“Oh bother!” Charles says. He puts the iron down and roots through one of the laundry baskets. “These’ll do.” he says before perching on a footstool, unbuckling his shoes and swapping his pop-socks for a pair of pelerine knee highs. “Mum’s really picky about these… the patterns have to be perfectly straight, which is why I prefer plain pop-socks… only downside with these…” he says as he tosses the pop-socks into the bin, “…is how easily they snag and ladder.”
Charles resumed the ironing and Mike stood and watched. “How do you manage to get through all this when it’s a school day?” Mike quizzed.