A Fruitful day

One of the parcels from last night was our yearly supply of NZ foodie magazines (Cuisine and Dish). NZ really does do food and wine and coffee - and foodie magazines - extremely well! Normally, I’d hide the parcel till Christmas Day, of course, but we’re not bothering with formalities this year, and so the parcel was pounced upon and JR was as happy as a pig in shit Larry for the rest of the evening. Thanks J and M!


Jack Whitehall the glazier turned up again this morning, this time with his pal, James Corden ... honestly! They set to, removing the windows. Glad it wasn’t too cold, as there was a Big Hole in my house for quite some time, while they re-did the complicated pulley systems. Then they boarded it all up and have promised to come back later today with new double glazed windows. I do hope they wash them as well. The outside panes were rather dirty.

Yesterday a load of sample firewood was delivered. Well, I say delivered, but the chap must have waited till I was out in the back garden with my visitors, lightly touched the bell, left a ‘You were not in’ card and scarpered before I came back into the kitchen. But if I miss him again, I’ll have to go away over town to their depot to pick it up - it’s not just up the road. So I’m trapped in a boarded up house, awaiting a parcel.

But I have not wasted my time. I have assembled the computer table! Complete with two drawers. And one of them actually works! Just as well Jack and James were making a lot of noise -there was a lot of grunting and groaning coming from the back room - just me, kneeling down and struggling up again continuously.

I scanned the instructions, and set to with confidence. I started by hammering in the rubber bungs for the feet. Didn’t take me too long to yank them out again with knives and pliers. Oops. Wrong end. Good lesson - pay attention to the diagrams of wee fingers indicating really important bits.

PM. Jack and James are now back with the windows. What a very complicated business it is, hanging them.

The UPS delivery chap hasn’t been. And I haven’t been up to the PO Parcel Pick Up Place either. In fact, I have only been out in the garden to saw a couple more wee bits off the wine racks. They are going to fit into that space like a glove!

All in all, a pretty fruitful day. Albeit trapped.