My window on the world

The window cleaner came today, as he does every fortnight and I get my front windows cleaned by him because the house is directly onto the pavement and the windows are too high for me to reach, even with one of those extending window sponges.
The back ones I usually do myself about three or four times a year. The bathroom and back bedroom are sash windows and I can climb out of the bathroom onto the flat kitchen roof where I can manage the back bedroom and bathroom windows.The kitchen and dining room ones are fairly easily accessible with a step ladder.
These days though, it seems that the many of the younger generation don't bother to clean their windows and I only have to look at the older houses and new flats around here to see where they don't clean.
This is surprising too because we live in a very dusty area where there is still construction work going on, as it has been for the last six years. The dirt that has accumulated on the windows since the new properties were built is very thick and although they all have windows that can be opened inwards or outwards so that they can be cleaned, nobody bothers.
If my windows were that mucky I think my electricity bill would be a lot higher because I would have to have the light on more.
I know that perhaps a lot of people would say that it's a waste of time to spend it cleaning windows but it's the way I was brought up. I have always taken a pride in my home even if it is grotty and doesn't belong to me and finally, I like to be able to see what's going on in the street and I love to watch the birds and squirrels in my back garden so I'll carry on cleaning mine.