Washing on the line

Last night, when I climbed into bed the sheets smelled of summer, I had washed them first thing in the morning and then hung them outside on the washing line to dry, there is something so special about drying the washing,especially the bed sheets, outside in the sunshine and then remaking the bed so that the whole room smells of cool breezes and summer.

Often when I hang the washing out on a beautiful morning I am transported to Cephalonia Greece and Captain Corelli's Mandolin, there is a scene in the movie where Pelagia (Penelope Cruz) is hanging out her washing, her line of course strung up between two olive trees, against the back drop of a beautiful cloudless azure-blue sky. I know that the film is set during the occupation of Greece during the Second World War but I love this scene of peaceful domesticity.

When child 3 was tiny and very very demanding I would love those moments of hanging out the washing, my head for a short while belonging to me, the sun on my face and a cool breeze rippling past giving me a moment to calm myself  to realign my thoughts, ready for when I returned to the house to once again belong to someone else.

With the, hopefully, imminent arrival of number 4 I think that I need to take full advantage of those on my own moments whether it be hanging out the washing, doing the food shopping, reading a book whilst   eating my lunch or just the walking the dog as I think or rather I know, those on my own moments are going to be fewer than they ever have been before, for the coming weeks and months.