My fiddling about with the washing machine has uncovered innate engineering skills. It did not leak when I did two large batches of washing yesterday morning.

There has been something of a focus on clothing events this week. The clothes that I dutifully washed were mainly those soiled during my golf outing which I had of course brought back with me. Alas I didn't bring back all the clothes that I had taken.

I blame the French health service for that.

You see our original lodging plan for this outing was to stay with Ernest, a Swiss golfing chum who lives in that area. At his invitation I hasten to add. But at the last minute he and his wife were both given dates for hospital procedures that made having four Dryades stay with them even more of an imposition than it already was.

So we had to go to a hotel and by then all the cheaper places were full and we ended up in a relatively swanky one. Swanky to the extent that we each had a sitting room as well as a bedroom. Now normally I just live out of my travel bag but here I thought I would act the gent and spread my gear over the various wardrobes and cupboards in my suite. Unfortunately I failed to check them all when packing up. Goodbye a rather nice sweater, a pair of shorts and assorted bits and pieces. Thank God none of the bits and pieces had frayed elastic and that the socks had no holes.

Now being a hotelier's son and grandson I've made a few beds in my time and normally would place a guest's folded pyjamas under the pillow or on top of the made up bed. In winter when I went round with hot water bottles I would turn down the top sheet and place the pyjamas on the exposed pillow. But that's not how they do things in this swanky spot. Here's how I found my pyjamas when I came back to the hotel.I'm now in a much less swanky Premiere Classe but they treat your pyjamas with respect and you get free wifi. Apart from using it to write this post I've done a bit of surfing and came across this petition. I almost never sign petitions but the New Vic as it was then is where I first saw South Pacific. I signed and urge my readers to do likewise.