Speaking of splurging, I bought four new hand towels just because the old ones were looking tatty, even though they were still perfectly functional.

There is no doubt that the new ones look better. The trouble with new towels, though, is that they never work as well as old ones. The cotton is too smooth and just doesn’t absorb much water. At first these felt entirely hopeless. Full of fabric softener, I guess. I threw them in the laundry bin and after a first wash they work a teeny bit better. But it will probably be many months, if not longer, before they can compare to the old ones. By the time they’re at their best, they will probably be looking tatty already…