Now for the terrrible, terrible news (waits for hushed silence..) My washing machine, my long time friend and ally has given up on me. I’ll admit that as my family has grown, so has the work load, but this is totally uncalled for. The words “newer”, “bigger” and especially “better” have been floating around. The handwashing was a novelty for a short time, I imagined my ancestors toiling in a similar way (except they had to heat their water too!) and I even turned it into a game for the children (I swear Dame Washalot had an awful existence!) but after an hour my back was aching and I started to feel my time could be better spent. I’ve already started perusing the catalogues for a replacement (accompanied by the gasps of horror from my son when he sees the prices).