LATEST MOAN FROM YOU AND ME 2020

Plugs.....

For weeks, we have been at Little C to gut her room out (typical teenager!) and without any action to date, today was enforcement day. This morning, I went out to the shed to get the Dyson (our 'big' vacuum as opposed to the wee Shark thing) and padded out there barefoot as it was only fifteen or so feet across the flat patio. I was being smart as I though I would get it and just wheel it across and into the house to save Mrs C doing it (she tends to do these sort of things in case I fall over, and I tend to get in first as I am a stubborn old cuss....)

As I popped the vacuum out of the shed in front of me, steadying myself on the door as I stepped out of the shed, about four foot of wire slipped off the back of the vacuum and there lay the plug.... right under my already descending right foot! I had no way to stop my foot going down at that point, and so it did, right on the plug. It sort of coggled under my foot and pinged out so didn't go all the way through, but it took one hell of a chunk out just under the ball of my big toe.
Hurts like hell, and has been smarting on and off all day, so I am feeling sorry for myself.

Serves me right for being a smartarse and also for not wearing shoes!

 

It made it upstairs, but currently there are furniture moves afoot, so it will likely be tomorrow before it gets used in there. I confess, I didn't take it upstairs as that is beyond me nowadays

 

We've had a hell of a day in terms of getting stuff. The morning started with an email to a company that we bought some shelving off to go into a cupboard in Little C's room; I bought it on Monday afternoon, and was given a delivery date of 26th - fair enough. Clearly stated that due to Covid they would be making all deliveries within 48hrs. Needless to say, it didn't arrive yesterday per the plan. They told me this morning that they couldn't track it in transit, but that it should be with us today.

Then we went out to Wickes as we wanted some bark to put down behind the composters under the tree, some sharp sand to let us put down slabs to sit the composters on and some top soil to go on the lawn in readiness for scarifying the lawn quite heavily and re-seeding it; we also wanted to look at their shed/fence paint at the same time. We checked stock on the website and Staines were showing lots in stock, so off we went.

In the store, muzzles on, bark was nowhere to be found; sharp sand completely out of stock, signs up essentially saying that if you needed to lift something heavy you are on your own as they won't help, no shed/fence paint to be found, no top soil to be found and the entire shop was a mess - - just a total waste of time. I was getting annoyed, so the trolley was abandoned and we went to the car.

Next up, Adrian Hall - my local "go to" garden centre; usually excellent range, lovely healthy plants, well stocked for things like bark, compost etc and always busy. After battling through a set of roadworks, we pulled into the car park and there were three cars in there - - and the car park had been segregated out in such a way that there were two spaces made into one and you had to park in between these big sacks with posts in them. We parked, muzzled up and got to the entrance to be confronted by loads of signs of do's and don'ts, and one saying that you could not see bags of compost, bark, soil etc but you had to go and order them at the desk and then they would be fetched for you and you were to then drive up and pick them up at another part of the site. That was enough for me, I turned on my heel and got back in the car.

Then we tried Wickes at Hanworth - no trolleys. We went in to see if there was any trolleys inside, but there was a friendly lady on the till who could see us looking a bit confused and asked if we were OK. Mrs C asked if there were any trolleys, and the lady said that they were outside, so Mrs C explained that there were none. The lady then asked another employee who was standing near the tills to assist, to which he acknowledged and then promptly started talking to a mate that appeared. Another customer came in with an elusive trolley, and the lady behind the till said "the trolleys must ba around the car park" - - given that I was stood there have hobbled in with a walking stick, I was in no mood to be going round quite a large car park playing hunt the trolley. By this point, I was starting to quietly fume, so left the store lest I give some poor unfortunate soul a couple of barrels....

Off to Homebase where we found everything we wanted (barring the fence paint) and were served by a lovely lady and had a good natter with her at the till.

Costco was similarly good - top marks to them for a slick operation and lovely staff, and finally we visited our favourite local fishmonger (who sell online, dry ice courier delivery if you need a good fishmonger I can heartily recommend) and were greeted with the usual friendly staff.

These masks and Covid restrictions are going to be the death of businesses that are doing things in such a way that they just pee customers off.

 

I really struggle to breathe with them on to be honest @CanadianLori, which in itself makes me tense and grumpy all at the same time. I wouldn't mind, but they are next to useless in the way that they are currently being used.

You aren't a coward, for sure - one of the bravest ladies I can think of to be honest.

 

Naaah, I don't think so, Lori

 

@Fat Controller I ordered fence paint online from Wickes. It took them two weeks to tell me they didn't have any, after taking my money, and they didn't know when they would get it.

I popped in to B&Q and they had it on the shelf. They also loaded my trolley with compost bags and then put it in my car for me. They also needed us to wear masks and use sanitiser (man at the door) and had a circuitous one way system, but it worked well and was in and out in under 15 minutes. I'm not normally a fan of the store but have continued to use them now.