thank heavens for wireless internet and the bom site so I know when the sun is expected.
Sheryn
We live in a van when not housesitting. We just purchased a camping washing machine at an auction yesterday for $20. ...but they sell for approx $69 at a camping store. You might want to check them out.It doesn't take electricity. You just swish back and forth for 5 minutes or stick it in your car and let it swish while you drive. Rinse and repeat.
Blimey, that brings back memories, when I was a teenager my job after school was to light a fire under our fancy brick copper in the outside laundry. That way it was hot for our baths after dinner.
All we had to do was run down/up 12 steps carrying two buckets of very hot water twice and we could have a bath
Whoa !! Scarey dejavu....
My wife's parents owned a farm down in the boondocks a couple of hundred k's behind Far Far Away land.
For 35 years they simply had an old caravan at their camp, which only slept two...you know the type, tyres had been flat for 20 years, cobwebs everywhere, holes in the floor etc. All the visitors had to sleep on the ground in sleeping bags. The wash basin was an iron tub on the floor behind a tree for modesty. Princesses were not allowed.
They upgraded severely in 1996 by purchasing an old 2 bedroom weatherboard ex-housing commission house from Mullewa for $ 8,000 and then trucking it in two halves down the 600km, before plonking it in two wobbly ill fitting halves. It looked exactly like some of Nathan's 'before' pictures.
Over the years they upgraded it even further, by connecting big steel rainwater collecting tanks accepting the runoff from the roof. Some got in the tanks, most went straight thru the roof. The stuff that got into the tanks didn't stay long, with the holes and all of the snakes bathing in it.
Bath was there in the bathroom, but no electrics, and no plumbing in, and no plumbing out. Just a wooden big fat bung to act as a plug. The weekly wash was no big affair apparently.
Anyway, like good rellies do, we gathered up the 3 kids and went down to visit them occassionally. The wife loved to go, as it was what she was brought up with, and the kids were so small they knew no better. I got lumbered with "copper and bath" duty....so I wasn't so keen.
To organise a bath for everyone, the routine usually started at about 5pm after coming in from the paddocks. The sequence of events to achieve a successful bath looked something like this ;
- First step to having a bath was to go and get the axe.
- Walk over to the mallee root heap and chop up enough kindling to start the fire.
- Select some larger roots that would still fit through the hole at the bottom of the copper.
- Go and get some old newspaper from the 10 foot high stack "just in case".
- Go and get some matches - usually in top pocket for emergencies on fire.
- Get down on hands and knees and check for snakes under the copper.
- If all clear - lie down in the dust patch in front of the copper.
- Screw up enough newspaper into wads to get it going.
- Chuck on the kindling gathered previously.
- Carefully place one or two small mallee roots on top, but not too much.
- Get the fire started.
- Pick yourself up out of the dust and pat yourself down to get rid of excess dust.
- Walk over to the edge of the house.
- Bend down and check for snakes again.
- Lie in the dust again and stretch underneath the house to retrieve the two iron buckets.
- Pick yourself up out of the dust and pat yourself down to get rid of excess dust.
- Walk over to the rainwater tanks.
- Bend down and look inside and underneath, checking for snakes again.
- Fill both buckets up.
- Carry both buckets over to copper.
- Take off lid, checking for snakes.
- Empty cold water into the copper.
- Stop and check fire.
- Lie back down into the dust.
- Load up the fire with more mallee roots.
- Get it really roaring by blowing on it. Try not to get too much dust in your face.
- Pick yourself up out of the dust and pat yourself down to get rid of excess dust.
- Repeat process by carrying 8 more bucketloads of cold water.
- Empty into the copper and fill it up.
- Get a head start by carrying 8 more bucketloads of cold water into the bathroom.
- Wipe down excess dirt and dust from the bath.
- Put in bung.
- Pour in the cold water to give the bath some 'bulk'.
- Otherwise you'll be bathing in 3 inches of scalding hot water that will strip meat off the bone.
- Take the buckets back outside to the copper and leave them there ready for the next stage.
