Saturday afternoon  has finally bought some respite from work, and what a beautiful day it is, and what a long week it has been! Dinner has been prepared, served and eaten with relish.

It is at this juncture that I would like to extend my thanks to a certain Mr Joel Houghton who devised a hand powered device for washing dishes. And to a Josephine Cochrane, who in 1887 invented the first truly ''modern'' dishwasher.

As I turn on my dishwasher, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to these pioneering people, which means I can do something productive now, so where is my book and cup of tea?

^]