Boiling up the copper isn't an Aussie phrase - my mum and my gran both did
that. In my case, a large copper tub with a gas ring underneath. Filled with
water by bucket from the top, but emptied through a small tap at the base a
bucket-full at a time. Detergent was added and the gas provided the heat to
boil the clothes in the water - before the days of washing machines. They
had a pair of wooden tongs to lift the washing out of the water.
I fact, I had a pair of those tongs to lift the washing out of my first
washing machine which had to be filled with hot water and detergent. All the
electrical power did was to rotate the impeller backwards and forwards to
swish the washing. I lifted the washing out of the tub into the jaws of the
rollers of the small mangle that was attached to it, which was also
electrically powered. Then into the bath to rinse with cold water before
mangling again and hanging out on the washing line.
No wonder DH says I don't do the washing nowadays - the washer/dryer does.
He's right in saying that all I do is load it and unload it.
Jean in Poole, Dorset, UK
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