The Reflection. In the tied house that we lived in there was a built in washing copper that had to be kept stoked up to bring the water to boiling point so that the whites had a boil to bring them up nice and clean. No washing machines then and to do the weekly wash would take all day. After putting the washed clothes through the massive mangle it was then pegged out on the line. The next day would be ironing day done with gas irons that were heated up on the gas or in front of a fire. It was very hard work but the finished results would bring a feeling of satisfaction and pride knowing that your clothes and bed linen looked and smelt lovely and fresh. This following incident happened in that same year as the Clock episode. By 1952 my sister had moved back to Loughborough and we had made arrangements to meet up and have a nice walk by the canal on the Sunday afternoon taking "Prince" with us. On the Sunday morning I decided that "Prince" was going no where until he had had a bath. His coat was supposed to be white but it was all ruddy shades of grey and I was beginning to feel ashamed to take him anywhere. The only place that I could think of where he would not be able to jump down from was in the old kitchen copper. I did not light a fire under the copper for obvious reasons so I heated some water up on the gas in a zinc bucket to put in the copper to wash him with. Oh Boy! What a ta-ta that was trying to make "Prince" look like a prince. He thought we were going to drown him and I was trying to wash him while Cliff held the copper lid partly over the copper so that the dog would not try to jump out. It was a struggle but we did it and what a difference it made to "Prince" he looked absolutely gorgeous after brushing and combing him. He was all white and fluffy and I gave hubby orders to walk him up and down in the sunshine to dry him off while I got myself and my son ready to go out. "Prince" was not too happy at not being able to roll in the muck but we managed to keep him clean until we started out. He dug his heels in as we were about to go out of the gate. No way was he going anywhere until he had his brick firmly in his mouth. By the time we met Amy, my sister, to start out on our walk by the canal he had acquired a red beard. He resembled a reversed Santa Claus. With a white coat and red beard. We were making our way to a nice pub where we could sit and have a drink outside that had tables and chairs situated where one could see the canal running along by the side of it. Usually with ducks and their babies waddling around looking for scraps off the tables. When we got to the pub there were some renovations going on because it looked as though they were extending it. We let "Prince" off his lead and as he had never been near a stretch of water like that in his life he decided to go right up to the water's edge. So consequently he is looking at another dog with a brick in its mouth (his reflection) and he promptly decided to jump in to get acquainted losing his grip on the brick at the same time. Cliff had to step in the water to fish him out before he got carried away with any undercurrent's and by the time the dog had rolled in the shale that made the path he was a green, grey and black dog with a red beard. Just like something out of a horror film. Hubby's feet and trousers bottoms were soaking wet and he was squelching around trying to look dignified. It was SO funny and once again I started laughing. My sister and myself were doubled up with laughter while hubby was trying to put the dog back on the lead. Even then the little devil would not shift until hubby had found him another brick for him to carry because he had lost his original one when he (dropped in) to see his double. I went to explain to the owner of the pub what happened and to ask him IF it would be possible to have one of the house bricks that were stacked at the side ready for the extension. I told him what I wanted it for and I would pay him for it. The landlord of the pub could NOT believe my story and came out to see what it was all about. When he saw hubby and a bedraggled dog WHO was straining at the leash to grab one of the bricks he rolled up with laughter and picked a brick up and said "If that little scrap can carry that in his mouth he can have it free because I doubt that he will be able to pick it up." The look on the landlords face as "Prince" got his jaws wrapped round that brick was a look of sheer disbelief. "Prince" looked a proper grot-bag and I wanted to get him home as quickly as I could. By the time our son was 3 years old we had gained another dog plus a cat.
Another dog - and a cat ! Maisie gal, didn't you have enough on yer plate Another fabulous story, so enjoyed reading it but how Prince manages a brick in his mouth, I'll never know