Monthly Archives: March 2005

The bath fiasco

OH the joys of home improvement, and it’s only just begun. Did I tell you our shower broke the second time it was used? It looks about twenty years old. Then about a month after we moved in the downstairs lighting circuit exploded. Literally. Replacing the fuse wire (yes, I said fuse WIRE) didn’t help, it just popped every time we tried to switch the lights on. So we had the electrician in for a full rewire, which was a tiresome couple of weeks but well worth it considering the horrors he found. We should be starting on the bathroom very shortly, barring any more problems like those below. Read from top to bottom.

—–Original Message—–
From: PlumbWorld
Sent: 31 March 2005 08:36
To: Emma Davies
Subject: RE: breakage during delivery – eta for replacement?

Dear Emma,

Thank you for your email.

I need to know exactly what was damaged and the whereabouts of these goods now. Do you have a contact number so I can call you?

regards

Tracy

—–Original Message—–
From: Emma Davies
Sent: 31 March 2005 12:10
To: PlumbWorld
Subject: RE: breakage during delivery – eta for replacement?

Hi Tracy,

It was the clearwater eclipse bath (PWCL0021) that we ordered. The feet and the exposed kit were fine but he took these away again with him rather than split up the delivery.

Have the delivery company not yet reported this to you? He said he would do it immediately. The delivery guy basically shouldn’t have been working. He didn’t have any lifting equipment with him and asked me to help him lift it off the lorry. Then instead of waiting for me he tried to lift it by himself, by going under it and putting it on his back like a tortoise! I wondered what he was doing! Of course he staggered and rocked over backwards and the end smashed onto the ground and a big chip came off the rim of the bath. He almost ended up falling over into the bath. He was bent over double in agony with a really red face and did a lot of swearing, and I asked him if he was alright and he said “It’s all right, I shouldn’t be lifting, I cracked my rib a couple of weeks ago. I’ll be fine.” !!! I guess the reason he tried to carry it in that bizarre way in the first place was to avoid straining his ribs. I’m distinctly unimpressed with the delivery company for allowing it to happen!

My phone number is XXXXX XXXXXX.

Thanks

Emma.

The sun lounger incident

Well!

As today was a very nice day we decided we absolutely must procure a couple of sun-loungers in order to sit out in the garden in comfort. Jamie suggested a certain shop and I replied that “you know they will sell them for £17.99 each and be absolute tat.”

We visited Woolworths and Wilkinsons only to discover that indeed the sun-loungers they were selling were absolute tat, for £24.99 and £23.99 respectively. The hunt was beginning to turn into a bit of an epic when we at last found something decent at Yeoman’s Camping Store, and returned home victoriously with a couple of smart-looking, sturdy Marseille camping chairs.

Thus ensued a flurry of activity in preparation for an afternoon in the garden. A novel had to be chosen, my notebook had to be located, some tissue in case of sneezes as pollen season is upon us, a little coconut oil on the skin to protect from sunburn, sunglasses, a hat, a hair band, and a bag to put it all in. A jug of water had to be filled, a small table found on which to put said jug and two mugs, and finally I changed into my shorts.

Jamie was already settled in his chair listening to his iPod, in the only patch of shade in the garden. I set up next to him, having some difficulty with the reclining chair as I could see that the legs didn’t want to open fully. “Sit on it,” was Jamie’s helpful advice, “and then push the arms back and the legs will open.” So this is what I did, except the damned thing didn’t want to recline as far as his. My valiant attempt at correction suddenly propelled me over backwards as the chair decided to snap shut with me in it, and I was in the bushes with an earwig crawling in my hair. Jamie, of course, found this hysterical. “I could see that coming;” he said, “you hadn’t opened the chair legs properly.”