The hazards of washing up

‘Ouch!’ I thought as I tried to move my toes inside my sheepskin boot. I had dropped a glass onto my toes and it hurt. In fact, it is still smarting as I write this post. I never thought that the hazards of washing up included a sore toe, but one finds out new things daily!

We have had a busy weekend thus far and at 8 in the evening, I was still washing up the dishes and utensils used by our guests. I am one of those people who scrub and rinse their crockery and flatware prior to putting them into the dishwasher. I did not see the glass near the edge of the kitchen worktop as I reached over to get a plate beyond it. Unfortunately, I accidentally caught it with my shirt sleeve, and the next thing I saw with dismay was a free-falling glass.

I thought the glass would surely break, but had not reckoned with my booted foot being in the way. Instead, the heavy base of the glass bounced upon my tootsies, rolling off them onto our very hard floor. The silver lining in all this is that it did not break, which meant that I did not have broken shards to clear up. The downside is my very painful toe – the one which took the direct hit.

One bad habit I have when washing up is not wearing an apron. I have learnt to my cost that despite all reasonable care, I am still liable to splash oily stuff onto my clothes. Nowadays, whenever I have lots to wash up after breakfast time, I will put on an apron. For some reason, I have not formed the habit of wearing an apron when washing our dinner dishes. Maybe it is because I associate aprons with Bed and Breakfast duties only?

I am meticulous about using rubber gloves when doing the dishes. The only ones that seem to work properly for me are Marigolds. I have small hands, and these fit me well because the company actually makes a ‘Small’ size. Most other companies seem to only make ‘Medium’ and ‘Large’ sizes.

Two hazards come to mind when I think about my washing up gloves. One day, Hubby mistakenly picked up 3 pairs of Morrisons washing up gloves for me. Those gloves must contain growth hormones! Each time I used them, they grew wider and longer. Eventually, the length of each plastic finger was double or triple its original size. Couple that with the increasing girth of each glove, and Hubby might as well have bought ‘Large’ or ‘Extra Large’ gloves instead!

The other hazard is of course the nuisance of having gloves that develop holes just when one is cleaning the most oily dish of all. I hate the feeling of dishwater seeping into my gloves and onto my bare hands. After all, what is the point of wearing gloves if one is to suffer dirty hands?

So there you have it: my washing up hazards. There are probably more hazards to experience, but I thought I would write this frivolous post today because it is the first time I have experienced a sore toe from the washing up!

This rural view is what I have been enjoying whilst doing the dishes in front of the picture window in our kitchen. This photo of cows at rest was snapped from The Dalesway room, which shares the same views as those from our kitchen. The Dalesway is a pretty room with French antiques, including a romantic Louis XV bed, overlooking the fields and woodlands at the back of our guesthouse, Blenheim Lodge.

Blenheim Lodge . . . panoramic Lake views, peace and tranquillity, nestled against acres of beautiful fields and woodlands, in the heart of the English Lake District National Park.’

Visit our website: www.blenheim-lodge.com

Email: enquiries@blenheim-lodge.com

Telephone: 015394 43440