Washing Clothes

Well, I went and spent a year near Geneva with a family as an au pair, I was involved with the washing for the children - the children's washing-small things and also - they also had a monthly wash - it was quite a big household and anything - sheets and things like that - that would go to the big wash. I just did the children's clothes. It was the same sort of thing - except that they had a lady that came in and did all the ironing as well, and I think it lasted - the washday there was about two days - of washing and the lady was there for the rest of the week doing the ironing. That was once a month.

Well, then I went back for a while - home and then I came to England.

When did you come to this country? Before the war?

Yes, I came to this country before the war - oh yes, and the family I worked with - again as an au pair - and I was in the North of England in Horncastle in fact - in Lincolnshire, and I had come as a Mother's help and it was understood that I would do certain things - because the boys were school age and I would help with the housework as well, and a friend of mine she was the cook there, and the lady of the house was very particular, instead of having the stress once a month we had the stress there once a week. She had a copper and she believed in the old fashioned way doing the washing - and there was no spin dryer - a mangle still and there was only a yard to hang the washing out in, and I can remember the kitchen - things dried in the kitchen on a pulley over the range.