I do like it when things simple up.
Let me elucidate.
With A Capital F
As anyone who read my last post (which is here) will probably remember, me and my wonder wifey, Tina, have had a—shall we say interesting—time of it this year to date.
We had the electrics fail us, the boiler pack in, and our washing machine condemned. Yeah it’s been fun all the way round, really.
However…
Following on from my um, heated conversation with the washing machine engineer, and the subsequent complaint made to the insurance company, an agreement was struck. They would provide us with a brand new machine of equivalent (or perhaps ever so slightly less) specification and, in return, we would keep said machine inside the house.
Plumb Centre
It took us twenty four hours or so for us to make our choice from the models available and by Monday of this week we were in receipt of it. A pretty quick turnaround, all told.
Of course, we needed a place to put said machine. A location with both plumbing and electrical connections, and that was something the house was sadly lacking in (Thus informing our decision to put it in the garage in the first place.
We did, however, have a dishwasher (note the past tense). A machine we seldom used, Thus, a decision was taken. In readiness for the delivery of the clothes washer, we would rip out the dishwasher and use the same plumbing and power for the new washing machine. After all, it was just a case of water in/out and electricity. Can’t be too difficult, can it?
In short… yes. Yes it can.
Built To Last
As we do so often we leaned on the assistance of Tina’s sister, Jen, a formidable woman with a healthy never-say-die attitude mixed with some good, old fashioned Yorkshire grit (read bloody mindedness).
Now, two women and one bloke in a wheelchair is a squeeze too far for a galley kitchen, so, for the most part, I took a necessitated back seat; something that caused me more than a little frustration. I was a third wheel on wheels. A helper who couldn’t do much to help.
However the women in my family are nothing if not capable, and it wasn’t too long before Tina and Jen had the water and electrics off and were approaching their task with gusto. The drop down door of the dishwasher was the first victim, leaving just the main body of the machine itself (the shelves etc had already been removed at this point).
This was where trouble set in. Said body, although it could be pushed backwards and forwards a little would not budge from its designated space under the counter. It appeared that Dodgy Dave, the man who fitted our kitchen had done precisely one thing right. The built in dishwasher was well and truly built in.
Enter Greg, the guy who installed our new boiler with such efficiency we snaffled his number for our future plumbing needs.
Curse Words
Greg was contacted this morning (today being Wednesday), and, although finishing up a job in Manchester, said he would be with us by 3pm. Something he delivered on. Within an hour the recalcitrant dishwasher was in the front garden, ready for the, uh, recyclers, and the new washing machine was installed.
Yes, within an hour one man who knew what he was doing achieved what three people who didn’t could not. There’s probably some kind of moral in there somewhere.
However, as we speak the first load our new machine will wash for us is merrily spinning away. It’s a line drawn. An end to the adventure and expense of 2025 (hopefully). With the news that my dad has had his staples removed and felt well enough to partake in his first shandy, I might even be able to post something slightly positive next week!
Did I just curse it? (edit: apparently so. The drier isn't working now)
Until next time.
#
Hey, there! If you enjoyed reading any of the above, why not take a look at some of my published work? Below you’ll find links to a number of short stories I’m lucky enough to have included in anthologies. I’d love to know what you think.
New Tales Of Old
Death Ship
Pestilence: Drabbles 1
Reaperman: Drabbles 3
The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu
Eldritch Investigations
No comments:
Post a Comment