Must tell you an Alex-and-Austin story. Thought these days were long gone!
Alex, in his new role as kindly young archivist, has to wear a shirt. He bought 4 new shirts (really new, not charity) and brought them home to ask for ironing advice. Austin, King of Steam thanks to his army training, came over to give a masterclass. He began by giving Alex advice about buying an iron (‘don’t buy a really cheap iron – you’ll regret it’). Alex stood by nodding. Austin then launched into a demonstration, which included the following advice:
Austin: Don’t be tempted to iron the clothes while you’re wearing them. You get quite nasty burns, especially around your neck.
Alex: Okay. Never iron clothes while you’re wearing them. Got it.
Austin: When you fill your iron up, only use water. Don’t use fruit juice.
Me: Why would you want to fill up the iron with fruit juice?
Austin: Ah! Some people think that fruit juice would make their clothes smell nice. The sugar in the juice burns. It’s a nightmare.
This is the sort of invaluable advice that a normal woman would never think of giving. Hurrah for the army!