- Woops - Grandma reminds me to put one bucket of cold water in the sink ready for dishes.
- Shake off excess dust.
- Go inside and have dinner.
- Wait one hour.
- Go back outside to copper. Dark, cold, windy.
- Bend down in the dust to check fire.
- Lift copper lid...yep...next time you'll use a stick rather than burn your hand.
- Haul one steaming hot bucket of water into the kitchen.
- Pour into sink.
- Don't spill any on the floor once inside, the dust turns to mud.
- Start hauling the other 7 bucket loads of scorching hot water into bathroom.
- Avoid spilling any on 3 little kids running around wondering what you are doing.
- Bath is now ready to go. Six inches of warm / hot water.
- Take me and my boots and overalls back out of the bathroom.
- Kids invade.
- Grandma says - "while you've got them in your hand, may as well fill the copper up again".
- Mumble under my breath that I just love holidays.
- Go over to tank and start hauling another 8 bucketloads.
- Copper now full again.
- Place buckets near bathroom door.
- Parents eventually have bath in same kid water, now tepid.
- Grandparents reluctantly have a bath in same parent / kid water, now cold and brown.
- Get into PJ's and thongs.
- Ensure everyone has finished bathing....made that mistake once before !!
- Pick up buckets, and start hauling 16 bucketloads of cold brown murky water.
- Grandma gives strict instructions to 'place' water at base of dying fruit trees.
- Trouble is the base is surrounded by flyblown maggoty wool.
- Try not to slip in your thongs out there in the dust / mud, otherwise you'll need to start all again.
- Throw buckets back under house.
- Go back inside, collapse exhausted.
When back in the city, I always appreciated that hot tap....and the plughole connected to sewerage. What marvellous inventions. A 5 minute hot shower is truly a remarkable modern luxury.
Looking back, I can see why they never had time for Facebook / Twitter or any of that ****. They were flat out just achieving the very basics of existing, and then collapsing exhausted from the days efforts at about 9pm.
Fair dinkum... I'm exhausted just reading that.
Truly... I would have just given them a bucket of cold water each to wash themselves. Maybe add a little hot to each bucket so it is tepid.
When we occasionally have no power, we manage with a few splashes of cold water. It wakes you up nicely!!!
That is Brisbane. I don't know if I'd like a "sparrow bath" in a cold climate.
Truly... I would have just given them a bucket of cold water each to wash themselves. Maybe add a little hot to each bucket so it is tepid.
When we occasionally have no power, we manage with a few splashes of cold water. It wakes you up nicely!!!
That is Brisbane. I don't know if I'd like a "sparrow bath" in a cold climate.
.
- First step to having a bath was to go and get the axe.
- Walk over to the mallee root heap and chop up enough kindling to start the fire.
- Select some larger roots that would still fit through the hole at the bottom of the copper.
- Go and get some old newspaper from the 10 foot high stack "just in case".
- Go and get some matches - usually in top pocket for emergencies on fire.
- Get down on hands and knees and check for snakes under the copper.
- If all clear - lie down in the dust patch in front of the copper.
- Screw up enough newspaper into wads to get it going.
- Chuck on the kindling gathered previously.
- Carefully place one or two small mallee roots on top, but not too much.
- Get the fire started.
- Pick yourself up out of the dust and pat yourself down to get rid of excess dust.
- Walk over to the edge of the house.
- Bend down and check for snakes again.
- Lie in the dust again and stretch underneath the house to retrieve the two iron buckets.
- Pick yourself up out of the dust and pat yourself down to get rid of excess dust.
- Walk over to the rainwater tanks.
- Bend down and look inside and underneath, checking for snakes again.
- Fill both buckets up.
- Carry both buckets over to copper.
- Take off lid, checking for snakes.
- Empty cold water into the copper.
- Stop and check fire.
- Lie back down into the dust.
- Load up the fire with more mallee roots.
- Get it really roaring by blowing on it. Try not to get too much dust in your face.
