“Come and I’ll show you how to work the dishwasher,” Sue said.

(This was last night, before the big day of their departure southbound with an enormous caravan in tow. You may be aware that I’m house-sitting for Sue and Glenn while they are away.)

Now I am a respectful person and usually do as asked by my hosts so I joined Sue at the modern sink-island (if that is what it is called).

“To be honest with you, Sue, I doubt if I will ever use the dishwasher, not with me here all alone. We don’t even use our one at home – whenever I suggest it, Chris says that he will wash-up instead,” I said. (I considered adding, “I’m not that lazy, anyway,” but thought better of it.)

“Oh I use it even when Glenn is working away,” Sue, (who is obviously not of the “old school” of thinking that laziness is a sin), responded in a refreshingly guilt-free manner.

I was glad that I had decided against mentioning the “lazy” word and took note of Sue’s instructions with renewed interest. In fact, my temporary new home has two dishwashers; the bigger one sits above the smaller one, thus no bending is involved in filling the machine on top. (Ours in England opens at floor level – a great deal of bending.)

“I always use the big one,” she said, “unless we have parties, in which case we use both!”

“But I wouldn’t use enough things in a single day to warrant putting on the dishwasher,” I argued half-heartedly.

“Neither do I,” Sue smiled enticingly, “it goes on when it is full, perhaps every two or three days.”

“You have that much crockery and cutlery?” I queried.

Sue acquiesced. Her grin suggested a certain pleasure was to be taken from using the dishwasher as a matter of course, regardless of the infrequency due to a dearth of dirty dishes.

All on my own after my breakfast this morning, I was about to wash up my cereal bowl and cup in the sink when, out of interest, I took a peek in the dishwasher. The drawer slid back very smoothly (and no bending) and I saw the breakfast dishes used earlier by Glenn and Sue. It would have been churlish not to send my own cereal bowl in with them. At lunchtime, and dinnertime too, my plates, cutlery, glasses and cups slipped in alongside the other malingerers. Just minutes ago I added another cup. The not-so-great unwashed all seemed quite at home in the nice neat dishwasher drawer; they do not smell, and there is still plenty of room… for tomorrow’s offerings.