I am between job elements at the moment. I have been at one of the local primary schools today leading their Friday morning assembly and will leave in a bit for a funeral of a community member. She was not a member of the church, but she was still part of my parish and receives my care at this time. Both of these situations are very different from ministry in the States -- but I think I like it this way.
There is, however (and completely unrelated to either of the above activities), a prejudice in this land. It is pervasive and not hidden at all. It is a prejudice against.....tumble dryers. Yes, tumble dryers.
If you ask anyone here about using their tumble dryer, the first response you get is a stare of disbelief -- as in "why would you want to do THAT?" The second part of the response is a statement about the smell of clothes freshly dried outside. The third part is a statement about the inefficiency of tumble dryers. The fourth? Well, the fourth is a stereotypical Scottish response -- "besides, why waste money when you can dry outside for free?" Yes, some stereotypes have a basis in reality, and that one about Scots hanging onto their money is quite true in this sense -- and the Scots I have asked about this quite readily affirm it.
So, when you come to visit me, please be ready to dry yourselves with rather crispy towels. They will have been dried on the line (as God meant for them to be). I will be wearing my crunchy underwear (dried on an airer inside -- I refuse to hang my undies out for everyone to see).
And now -- I feel a need to go hang out some wet clothes.
Such a busy girl! Glad you are assimilating so well...despite the crunchy undies! My sympathy regarding the lack of a "tumble dryer!" We only ever did this when a) we were trying to save on the electric bill, or b)the dryer broke! We even had one during the lean years at MSU that only worked on high heat...and I still used it!
ReplyDeleteI am a new fan of air-drying clothes, myself. Clothes dry on the line here in Alabama in the summer time nearly as fast as they do in the dryer.
ReplyDeleteMy question is: how do clothes *ever* get dry in Scotland on a clothesline? I thought the weather was not exactly conducive to drying clothes outside...
Perrrsonally, I prefer to add fabric softener, give them a quick tumble to free them from wrinkles and stiffness and THEN finish drying them on the line. Sheets, especially, do need to be dried outside!