Travels with my camera

Well I've now had two on the trot. Yesterday wonderful British Gas were coming to change my token meter to a normal one. Appointment booked from 1pm to 6pm. So I waited and waited and waited. I thought, well they will surely need to have daylight to do it, they must have to turn all the power off, so how will they do it in pitch black. So it got to 5.15 and was dark Meanwhile, I'd let the credit run to a very low amount as I didn't want the same hassle I'd had with Swalec and losing out on what was in there. So I thought I would ring just to check. So the usual press button two for this, then sorry all our operators are busy, holding on. Well at least it was only 10 minutes this time, and not forty like the last two times I've had to ring them. "Hold on please while I check" ........ "I'm sorry, the engineer has been called to an emergency, he won't now be able to come to you today." I went mad. I was so livid, I thought I would explode. That's the second time they've done it to me. And it will be the last. Unfortunately though having checked last night it seems that if I change suppliers its going to cost me around £150 a year more because I am on a fixed tariff till 2010, and everything has gone up already a lot since I took out the agreement. I had to then go round the Spar Shop and buy some more tokens. I shall just carry on with the bloody tokens and clambering up to put them in, and worrying about it running out. But it does seem that its the cheapest option. I am going to write a letter of complaint though, last time I did an email, and they never even gave me the courtesy of a reply. Bastards.

So today, my new cooker was being delivered, time slot 7 am to 12 noon. So knowing my previous experience, I was half expecting a no-show on that too. So I am fast asleep this morning, pitch black still, and the phone rings. "Hello it's the Argos delivery driver, whereabouts are you, on the main road?" "No" says I, "turn by the Spar shop. How long will you be?" "We're outside now" SHIT! Quickly throw on my joggers and sweatshirt, let them in. It was 7.20! Cheeky git says "you can go back to bed now!" Anyway, chuffed with the cooker, now getting it installed is another matter. Has to be done by a Corgi registered engineer. I've been given the number of three, one rang back, can't do it till the New Year, one didn't ring back at all, and the other one has rung me back when I wasn't in, so I rang him back, and it's an ansaphone so I'm waiting for him to ring back... And the one who I have actually spoken to said it will be around £150, which is more than the bloody cooker cost! Jesus Christ, I'd like to earn £150 for about an hour's work. Change the jets - 10 mins, and fix a chain to a hook on the wall, and connect hoses either end one on the cooker, one on the bottle. Nice work if you can get it.

Mum frightened the life out of me this morning too. 10-15 the phone rings, shows Mum on the display, it only rang twice then cut off. So I rang it straight back, and it was engaged. So I tried and tried, was engaged for about 20 minutes. Starting to panic incase she was ill, and had collapsed. Finally she answered and denied that she'd even rung me! She was ringing the council about the lamp outside not lighting.

Next I finally decided to brave it and go out with Emma. (weather was awful again today) Went out the front and had a wander down the path towards the side gate as it looked like the wind had almost wrenched it off the hinges. Came back in to get my coat, went into the kitchen, and looked down, and I had trodden some of Emma's poo all through the hall over the door mat into the kitchen, all in all about 9 sodding places. Bloody dog going poo on the path! I was just about to go out so wasn't impressed at having to get down with disinfectant and clean it all up. I took the outside door mat round to the back and turned the hose on it (it's one of those plastic astro turf types) gave it a good old jet wash, and then thought, my legs are getting cold out here. I looked down, and there was a bloody split in the hose, and about 40% of the water was spraying all over my jeans. They were soaked!

Highlight of the day, was looking out the living room window this morning and there was a Great Spotted Woodie on my fat balls, not four feet from the window. Went to take a photo but of course he was off like a rocket as soon as I raised the camera to my eyes.