I'm keeping an eye on the weather right now, Syvia! I have a thick mattress pad out on the line and a thunder storm seems to be building up. Normally I'm happy about a thunder storm as it saves me a lot of time watering the garden. But I would like this one to pass on by because there is a roast cooking in my solar oven.

By the way, my mom was born and raised on England's south coast, in Weymouth. She moved to the US, when she was 21 and is now 79.
Lorna

Sylvia, I agree wholeheartedly with your viewpoint. I am thinking we in the US may be forced to change our ways very soon! There are already news stories about how to stretch our dollar...both in going green and in cooking from scratch. That isn't anything new for me; been doing the cooking thing for 40 years. As soon as I can rig up a line, will be doing the outside drying too. Did it many years ago when the children were small. No reason I don't do it now.

I was hoping for pictures from your English village. Hint, Hint.

http://www.bookhamsbulletin.co.uk/index.htm - link for pictures of my village

I loved the scarecrows!!! How dressy!!

Nancy.

Thanks for the link; I enjoyed the tour of your village.

Sylvia,

Thanks so much for your input on saving energy. I do what I can in as many ways as I can and always looking for more ways, too. Drying clothes outside is a breeze - pun pun.
I've always enjoyed it in fair weather, that is. Much easier on your dainties, too.

Thanks as well for the link to your village.
Cheers!

~ Annie

Hello Sylvia55,
I think this drying clothes business is a great example of "autre temps autre pays". My whole childhood in the UK has damp memories of wet weather drying washing on every available interior surface, before central heating was installed so my mother had no radiators. She had a clothes rack that she pulled up and down from the kitchen ceiling. The house was like a commercial laundry with streaming wet windows 24/7.
She used the outside clothes line whenever the fickle UK weather allowed.
When I emigrated to the US I thought an electric clothes drier was the height of luxury and I actually still do! When I lived in Paris the more predictable French weather helped me hang me dry my family's laundry outside, plus I had more time in those days as I was not working outside the home.
Here in central PA I use my clothes drier with true pleasure and convenience although with energy prices the way they're heading "plus ca change"!

Hi usgirl - not sure where in the UK you lived - perhaps in the wet NW. Here in the dryer SE - which includes London so it is a very populated area, the weather is often very good for drying outdoors. I do have a dryer & have used it about 6 times last winter. I never dry indoors on radiators etc as this lowers the temperature in the house & makes the central heating work harder - therefore using more energy.

As for time - I bought up 2 children, work out side the home & look after an elderly mother - I do not find throwing laundry on the line top of the list for time consuming activities & it's quite relaxing to be outdoors & doing a little exercise - beats the boring old gym!

Have a good week!

What a timely post! I've been drying my laundry in the backyard by draping it over the patio table, patio chairs, and on the lawn. DH and I finally bought a very nice (but pricey) portable clothesline that can be used indoors and out. Here in dry California we can use it outdoors most of the year. Out indoor humidity is low so we can use it in the house in winter. I'm really looking forward to this (even though some people might view it as regressing technologically). :-)

Melanie

Hurray! Hurray! Clothesline rock! What's not to love....lower electricity bills, environmentally friendly and the best smelling bedding ever!

I've been hanging my laundry out for years and loving it (3 season - winters in New England can entail digging my way to the clothes line). I actually make my 50'+ clothesline multi-task and hang bird feeders on the far end (I have cats) and it works wonderfully well.

Maureen

Hi Sylvia...I was stationed at RAF Alconbury for a year, back during my "real life." I loved every minute I spent in England and dream of going back for an extended vacation someday.

As Melanie said, this is a timely post! Do to a long, convuluted, and distressing remodel, some of my air vents are disengaged and I cannot run the A/C. Here in northeastern North Dakota it's not that much of a problem, but the past few days have been hitting mid-90s. A real shock after minus-40 winters.

Anyway, I've been thinking the dryer uses way to much energy and makes the hot house even hotter, so yesterday I washed and then used my "solar dryer" for the mattress pad and sheets. Today I've washed and "solar dried" a load of whites and a load of colors. Once they're dry, another set of sheets and the towels are getting their solar treatment.

I love my 30' retractable clothesline. Using it is now part of my morning routine.

Greetings Sylvia! I have decided to add a clothesline, because it seems so practical, and plan to use it for 3 seasons. We usually get quite a lot of snow in the winter, so I don't see it getting much use then.

I love my 2 20ft. retractables, there's nothing like the fresh smell of laundry that have been dried outside, As to softness, that depends on how much of a breeze there is. I can remember once (when my kids were very young) getting up in the middle of the night, it was really windy so I thought I'd wash a load of diapers (back in the day of cloth ones).they were dry in ten minutes and so soft. I decided to stay up and do the rest of the wash I think I did 4 loads and have to say the drying time was much faster then using a dryer.
Annette