How d'you like your baths?

I cut the two bits (if you can call 2,9 m of cloth 2 m wide a "bit") of fabric for the side walls of the tent yesterday, and that should have been the last bit of cutting from the bolt for this tent. There's still some bolt left because we have a bit extra just in case and some more extra for making a crawl-in small, additional sleeping tent - what you'd call a "Dackelgarage" in German (translates as dachshund garage, yes, really).

The two side-wall cuts are currently taking their second bath in the tub, which will run the same course as its first bath and the two baths of the main piece: Run the tub with water as hot as it gets from our tap (which is plenty hot), dump in fabric, poke fabric under with a stick-like implement (also called a bath brush). Dunk fingers into water occasionally and swear (plenty hot, right?). Open bathroom window and keep open to let the steam get out.

Return to bathroom periodically to do some more poking and swearing. After a while, grab submerged tent fabric (possibly swearing) and rearrange in hot water.

After a much, much longer while, decide that water is cool enough to give the tent some additional tender loving care by trampling around on it. Take off shoes and socks, roll up trouser legs, get into the tub (possibly swearing again) and take turns around the tub, walking on every bit of the submerged fabric.

Get out of the tub again and realise that the water was still beyond "warm" and even "hot", but all that time hadn't been enough to get it cooler than "boil-a-lobster". Admire bright red colour of feet and legs. Optionally: Walk into the living room with bare feet and trousers still rolled up to drink the rest of your coffee, shocking a visiting friend with the colour in that process. Grin.

Drain water from tub and get the fabric to dry.

I'm currently at the "check back and poke periodically" stage with this bath, so I can still look forward to some bright red colour today!

Full points to you if you can catch the book quote in this text and pinpoint book and author.