The question was mooted by Scott Berkun one of our Daily POST MENTORS. I am not being impolite, I assure you, but I am, possibly quite wrongly assuming that this question is being asked by an American. Let me now give you a bit of insight into many Brit’s relationship to a shower -particularly if you have reached a certain age. We never had a shower in our house when we grew up. We had a rubber hose you could attach to the bath taps if things got desperate for a quick hair wash, and desperate you would have to be to use it, as it was a recipe for disaster. You held the hose in one hand, so always ended up getting water everywhere that you did not want. You would have to turn the hose off while you got shampoo and the conditioner out of the bottle, then the water would go cold, or you would try to open the shampoo bottle while holding the hose and get water everywhere!
So , repeating myself for effect, we never had a shower in our house when I was a kid…lucky to have a bathroom. I remember my Grandma having her bathroom put in, under her stairs in the 1970’s. So when I was a kid we had A BATH A WEEK and the rest of the week we washed. FLANNELS ARE BIG IN BRITAIN…MANY OF US OWN MANY. And in case you do not know what a flannel is, it is a small square of towel that you wet under very hot water to help you with the soap when washing… As an adult I never lived in a house with any heating, poor musician, until I was 35, and the last thing you want to do is strip off in a freezing cold bathroom to get under a cold shower! We bathe, not to get clean, but to keep warm. At present my flat has a shower! Really, the first house I have ever had that does, but you cannot get under it, or jump into it, as it is attached to a wall of the bath, so you stand in the bath, risking life and limb. It is attached to the far wall behind the taps and so you can shower one side of your body at a time…very uncomfortable. I have friends who will not move into a flat unless the shower is good. Having never in my life had a good shower, I prefer to bathe. I love big deep hot bubbly baths, with a couple of drops of the essential oil of the day. Always deeply disappointed if I stay anywhere and they do not have a big bath. Many people find the idea of soaking in hot water up to your chin revolting, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it! I go stay in a place 8 miles from the nearest pub, shop that has no bathroom, just a hot tap. Blinking luxury! When I am there after about a week of washing in a bowl, I start to miss the bath. But the shower…well I suppose it’s about not missing it if you really have never had it. SONG OF THE DAY One of my lovely bloggers ordinary-miracles has introduced me to Seals and Croft. I mentioned my love of ‘Summer Breeze’ and she sent me a link to the original song writers who I had never heard before…another thing that maybe did not make it across the Atlantic with the Power Showers in the 1970’s. Thanks
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