Slowly the chaos is reducing and we are settling in. The rented house was handed back successfully on Friday, so for the first time in our lives, after four previous owned properties and a lot of rented ones (mostly RAF married quarters), we are responsible for just one house which we own completely with no mortgage; we can now just concentrate on this one. The key now seems to be to settle in and take it slowly; at least, that's what it will be like when we have all the basics working.
Unfortunately our shower is not working yet, as I had a problem with the installation, and there are bits everywhere with the shower screen standing on the landing. In trying to avoid such a situation, I prepared carefully by reading and understanding every step of the instructions but then found that there was a fundamental task which was impossible without a right-angled screwdriver (which I do not possess). The need for this tool was not mentioned in the instructions and, when I rang the technical centre, they could only say that they sell lots of these showers and no one has ever complained before! One suggestion they offered was that the attaching screws should be fixed into the wall at an angle to allow the task to be done. I refused this suggestion as (a) the aluminium channel would be distorted by a pan-headed screw at an angle and (b) the pan-headed screw would not be long enough to get through the plaster at an angle***, and (c) I had already drilled the holes at right angles, since the need for some odd angle was not mentioned in the instructions. Also, I said that if I did that then my plumber would laugh at me! I don't often stand on my qualifications but I'm a Chartered Engineer and have never encountered such an idea except, for instance, in screwing wooden studs together.
I found that a certain company had a branch 11 miles away (through horrendous traffic) and their website said that this branch had a right-angled screwdriver in stock, so we went to get it. Of course, their computer was wrong and so I had to order the thing, and we have to wait for a shower. Hence an annoyed e-mail regarding their out-of-date website...
The screwdriver should come on Monday, so I can then finish the shower; I'll also do a few other important things this week, like finish the wardrobe and put up a bedroom curtain, and then we're off camping for 17 days, so I won't be posting again for another four weeks. The plan then will be to get ready for the extension re-build which hopefully will happen in September/October. In the meantime I just hope this rain stops by next weekend!
*** Of course, in a recently lime plastered wall, any hole which does not penetrate brick or stone is going to cause a big lump of plaster to fall off and create a large hole when you fit a wall plug, and this would be worse if you drill two holes close together...
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