ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

I was doing my usual drudgery of washing the dishes and I began to reflect on the days when I was a young lad and we washed the dishes,with water of course, but with the addition of a cupful of white flakes of soap from a packet of soap flakes.
Or sometimes with a lump of Sunlight soap, which was very good as you could wash dishes, wash clothes, wash your hands or even take a bath using the same product.
The little left over bits of sunlight soap were put in a "soap saver", a dish of soap bits and water where the soap turned to a mushy liquid, handy for washing up.

Later on, after the advent of TV ( I remember the TV ads ) we were introduced to the new wonder of the modern age, which was detergent. The first washing up detergent was a revolutionary product, guaranteed to ease the drudgery of dishwashing, it was called Trix.
What were joyfully told to do was to wash the dishes in hot water with Trix, stack them to rinse and dry and..wonderful..sparkling clean dishes and cups.
A new era of enjoyment in washing dishes had dawned. Well....

Now, when I go to the SuperMarket, I can still find Trix, but there are shelves of different varieties of detergents, different flavours, different for sensitive, dry skin, delicate hands etc, environmentally friendly, phosphate free etc take your pick. !!

The dishes are still the same greasy grunge and it is still a soul destroying drudge to wash and dry them and stack them on the shelves.
And I don't want an electric dishwasher, the water rates and carbon tax have cruelled that idea.

Now Neville. Here is a great labour saving device called a dog.
Now as some of you know I have a long tailed Jack Russel and I can assure you I never Have a Dirty Dish.

Now this is how you do it? When two people have had their meal hold the plate down and the dog will lick it clean, though it may be a little wet when he finishes it
Now next someone holds the other plate down and while he is licking that one, clean you talk to him and while he is wagging his tail hold it so he drying it. Now that's easy isn't it folks
Next Bushmans trick any one

Bill the old Battler

G'day Neville,

My wife and I are both country kids and we've gone back to using a lump of Sunlight soap in a wire basket for washing dishes - works a treat. Buying the little wire basket was a challenge - nobody seemed to know what we were talking about.

She also makes up her own laundry detergent - I have no idea whats in it but it works fine. My wife was unhappy with all the chemicals and additives in commercial powders.

Thats where the saying Pan Lickers came from Bill.

Used that method lots of times. Don't know about the tail wagging though I reckon you might be spinning a yarn ? Not like you.





Bob

What a good idea Bill ! When I saw my dog with greeny/yallery gob from eating fresh cow plop it didn't occur to me, for some reason, to use her for that handy job.

I still use the ole Sunlight, Henry.

Home-made soap is probably as good as anything Marty, I'm just too lazy to do anything but just grab the ready-made stuff at the shop.

I always carry a box of Lux soap flakes to make a home-made garden pesticide. A handfull of soap flakes mixed with a splash of vegetable oil (in 10 litres water) will suffocate a host of ging-gang-goolies eating, chewing or sucking on your plants. The addition of mollases to the mix will add as a deterrent - lots of chewers and suckers can't stand the taste of it.

So the soap flakes live on in our household, Nev . . dunno about the washing up though - don't go near the sink, can vouch for the cleaning virtues of the dogs tongue though.

Marty

Good on ya Marty, I had forgotten that the soap flakes were called Lux, that's them.

Came home yesterday from work and the grandkids and all the other little ferals from around the neighbourhood decided to make a slippery slide in the back yard out of my boat tarp ??

They used every bottle of washup detergent and shampoo in the place as well as the flea control I got for the dogs ( at least they will not have nits ) and the Radox herbal bath liquid and all the hand creams to lubricate up the tarp.

Then left all the mess in the yard as well for you know who to clean up. Gee's I really love kids.


They have all gone to the beach today so might get a little peace and quiet.

Oh gotta go shopping for shampoo this arve.

Bob

Nothing like a bit of harmless kids' play Bobbo!

Sounds like the surf will be really foaming today!

Now Bob I thought you wore a hat to cover something up.

Obviously not if you need shampoo!