LIFE UNDER THE STAIRS

By Jane Stevenson

The Art Of Ironing

Searching for a box in the Aladdin’s Cave that is the cupboard under the stairs recently, I came across my ironing bag. It hasn’t seen the light of day for months mainly because I live in jeans and T shirts.

It was stuffed to the gills, so I thought I’d better sort through it. It seemed a good idea at the time!

I must offer a defence first; I do iron occasionally as I must have ironed pillowcases. No idea why, as I don’t bother with the duvet covers or sheets. It’s one of those weird quirks we all have. However, Other Half no longer needs a shirt for work, I’m no longer required to dress smartly for the office. Any meetings I do attend are invariably very informal and easy going. The dress code doesn’t operate in my world anymore.

The ironing bag was a revelation and in a good way. Much of the stuff contained went straight into the charity bag – embarrassingly, some items were left over from when we moved here, nine months ago! I did locate a couple of favourite shirts I thought I’d got rid of, and a missing sock. The remaining items took about thirty minutes to press and put away. Years ago, things were washed, starched and ironed with sharp creases. I remember slaving over the ironing board several times a week, ensuring the children went to school in neatly pressed uniform, and Other Half went off in a crisp white shirt.

I did once share a flat with a gentleman named Paul Newman (not that one), who ironed everything including socks, pants, tea towels and even flannels! That was taking things a bit far for me. Unsurprisingly, the flat share didn’t last long.

Nowadays, with better products, technology and fabrics, we can get away with a minimum amount of ironing. A personal tweak for me is the ‘reduced ironing’ function on the washing machine. Basically, the stuff comes out dripping wet, and the sheer weight of the water pulls out the creases! The wonders of science, eh?

Festival Season

I went to the Old Gaffers Festival in Yarmouth recently. The marina had an area put aside for these wonderful sailing boats, often many years old. Sturdy wooden masts, gaily decorated cabins and obviously cared for, they sat alongside motor cruisers worth millions of pounds, and in my view, put these shiny super cruisers to shame.

The town has a history of this festival, and over the years it has grown. Street entertainment and markets, a Sea Shanty concert, street food and arts and crafts vied with community groups for attention. Thankfully the weather was good, and it proved a very enjoyable couple of days.

Earlies in June the Isle of Wight Music Festival took place. A quick check of artists that appeared showed a wide range of styles. Robbie Williams, George Ezra and Niall Horan. Pulp, Manic Street Preachers and Echo and the Bunnymen are some acts that appeared. However, there are several tribute bands on the list as well. Oh for the days when we could have Fleetwood Mac or the Foo Fighters for real, rather than the tributes. It pains me to say, but festivals of today don’t quite cut it for me. I was lucky enough to see The Who, Deep Purple and others in their full testosterone glory at festivals. Even third and fourth billed were crowd pullers. Times have changed, as has the music industry. I know some people from Dartford travelled over for the event. I hope you enjoyed yourselves my friends,

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