i'm not a domestic goddess

I'm not much of a housekeeper or a cook. I generally manage to keep the laundry under control, loathe washing up, and housework tends to be fairly low down on the priority list.

So I am very grateful for anything that means less housework time for me, and I never take the appliances for granted:

• the washing machine - small but going strong for over a decade. I keep thinking that we should get a bigger one, but I can't really justify it when this one doesn't need replacing. It doesn't have too many options, and as far as I'm concerned that's a big plus - I just want to switch it on and let it do its thing without too much input from me :)
• the clothes drier - I always used to say I wouldn't have a drier, for all the right environmental reasons. And then I had babies in winter in Canberra, pukey babies who went through many changes, and who I chose to cloth nappy most of the time. A drier was a godsend, especially when it was a gift from my parents. It's nearly nine years old, and hasn't skipped a beat. I try to minimise its use, but in sub-zero temperatures I sometimes succumb.
• the dishwasher - did I mention I loathe washing up? I have a theory that if anything is so delicate that it can't go in the dishwasher, it doesn't deserve to exist. I've also figured out that half a cheap dishwasher tablet per load does just as good a job as the expensive detergents. This one is also nearly nine years old, and has only needed one service callout - the husband watched carefully, and once every two years or so when it does the same thing, he can make it all right again within ten minutes :)
• and today's star appliance: the Thermomix :) I don't use him near as much as some of my friends who actually like cooking, or who have large families to feed, but I do use him enough to justify the expense. Tonight he came to the rescue with a delicious beef stroganoff, on the table in less than half an hour from when I realised I was running out of time to get to my Italian class. 

I've had too many late nights working recently, so I'm also grateful that I'm heading for bed before midnight tonight! Goodnight :)