LIVING ON A KNIFE EDGE

One of my New Years resolutions is to iron HeeHoo's clothes more carefully.

Ironing has never been a strong point with the Kriel Girls.

SheHoo Must Run was sent off to Rhodes University with a perfectly good Mazoe Iron, but it never left the box. In fact the plug was taken off to be used on the stereo.

It was only many years later that she told me her contemporaries had fancy steam irons and there was no way on earth she was going to allow anyone a glimpse of her trusty Mazoe Iron. Poor child, I obviously scarred her for life as she has never ironed since.

Her very first purchase with her very first pay cheque was a tumble dryer, so as to avoid ironing I was sure.

Now tumble dryers and I are sworn enemies, EVERYTHING SHRINKS !! But SheeHoo Must Run is so slender that even if her clothes shrink six sizes she can still fit into them so ... no problem.

Little SheHoo Must Sing is also a confirmed Non Ironer - when she was at University in the States, it was either the tumble dryer or the dry cleaner, no in between there, but then dry cleaning is pretty cheap in the States.

Life is so easy there that one does not even leave one's automobile when dropping off the laundry. Out runs a little man, grabs your vestments, which he trusts you have counted, And when they are nice and clean and perfectly pressed you swing by the launderette, out comes a little man with your garments, a credit card is swiped on a cunning little machine and off you go.

Or if you are a busy exec, the dry cleaning can be delivered to your doorstep. It is a common sight to see a giant bundle of washables, neatly laundered and pressed, each on its own individual hanger in its own individual plastic bag, hanging on a door handle in full view of the street !!!

When SheeHoo Must Sing left the states we had so many of those nasty wire hangers we could have started our own laundry service......

HeeHoo also hates tumble dryers, once upon a time, he took it upon his misguided self to do the laundry while the girls were at work. He threw it all in the washing machine, then threw it all in the tumble dryer on full heat, sat back with his favourite "MacAddict" magazine and hey ho out came teensy weeny little garments that could have possibly fitted a Barbie doll on a thin day !!

The Girls never ever allowed Father into the laundry again !!

But back to my New Years resolution - HeeHoo loves, nay insists, on a good knife edge crease down the front of his trousers.

I have tried to tell him that knife edge creases went out with Al Capone but he will not have it !! I do try to oblige but sometimes there are more exciting things to be done and a perfunctionary press is all that one has time for.

However the crunch came the other day, when HeeHoo came walking towards me with a black look on his face.

I must admits he did look like one of those ZUPCO buses crabbing down the road, as his perfectly pressed knife edge crease in the front of his chinos, started at the top near the zip and then wavered like a serrated knife edge down to the back of the ankle.

Ooops !! Trouble !! Discretion being the better part of valor, I made a hasty retreat and amended my New Year resolutions pronto.......

Wishing you all every happiness for 2010 and may all that we have been praying for for the last ten years, come true this year.