It was on a Monday morning...........

Traditionally in English culture Monday has always been washday and in my musings I reflected back to my childhood.  I can only remember my my mum having a twin tub from an early age (luxury at the time) but prior to that mum had used a dolly peg, tub and washboard.  Mum also said that for her mum this was the only method she had open to her to do the washing  - there were eleven in the house.  Gran started washing at 6.00 a.m. and finished the washing at 6.00 p.m.  Now that is what I call hard work!  Needless to say I panic now if the washing machine goes up the creek and I am spoiled.

I then remembered in the dim and distant past a folk song which I thought was called "Twas on a Monday Morning when I beheld my Darling", but it turns out it is referred to as "Dashing away with the smoothing Iron".  I show a couple of links from U Tube one a classical impeccable interpretation by 13 to 16 year olds (cor blimey they are good and don't they look so serious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrsbXNbuH_8
To a more light hearted version and a version that I quite like is this sang with purity and charm as all the folk songs were originally which I think is the more amenable interpretation


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR3-_X1gG-I

And if you want the words to sing along to they can be found here

http://www.ukmagic.co.uk/song_english/dashing_away_with_the_smoothing_iron.html

Just shows that even now traditional songs still find their way back into our day to day living.


Thank goodness washdays are a lot more straightforward these days and  if its washday in your household with ironing to boot get rid of the tedium by listening to this it will make you dash away with the smoothing iron in no time at all.

Pattypan