Past, Present and Future

Duvet

What chore do you most dislike doing? Tell us a creative story about how you might get out of doing it.

I didn’t even have to think about this one. Hands down top of the list of least favourite jobs is on laundry day trying to get the duvet back into the duvet cover! Yes, anyone can just bundle it in and hope that it goes okay. That’s usually when you end up with a great big ball in the middle that is no good to anyone.

To get the job done properly it is best if you have the physical attributes of a very tall NBA player. Like a wingspan of about ten feet! And then it is best if you can hang the duvet over a bannister or balcony so that it drops into the cover in some sort of way that is presentable.

I think that the last time I had help with this chore was when I was married in the early nineties. Since then I have fought with numerous duvets. I like to think that I have got some sort of system going now. But every now and again, if I don’t concentrate properly, I can end up with the long end in the short end and vice versa.

I have just realised that a duvet is mainly a European thing and American readers might not know the cozy thing that is a duvet. If you get a good one, I think goose down or eider down, they will keep you snug as a bug for years.

The only time that I sleep in the uncomfortable sheets and blankets is when I stay at hotels. I usually end up pulling the sheets out from under the mattress to give my legs and feet some moving space.

A duvet, great to sleep under but a pain in the bum on laundry day!