Monday, October 08, 2012

'Tis chocolate and curry week

I thought you'd want to know that.

So I suppose we should all be eating chocolate and curry. But not necessarily together. 

On a separate note the Linden boiler saga continues. Where did I get to in my telling of the sad story? No matter, I'll just moan. The gas man was supposed to be coming on Friday to fit a new part. He finally turned up at 4.20 in the afternoon. I suspect he had forgotten and a mad rush followed my multiple phone calls: Is the gas man coming? When is the gas man coming? The gas man is coming today, isn't he?

Anyway he came, he fitted and he left, smiling, and therein lies the crux. You see, he lulled me into a false sense of security: he had that calm assurance that he knew what was wrong causing me to have faith in him. To believe, to have hope. There's nothing worse than shattered hope.

So when the boiler wasn't working today I simply collapsed into a little heap on the floor, sobbing softly to myself. (I didn't of course. My granny would have disinherited me, had she not already been dead and, anyway, had nothing for me to inherit.)

So he will come back with another part tomorrow - or maybe Wednesday, depending.

And that was my morning. My afternoon could only get better. You'd think?

Wrong. It was off to see the nurse for a routine smear test. 'This is Mandy,' she says. 'She's learning. Do you mind if she watches?'
'Feel free.'
'Now let your knees flop out and relax.'
Relax? Seriously? 
'Now cough.'
Wait a minute. Isn't that what they ask men to do? I would look at the nurse to see if she looks confused but it's hard to stare in the face of someone with her head between your legs.
'Now, Mandy, you see that ...? And the bits of string? Good. Okay, thank you.'

And that's it. For another 3 years all being well. 

Now it's just the dentist and kennel cough that needs doing.

5 comments:

Leslie: said...

um...the string??? Okie dokie! lol

Liz Hinds said...

I know. I've been wondering ...

Furtheron said...

Boiler repair men - the word that needs taking out of that phrase is "repair" it needs replacing with another word...

We've had the same issue on and off on our boiler for years. Always seems to happen after the summer holiday - trust me I'm not making that up. Ok you turn tap on... cold water. You watch the boiler (inconveniently out out in the garage - that wasn't my smartest idea on reflection) - it tries to light, seems to light but then switches itself off and goes into a fault mode. Switch it all off and try again... and again... and again etc. sometimes.

Now it is an intermitent fault! Imagine my joy when the man was coming and I knew it had done it only 30 mins earlier... hour later - no repeat! GRRRR!!!

Over the years they have replaced the air pressure sensor, the ignition probes, the sensor probe (twice at least, and it has been cleaned and cleaned), the whole electronic board etc. Pretty much 50% of the boiler.

Currently the problem has "gone away" it isn't fixed as it has happened since that last call out.

These things are sent to... well I think simply keep boiler "repair" men off the streets!

nick said...

Jenny used to go for smear tests, but invariably about a week afterwards she'd get a note saying they didn't get a good enough sample and could she come in again? So she stopped going for smear tests altogether.

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

It's a pity you couldn't get it all over in one , admittedly ghastly , afternoon .
The pre-checkup nerves are almost worse than the actual ordeal .