Brace yourself here as I have something to tell you. Ready? Ok. We don’t own a dishwasher. Yes, you heard me right, in our house we don’t own a dishwasher and must therefore wash our dishes by hand. It’s not so bad though, because of the view. As you can see, the view from our kitchen window is rather pretty, whatever the season. There is often some entertainment provided through the window too, mostly by cats and children. Sometimes, when it’s my turn to do the dishes, I forget altogether about actually doing them, and just stand there with my hands in the dish water, watching my own personal reality TV window screen…

- I’ve watched snowball fights, and water fights, and cat fights.

- I’ve watched a group of teenagers, determined to put up a tent in the pouring rain and howling wind, laughing, and shouting, and eventually admitting defeat.

- I’ve watched cats chasing leaves, and cats chasing birds, and children chasing cats.

- I’ve watched the younger of my two cats cautiously follow a hedgehog across the lawn and back again, and the older of my two cats bravely (some may say stupidly) approach a large fox. Did I say large? I meant HUGE.

- I’ve watches birds eating worms and children eating ice-cream.

- I’ve watched ball games being played on the lush green grass, and board games being played on the beat up old blue table.

- I’ve watched leaves fall and snow fall and night fall.

Yes, I’ve watched a lot through that window, but mostly I’ve just washed the dishes, admired the view, and allowed myself to get lost in my own quiet thoughts.