– Opinion –
I woke up this morning and realised that I have finally turned into my mother as I, too, now wear my jeans for two days in a row – if they look reasonably passable of course!
Now remember you are talking to “Mrs Spick ‘n Span” here – oh she who likes everything pristine clean! I even like my pyjamas ironed if they are too creased! So for me to actually admit on social media that I now wear jeans for two days is big. I used to berate my mother and her friends for wearing things twice in my house and pull a “laundry police” number on them if they attempted to do so. (My mother insists that old people are allowed to do that which is an enormous concern as I might just be becoming an “old people”.)
The first few days of Lockdown Laundry Management 101 went quite well. I stuck to the usual routine of “if-it’s-Wednesday-it-must be-bedding-and-if-it’s-Friday-it-must-be-
towels” to retain some sense of normality in a very abnormal situation. That went well until I realised that there must be at least three other people living here for the amount of laundry that we seem to create. (One of them could possibly be the left handed batsman that escaped when I cleaned out the spare room cupboard but I am not so sure about the other two.) But no sooner have I successfully completed one load, then the laundry basket is once again bursting at the seems screaming “wash me please”.
One day in early lockdown, when the weather has been very iffy and I was behind on laundry. SP (Son Person) said he would like to query my laundry management skills as he hadn’t seen his favourite tracksuit pants for three days! Heaven forbid! I tried to explain that I was way better at “Wine Drinking 101” than “Laundry 101”, but apparently mothers are supposed to be born with a perfect laundry skillset.
DP (Daughter Person) has become Iron Lady and complains bitterly about the amount of ironing we create. And she does have the right to complain as her lockdown wardrobe consists solely of her alternating her two “onesies”, neither of which require ironing!
I have considered going into “laundry lockdown” and tried skipping it for a week, but that would go against all my anally retentive OCD issues completely and probably give me sleepless nights too, so I guess I will remain chained to my washing machine for the rest of lockdown. Now if only I could just teach the socks to pair themselves up and march like little soldiers two by two back to their rightful owners’ cupboards!
The struggle is real I tell you!
Missed some of the other Corona Chronicles? Check them out here:
Corona Chronicles: Witty Joburg resident documents past five days of social distancing
Corona Chronicles: Lockdown makes Joburger confront gridlocked passage and a lipstick dilemma
Corona Chonicles: Are mops considered an ‘essential’ item?
Corona Chronicles: Chicken or beef?
Corona Chronicles: Worry over wine stock after husband accidentally breaks three bottles
Corona Chronicles: All dressed up and off to the shops she goes
Corona Chronicles: Does reading a book and drinking a gin while lying in the sun count as housework?
Corona Chronicles: Lockdown’s become a puzzle
Corona Chronicles: New dress sense during lockdown
Corona Chronicles: How to manage household chores during lockdown
Corona Chronicles: Attempt to re-create Mozambican holiday doesn’t go to plan
Corona Chronicles: Lockdown eating habits
Corona Chronicles: Thank goodness of homemade pizzas and braais that work
Corona Chronicles: A plan to overcome ‘cleaning envy’
Corona Chronicles: A recipe for every occasion
Corona Chronicles: Time to nail it
Corona Chronicles: Ready to throw an ‘end-of-Skype-meetings’ party at the end of lockdown
Corona Chronicles: Raise the bar
Corona Chronicles: Banana bread: The apparent law of lockdown and other baking stories
