Things to miss

Today is little bear's last day as nursery.

I cannot praise the nursery enough. They have been amazing, they are friendly, pleasant, great at communicating and little bear has blossomed. He has soared!

I will be missing lots about the nursery, including things like a 5.55pm pick up, but the oddest thing I shall miss is a washing line. On the way to the nursery, down a small alley, I go past a garden, and the washing line there is always a work of art, and it sums up all that I aspire to and that I never reach. The washing line is only ever up when it is in use, I think it is put away inside otherwise, and it is propped up by old fashioned wooden clothes props. The clothes and sheets etc are always sparkly clean and pegged immaculately on the line, nicely spaced, in logical order, in just the right way to catch the wind. Two days ago I went past and the weather was too bad for the washing line, but in the porch was a clothes airer with towels and clothes on. They looked immaculate and were so logically and neatly laid out, including pegs on a mat that really needed to hang. It makes me blush at my slapdash ways.

Also, my abiding memory of this washing line, this spring, was a washing load of over a dozen slightly larger ladies knickers, all dazzling white and all pegged out with two pegs about two inches apart with no other laundry in sight, just knickers. I thought, there is a woman who really understands order and method.