Sir, – Fionnuala Ward reflected my love for the clothesline perfectly, having lived in the US for 13 years without one, apart from a brief stint in Baltimore when I had a small backyard and a makeshift line (An Irishwoman’s Diary, July 19th). I recall when I returned to live in Ireland and set up a home asking my spouse to erect a clothesline in the back garden, insisting it stretch the length of it and then, over the years, I was able to relish the act of hanging the clothes out to dry where I was able to resolve numerous problems, decide what to make for dinner, compose a poem and listen for the cuckoo, the pheasant or just plain stand there, thinking about nothing. Now I have a fancy rotary clothesline. But it’s not the same. – Yours, etc,
MARY WILKINSON,
Boleybeg,
Galway.