I laughed out loud at your comment!

Danny thinks he’s the bees knees when it comes to stacking the dishwasher. And this is a trait that I want to encourage. If I stack it and put it on he says nothing as he empties it but I know that inside he is thinking
“I could have squeezed another mug in here. Why is there a yawning gap in the bottom.”
OR
“This dishwasher is overloaded.”
He then gently tells me about the physics of the DW.
“Look at the rotating arms.” The ones in the machine – not his.

I love our nearly new DW. The cycle is much shorter than the Bosch (Cheaper?). The water used is 5 litres less per wash (definitely cheaper). And I love hearing it tearing along like an old train towards the destination of clean, dry crocks and cutlery.

Hello Jo

I do indulge in a little hand dishwashing myself. If I find myself in front of a bowl of hot soapy water I wash up anything that needs to be washed and is queuing for the dishwasher. This makes me feel very virtuous.

Men and domestic promises are a minefield. Danny is pretty good and he is a much better housemaid than me. Hoovering and putting on loads of washing when he has run out of boxer shorts. He also does his own ironing and mine on the rare occasions that I need a crisp blouse or shirt. I have worked on making a non iron wardrobe. It has taken many years to perfect and D only needs to iron for me once or twice a year. I’m happy to iron for myself but D (along with past paramours) reckons that my ironing skills are dubious.

I could live without a dishwasher but would prefer not to. The DW just takes one onerous task out of the day and any saving on time has to be applauded.

Veronica, sorry; but you should see our kitchen…we REALLY do not have either the space nor indeed the plumbing (ancient Welsh farmhouse set into the side of a very steep hill) for a DW, no matter how humble (but I do dream…!!).

Also we simply cannot afford the capital outlay; & as our dear old Rayburn faithfully churns out oodles of hot water 24/7, this would be a frivolous expense – especially when you consider how frequently we might have to replace it (not to mention, the potentially negative damage to the environment).

FN – many thanks for the tip ref the mangolds. I already soak them for about 12 hours; it makes sufficient difference for me to enjoy a leisurely lunch hour, educating myself with the news on Radio Four whilst hand-chopping roots, before bothering with a bite to eat for myself. But I’ll try leaving them for double the time to see if it makes things easier (every little helps, after all!) – I’ll let you know how I get on.

I’d love to have a DW though; if only because of Mandi’s comment. Tony seldom cooks & although is full of promises to do the washing up rarely does so; thus I end up doing the cooking, the washing up, the farm chores, the clothes washing, the cleaning etc….whist he gravely consults his laptop or relaxes in front of the TV (hence I started writing this comment at 2am – I kid thee not!). I know that for some curious reason men seem to love loading dishwashers; & I’m sure Tony could be persuaded on a reasonably regular basis. So the sneaking in there & doing the ‘dirty & jumbled’ thing certainly appeals….! Mind you, he only discovered where the cereal/pasta bowls are kept, a couple of weeks ago; & we’ve lived here for three years, now.