Tuesday 12th of January - Daily Trials with Mother & Happy New Year! ....
Well what can I say as it's nearly three weeks since I last wrote and that was before Christmas. Yes all went well at Christmas, Mum went to Michelle's and had a good day. In fact a full day as she didn't leave until gone midnight as she couldn't get a taxi for over an hour and obviously everyone had been drinking so couldn't drive her home - "More's the pity" said my sister when she told me the tale. However at least there were no upsets and the rest of the festive season passed by fairly quietly (due to the restrictions), we went over to Manchester to have dinner with our two sons and Louise our daughter-in-law. We only stayed a few hours but must say we felt really spoilt having dinner cooked for us, it was lovely just to go somewhere different. Then on our return we delivered the presents that had been sent over from Manchester which was just as well, as we didn't know there would be another 'Lockdown' so soon in to the New Year.
Boxing Day we had a second Christmas morning as Scott came round with Olivia to open their presents which was another lovely time. Plus Olivia stayed a bit longer so we could play games and Barbie together, before we took her home and had a look at her super new Scooter that she got for Christmas. All in all a lovely relaxed time and despite not being able to see all the rest of the family as normal we did have a nice time.
One trial that we had before Christmas was Mum refusing to have her first Covid Jab, Why? "Because my mouth's so sore!" said Mum. "Really Mum? Do you realise how dangerous this virus is?" To which Mum replied "Okay well I will think about it." Miraculously a few days later after speaking to my youngest sister Alison the Physio, who told Mum she should have the jab as soon as possible, Mum had rung the surgery back and booked her jab for New Year's Eve, let's just hope it brings in a better year with her jab!!
Otherwise I think it had to be one of the quietest festive weeks and New Year's Eve, yes Mum did have her Jab and said that it had made her feel so tired she may miss the New Year coming in, but she didn't! As nobody was allowed to mix, so we couldn't even share a drink with our lovely neighbours, other than on the street, which we did at a distance just after twelve o'clock. Then I made the mistake of ringing my Mum to wish her a Happy New Year, my husband says I never learn as this time last year she was accusing me of taking her raffle prize of £100 shopping vouchers! Which Mum found on New Year's Day 2020, without any help from me of course!!
So when we came back in this year, I should have known better not to ring Mum! No sooner had I said "Happy New Year", Mum was asking me if I wanted the dimensions of her washing machine? Admittedly she had mentioned that her old washer had given up the ghost the day before, but I had said I would sort out a replacement in the New Year but not that early in the New Year! Unbelievable!! I very nearly lost my rag with her as she would not stop going on about it even though I said I would not be looking on New Years Day and she would have to wait until I did take a look online. In the end I just had to put the phone down otherwise I don't think I would have ever got to bed!
Plus the fact that Mum was asking me was all due to the fact that Michelle (my sister) and her husband Steve, had taken a broken Microwave (purchased in March) back to Curry's in November for Mum and got a replacement. However Mum wasn't happy with the replacement (of course!) and because she moaned so much to my sister about it, Steve said they would never help her to replace anything else ever again! Apparently she never shut up about it on Christmas Day!!!
Unfortunately I wasn't well enough to go round (due to Long Covid), to take the measurements so Gary insisted I did everything over the phone which was even more trying at times. I am sure the space for Mum's machine must be a lot smaller than the normal machine size as nothing in Curry's would fit!! Thankfully with Gary's help, we found another Hoover Washing Machine online at Argos. Mum had said it had to be Hoover, as Alison my youngest sister had told her that was a good make and would be much better than the last one she had!! Just a shame that my sister hadn't offered to order it too. Grrr!! However at least we got it ordered although I must admit I got in such a mix up while ordering it, I was sure I had given Mum's address for the delivery which was yesterday between seven in the morning and seven at night. I just couldn't remember whose telephone number I had given, which was needed for the phone call, to let Mum know they would be calling an hour before. I think Mum must have mentioned it everyday before the delivery day arrived and I just hoped and prayed that everything would go okay. We had included the cost of taking away the old machine and the installation of the new machine (as we knew we wouldn't be able to do that) but my sister Alison had told Mum how another relation had had problems because the delivery men would not install their new machine, so I was having all sorts of nightmares as you can imagine.
Yesterday, the delivery day arrived, my sister woke me at ten o'clock asking if I had spoken to Mum, which obviously I hadn't as I had only just woken up! It seemed Mum was worried when her new machine would arrive, when I checked my mobile phone I had just received a text saying the Washer would be delivered between 10 o'clock and two o'clock so I immediately hung up and rang to tell Mum. However after I put the phone down, I opened the message fully which said the driver would ring before arriving and that we should quote the 'what3words' address location to enable the driver to come to the right entrance. I have never used this site before but duly looked at the page and saw the words daring.lion.race. I rang Mum and told her if the delivery driver rang she had to say these three words. As you can imagine Mum was really puzzled why she would have to say darling.iron.face!! "No Mum" I said "those are not the words, it's Lion! as in roar like a Lion", "Humph" said Mum "well why didn't you say so" I carried on "and not Face but Race as in run a race!!" Humph went Mum again and I put the phone down as soon as I could as I thought they might ring. Then I had a horrible thought if my 'location setting' was on I had probably given Mum the wrong three words, so I quickly looked at the map to see not only were they incorrect, the location that was on the map was for The Strand in London! In my sleepy haste to give Mum the numbers I hadn't put in Mums address and so quickly relocated in the 'what3words' site, this time it gave me 'Landed.Crab.Stick' which seemed quite a logical saying but then I realised I could actually pinpoint the back door which meant it changed to Long.Cure.Steep. I quickly rang Mum all the time conscious that the delivery driver may ring at any time. "Hello Mum has the man rung?" I asked, "No, although I don't know about these three words". said Mum. "Well forget those Mum, you need a different set of three words" I said all the while thinking this must sound like a scene out of 'Allo Allo!' "What?" said Mum, "just repeat these three words Mum and write them down"; 'Long.Cure.Steep' "right" said Mum "Leaf?Snore.Sheep" "No, no no" I shouted as I thought we would never get it sorted, "not Leaf, but not short but 'Long'" "Okay" shouted Mum back "why didn't you say so?" "and then Cure as in cure a cold" I said, "oh right" said Mum "and Steep as in a steep hill, not Sheep!!" "Right" said Mum "I have written those down and I just have to say them when the delivery driver rings?" "Yes Mum." I was just about to jump in the shower when yes you guessed it, my mobile rang from the delivery driver, thankfully I had written down the three words and was just about to say them when he said "we'll be with you in five minutes, do you want it through the front or the back door?" "The back of the bungalow thank you" I said "do you not need the three words?" "No" came the reply. I couldn't believe it, we went through all the palaver of the three words when he didn't even need them! Gary was killing himself laughing as he had giggled all the way through the three words conversation with my Mum. I am sure the site must be of great help if you are stuck up a mountain with a broken leg. However my Mum would never have been able to navigate that site, even if it was sent to her mobile in an emergency. It was bad enough just trying to get her to mark down the three words I gave her.
Yes thankfully the lovely DHL men did install Mum's new machine and took the old one away without any problems other than struggling to get it in through the door, but they managed and it fits and works. However Mum did ring me to say what was all that about with the three words? I told her that I would explain when I saw her but she did say she was disappointed that the writing on the new machine wasn't a bit bigger as it's very difficult to see the programs........ Grrrrrr
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