Friday 25 October 2013

Thump! Real life hits!

After past trips I have generally bounced back fairly quickly. Not this time. The first two days home I have had jet lag quite badly. Yesterday I went to bed at 5 pm and slept until 9 am today, apart from the occasional toilet break. Today is the first day I have really done anything. But what?

Read on....

Firstly, my home telephone was on the blink. This is the third or 4th time this has happened in the last few months, and the nuisance value does nothing to lift the spirits. I rang my telecom firm and they promised to have it all fixed by the end of today, advising me to unplug all phones except one. Late this afternoon I rang to check progress, using my very unsatisfactory mobile, and they said it would all be fixed by 7 pm, that they realised it was an ongoing fault (too true!) and I would be given credits (?). So far the telephone is still not working.  I am not happy.

I rang to check the insurance on my damaged glasses. Naturally the telephone service is located somewhere far, far away, ie in a foreign clime, and there is no actual bodily person, upon whose kind and possibly generous bosom you could fling yourself on and weep, and be told 'There, there.'They promised, from the far, foreign clime, to email me forthwith a claim form. It has not arrived! Oh well, I thought, I will drive over to the optometrist and get a replacement organised.

The car would not start. Flat battery. Not merely flat, but completely dead. This after a month's inactivity, sitting in the garage. I rang the car insurance organisation (using the mobile). Now I have to confess that I bought a very cheap mobile this year, and it is awful to use, so I feel I do penance for all my faults whenever I use it. The organisation forthwith sent around a man in his van, who agreed that the battery was very kaput, and so I chose to get a new one. So he left, having called the battery replacement man. He turned up, and replaced the battery, and told me all about his time in the army (didn't sound at all nice).

They hold your keys while they do the replacement, I suppose, just in case you get any funny ideas, and yes, the battery having been replaced, he drove off with my car keys in his pocket. Fortunately I had his telephone number on my mobile, as he had sent a message to announce his imminent arrival, so, having agreed that 'Oops, yes, so I did,' he drove back and returned the car keys.

This fortified, I drove off to the optometrist. Who took my spectacles to her machines, did this and that, changed the nose pads, and made it all better. So at least something went right today. Then I bought something for dinner, and came back home, and waited for the phone repair to be completed.

Eventually I phoned them, and they said all sorts of reassuring things, and said it would definitely be fixed by 7 pm and that they would ring me. But nothing so far, at 7.45, and thus I feel aggrieved. Added to which the doorbell keeps going off. I think it is tuned to the same frequency as next door's, and vice versa) so I keep peering over the balcony to see if there is anyone actually there. There isn't.

Nor has there been any further information and result about my home telephone.


3 comments:

ChrisB said...

Why is nothing in life straight forward these days??!! At least you got your specs sorted out tho.....bet you wish you were sitting in a tranquil park by a fountain somewhere In Italy with no phones or hassle!!!!! Keep smiling !

Jan said...

Never rains but it pours~ Glad you are home safely.

I think the doorbell problem may be similar to one we had when I was with son and DIL. There were two of us home one night. I was on first floor, the other next floor up. I cam down to doorbell at least six times and then called up the stairs that I was not answering any more.

We eventually worked out that our bell responded to at least two remote entry alarms on cars parked in the street outside. Every time one had door unlocked or locked, our bell would ring.

Perhaps that's the case in your place.

Elephant's Child said...

Hiss and spit. Just what you need with jet lag added to the mix.
I hope your phone is repaired today (or yesterday).