"Recently I corresponded with another Mudcatter..."

Coo, you've got us all wondering now who that might be... ;-)

Well the mains water is a bit chilly here, though I have been known... Also, we rarely get really hot days in this bit of Cornwall, though this summer has been a glorious exception. Our garden is surrounded by trees and shrubs and we have no immediate neighbours in any case, so I don't have to lurk around in corners after dusk... After a hot, sweaty day getting all grubby in me veg plot, here's my strategy for a late afternoon/early evening freshening-up.

My garden hose is 150 feet or more long. I make sure it's full of water, then I lay it out on the grass in full sun for half an hour or more. I have to hand three or four pieces of extra-strong kitchen towel, I ensure that there's no-one around who would be inclined to have me arrested for indecency, then I turn my hosepipe gun to shower mode, strip off and turn the tap half-on. I have about a minute and a quarter's-worth of lovely warm water, followed by an invigorating splash of as much cold water as I can stand. I get a bit dry then let the sunshine do the rest before rerobing into clean togs. That is gorgeously refreshing. If I've managed to get really filthy I might have a pre-wash with a small bowl of soapy water first.

Another thing I do after getting hot and bothered doing the shopping or something like that is to walk barefoot on wet grass for a minute or two. I might have to wet the grass first. That makes a new man of me and rids me of the day's travails.