A NEW CLOTHES LINE!

THIS IS MY SECOND CLOTHES LINE...In a way, this is the end of a mystery.  When I moved into 74 Sterling, a single pole, upright in the back garden, eventually drew my attention.  What on earth could it be? I wondered.  Later, I noticed it was lined up with the west side of the house and had a (sort of) hook mounted near the top.  Going over to the edge of the old deck, what did I find?  Two more rugged hooks, about the same height as the ones on the pole.  Hum mm, I mused, likely as not there was a clothes line strung up between these points.

Now, at that time, it was about this time last year (beginning Fall) and I had been hanging up my washing on an indoor clothes rack, followed by a 'finish-off' in the dryer.  With the dryer winter air, this worked very well.  Come the late Spring and the Summer, the air was much more humid and indoor drying took forever.  Time to string a clothes line, I thought, which I did with rope, a pulley, and a strainer (a gadget to tighten the line).  It accommodated the product of one small wash, of which I do about three a week.  Is there a better feeling than hanging out the washing with a breeze in one's face, and then taking it down, all dry and fresh-smelling, after an hour or so?

The problem with my clothes line was that it sagged in the middle, and I could  not double hang things like sheets and jeans (one cuff on one line and the other on a second line).  Then too, I had to wait for one wash to dry before hanging out the next.  What I needed was a double line.

Now I realize that, for some of you (who live in some urban area where it is actually against city ordinances to hang washing out), this may all seem a little strange.  But recall that I am all for conserving energy.  Just hanging out the washing for eight months of the year means a saving of about $30 in electricity tariff.  My new line has cost me about $30 in various bits and pieces (hooks, pulleys and suchlike), including the cost of the original line.  I used scrap wood for the timber components.  So, next year will see me ahead having broken even this year. 

 To solve the 'bend in the middle', I fashioned a prop.  The rope passes through plastic tubing inserted through holes in the cross piece.  This protects from fraying and means it can easily be slid this way and that to accommodate washing.  The pulley systems gives a two times mechanical advantage and makes for easing tensioning of the lines.

To make a good job, I removed the rust from the old pole and repainted it in fire brigade red (matches the rear gutter recently de-rusted and painted).  It has two components, the line and spacers, and the tensioning apparatus (pulleys, hooks, and strainer) and can easily be demounted in the cold, snowy months.  This little project took me about half a day to complete and has been very satisfying.  It has fit very well with painting the deck.

The Autumn/Fall season has arrived somewhat early and the leaves on the blueberry bushes between the line and the rear alley have turned crimson.  There are touches of color in the trees.  The lawn grass is making frantic effort to grow and store energy in the root system.  The Canada geese have mostly departed so an early and cold Winter is to be expected.  I do not mind, I am off to Australia for two months in November and will not be back until mid-February.  Lots of work to do to have the house ready for the Winter!
 
I have also been acquiring furniture, some chairs
for the living area, and four chairs and a table for the dining area.  These all seem to fit in well with the overall arrangement and colors.

A winter project, when I return, will be a minor remodel of the kitchen area the details of which, I am confident, will come to me over the next month or so.

After virtually camping out in the place for most of the past year, I now have trouble deciding just where to sit!