Leaning over the bathtub, immersed in Persil

The doctor posted on her facebook page that she had convinced me that we needed to get a new washing machine - and that's right. Bought a new one online from Boots - but it felt a very functional - impersonal way of shopping. Not like how we got the old beige two tone washing machine which seems to have been with us since we moved in together around 15 years ago.

We bought it second hand from one of my colleagues. We lived in Leeds then and a friend gave us a lift over to Mirfield in his estate car and we manhandled this metallic brick in and out of the back of his car. I was really worried we would scratch his car as the washing machine was so heavy. It was only when I took the top off did I realise the drum was encased in concrete to stop it dancing across the floor on its spin cycle. Our kitchen at the time was the size of a postage stamp - we had to connect the washing machine to the ordinary sink taps making it really difficult to move around when the washing was on.

We moved up to Scotland and it stayed in the storage cupboard for a year while we rented. We lived in one of the Edinburgh colonies and it took three of us ages after a long trip up the A1 to get it up those darnn stairs. Collapsing with exhaustion after midnight and Chris heading back at 4 in the morning to get the van back on time. Still getting a ticket because one of the neighbours moaned about the van to the police - welcome to Edinburgh!!

When we moved out a year later we had removal men take our stuff. The guy was like Curly in the Harlem Globetrotters in the way he could almost spin the thing on one finger as he sauntered down the steps. So it came to East Lothian with us almost 10 years ago - and gave sterling service till last week. You know when you have a song running through your mind - well mine is Mrs Bartolozzi by Kate Bush. You can hear it here on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZnA4jHuyzs

Ahh - on the VFM side - it was £50 well spent.