Unconventional but Effective

The joy of my life, the new ironing board cover, has thrown up difficulties which I never anticipated.

Initially it was getting it on the board. Having surmounted this problem with Susie’s help I hit problem #2. In order for the cover to stay in place it has to be tightened with a very small piece of string – you pull the string and it tightens the cover over the board. Except that the string is so thin that pulling it was like garrotting my hands.

I tried. I tried a bit more. I uttered a short word of exasperation. I sat down and had a think. Obvious! Thread a thicker piece of string through, one that I can pull without endangering my digits. I didn’t have any string, so I elected to use garden twine. With amazing foresight I checked that the twine was not too fat to pull through. I then spent a tricky half hour joining the twine and the string together, the idea being that the string would pull the twine through after it.

Now I was away! Laboriously I coaxed the string and it’s twine through the little tunnel on the edge of the cover, and inch by inch it progressed, until I got halfway. Then it stuck. The tunnel had become smaller, and the twine was too fat to fit.

I sat down. This problem was not one that I could solve standing up. I could abandon the string and substitute it for a piece of elastic. The problem was twofold; I didn’t have any elastic, and if the twine didn’t fit, then neither would the elastic or I could sew it on – and I emphatically don’t do sewing!

Then, as I sat in gloomy contemplation, the answer came to me. I didn’t exactly hear choirs of angels, or even spectral voices, but it was blindingly brilliant – in my eyes, at least!

I fancy that it is also unique – I bet I’m the only person in the world who has an ironing board where the cover is held in place by three bootlaces!