- Pick yourself up out of the dust and pat yourself down to get rid of excess dust.
- Repeat process by carrying 8 more bucketloads of cold water.
- Empty into the copper and fill it up.
- Get a head start by carrying 8 more bucketloads of cold water into the bathroom.
- Wipe down excess dirt and dust from the bath.
- Put in bung.
- Pour in the cold water to give the bath some 'bulk'.
- Otherwise you'll be bathing in 3 inches of scalding hot water that will strip meat off the bone.
- Take the buckets back outside to the copper and leave them there ready for the next stage.
- Woops - Grandma reminds me to put one bucket of cold water in the sink ready for dishes.
- Shake off excess dust.
- Go inside and have dinner.
- Wait one hour.
- Go back outside to copper. Dark, cold, windy.
- Bend down in the dust to check fire.
- Lift copper lid...yep...next time you'll use a stick rather than burn your hand.
- Haul one steaming hot bucket of water into the kitchen.
- Pour into sink.
- Don't spill any on the floor once inside, the dust turns to mud.
- Start hauling the other 7 bucket loads of scorching hot water into bathroom.
- Avoid spilling any on 3 little kids running around wondering what you are doing.
- Bath is now ready to go. Six inches of warm / hot water.
- Take me and my boots and overalls back out of the bathroom.
- Kids invade.
- Grandma says - "while you've got them in your hand, may as well fill the copper up again".
- Mumble under my breath that I just love holidays.
- Go over to tank and start hauling another 8 bucketloads.
- Copper now full again.
- Place buckets near bathroom door.
- Parents eventually have bath in same kid water, now tepid.
- Grandparents reluctantly have a bath in same parent / kid water, now cold and brown.
- Get into PJ's and thongs.
- Ensure everyone has finished bathing....made that mistake once before !!
- Pick up buckets, and start hauling 16 bucketloads of cold brown murky water.
- Grandma gives strict instructions to 'place' water at base of dying fruit trees.
- Trouble is the base is surrounded by flyblown maggoty wool.
- Try not to slip in your thongs out there in the dust / mud, otherwise you'll need to start all again.
- Throw buckets back under house.
- Go back inside, collapse exhausted.
QUOTE]
Baby wash clothes. They make modern camping more pleasant than getting wet in the middle of winter.
We had an outdoor dunnie. Mum used to get her arm stuck in the wringer sometimes and my job was to reverse it or turn off the power. Not bad for a three year old. We must have been rich - they did have hot water indoors.
We had an outdoor dunnie. Mum used to get her arm stuck in the wringer sometimes and my job was to reverse it or turn off the power. Not bad for a three year old. We must have been rich - they did have hot water indoors.
I'm sure I heard stories about children who lost their hands or arms in these. My grandmother had one, and I remember clearly doing the Saturday morning wash and helping her.
I'm also sure they were also called a "mangle". Maybe because that is what they could do to your hand if you were daydreaming whilst using one?
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I am lazy so will put the $3 or $4 in the caravan park washing machine, one advantage is I can usually do 3 loads at once using 3 machines at the same time.
Cheers
Sheryn
We had an outdoor dunnie, and not a flush one, a hole in the ground one with an outhouse mounted over the top. Dad used to milk a cow every morning and kill sheep for meat. We ran chooks. You had to lock them up each night or the foxes would get the whole lot. They'd only take a few away, but would kill the rest just for fun. Twice a year or so, all the roosters and the old hens would get their heads chopped off for chicken meat.
Today we are just like anyone else in the city. We buy everything from a shop. The chooks and fresh eggs were the last to go about 5 years ago. Farm eggs aren't really what they are cracked up to be. You have to collect them twice a day, or they really aren't that fresh. We ended up deciding that we liked cage eggs better.
Your time and my time is worth many dollars per hour. I can go and do an hours work and potentially make hundreds of dollars profit for business per hour. It's silly to be working away making bugger all running animals and veges. The best thing about growing your own veges, is that it makes you realise how cheap and easy it is to buy from the local shop.
See ya's.
