10% chance of rain

I'm not generally someone who checks the weather, unless I'm planning a big outing like a hike or a weekend of camping, but since I've been in New Zealand, I find myself checking it constantly. The fact that I either walk or bike to get around is a big reason for this. Another reason is that the weather changes so quickly here. This brings me to the topic of hanging clothes out to dry: a fairly new concept for me, having always had a dryer, although I do recall having a clothes line at home as a kid. From an environmental standpoint, and also to be gentler on your clothes, I'm a big fan of drying clothes outside on the line. I think the fact that it's banned in certain areas, like Whistler, because it's unsightly, is ridiculous. For most New Zealanders, it's simply part of your everyday routine.

Now, whenever it rains, my first thought is "Do I have clothes out on the line?!" Sometimes, the answer is yes, and if I'm lucky enough to be home, I make a mad dash outside to take them off as fast as I can. I've overheard phone calls of co-workers calling their kids to ask them to bring the washing in when it's suddenly started raining. I often laugh to myself as I imagine the havoc that a sudden, unexpected shower causes here..I can just imagine all my neighbours rushing out to take their clothes off the line, and people at the supermarket cursing under their breath; the rain really does cause quite a stir here!

My days of doing laundry on a whim, or at least on a schedule, like at my apartment, are far far away. Here, there's a little more planning involved when it comes to doing your laundry, or washing, as it's called here. First of all, checking the forecast is a must, preferably the night before and on the morning of. Simply looking outside and trying to judge the weather is very unreliable. The fact that it's sunny with blue skies at 7am really has no bearing on what the weather will be like at noon. Once you're satisfied with the forecast, you will want to start your laundry nice and early, so that it has plenty of time to dry. You'll also want to give yourself plenty of time to hang everything..you may think it will be quick enough, but trust me, hanging socks one by one is not a quick task. (If you thought it was no big deal to have to take your clothes in during a shower and then hang them out again, think again! Socks only make it worse.)

Now, if you're like me, and aren't used to hanging your clothes out for all your neighbours to see, you may feel a little shy at first. I have since gotten used to the idea, but in the beginning, I found myself looking around while trying to hang items inconspicuously, half expecting to see my neighbours peering out their windows while I hung my undies on the line.

I've also had to learn to abide by a few rules: suddenly, washing light and dark clothes together is a definite no-no, a lesson learned after removing black lint from all of my white clothes. And my days of bragging that I haven't ironed anything in years, instead using my iron to wax my snowboard? You guessed it...gone! On the morning of a recent job interview, I noticed how wrinkled all of my clothes were, and decided that I needed an iron... Six dollars and a quick trip to the Hospice shop later, I was the proud owner of an iron and a super cool, retro ironing board. Then a funny thing happened...I discovered that I actually like ironing!! There is really something quite satisfying and almost soothing about it. It makes me feel nostalgic and brings back memories of my Mom ironing downstairs in my childhood house, while I hung around and talked to her. And years later, when we were teenagers, Oma ironing every single piece of our clothing for my sister and I. I used to think ironing was largely unnecessary, and somewhat outdated, but I guess at the age of thirty, I finally get it.