Crocs (TM), Hand-knitted Estonian slippers (NTM), bucket and washing-up liquid - a composition
GENDER SURVEY ON CAMPSITESEarly on our trip, John and I made an unserious plan to conduct a survey of gender roles on campsites. I wanted to know if a change of lifestyle allowed retiring couples to adopt new and different roles with regard to housekeeping. We considered the idea because in the Wheely Cabin, I cook and John is washed up – no, washer-up!
Subsequent experience of the great variety of people and behaviour on campsites has blown any survey idea out of the dish water. It is too complex.
I think washing up is a horrible job on camp sites involving long walks, cold water, no sink plugs, dark areas, and knee high sinks, with drains full of food waste. Of course some kitchen areas are bright, clean, companionable, and have dreadful piped music . . . but all that is really John’s story. Apparently men often do the washing up on campsites. Nevertheless I am happy John does it but I worry that when he uses the ‘braai’/barbecue I may have to do the dishes.
By the way, D and H, those plastic buckets are fantastically useful!! Thank you so much!
Men it seems also are responsible for emptying the ‘shit’ cassettes though in Copenhagen I noticed that it was sometimes done by young women. . .
Handling (figuratively) that aspect of life is a gender issue.
I still clean the Wheely Cabin inside occasionally and I am responsible for how things are packed and stored. We are both responsible for its untidiness.
I stack the ‘hold’ however. I took over months ago when John’s back was bad and it appears that I get more things into it more efficiently more of the time. Perhaps though, you have noticed how inanimate objects can choose to alter their shape and volume from time to time so that THEY WILL NOT AND CANNOT BE MADE TO GO BACK WHERE THEY BELONG AND WHERE THEY FITTED YESTERDAY!
