The day started badly when Julia went out to the car this morning, and found that the windows were all down. It’s happened once before – and with other cars. I always think it’s something to do with the automatic locking, though I never quite work out how it happens. Fortunately it was a dry night and nothing was taken.
This is one of the reasons I don’t like electric windows. I didn’t want them, I didn’t ask for them, I just bought a Volkswagen about 20 years ago and found that I had no window winders, just buttons. Over the years I spent several hundred pounds on repairs and ended up with three windows held shut with blocks of wood as the car eventually ended up being worth less than the cost of repairing a window motor.
Fortunately, the rest of the day was better and I was even able to look at novelty sporrans on-line. Even better, I was able to marvel at the irony that it’s a vegan taxidermist who is hollowing out many of the animals for the new wave of sporrans. If I’d merely seen the words I’d have assumed she was mounting prize vegetables for proud owners.
Julia found a bag of watches today as we continued tidying. It’s a mystery why I placed my two everyday watches in a bag with two broken watches (gardening is hard on watches). It’s even more of a mystery how they ended up in a box in the dining room.
I suspect that Julia’s definition of “tidying” has had a hand in this. She thinks that simply moving my stuff round and hiding things has some sort of benefit. I don’t.
It’s been a stressful few days.
We’ve discovered four boxes of VHS tapes which I thought had all gone years ago, eight bags of books (frankly, I’d rather give the kids away), a box of continuous computer paper (for a type of printer I haven’t used for 20 years) and the thick end of a hundred rounds of shotgun ammunition which I’d forgotten about.
That’s a long story, revolving around moving to town, giving up shooting, then giving up re-enacting, then having children. And, above all, being disorganised, with a bad memory.
I hadn’t realised that most local police stations no longer have a counter service. It took three attempts to find one that was open, but it went smoothly enough after that.
Finally there was the £30 in copper I had managed to accumulate. It cost me ten percent, using the machine in the supermarket, but the remaining £27 paid for the groceries, and it was a lot easier than counting it all out into bags for the bank and making a special journey.
And that’s about it for today.
I am with you all the way about electic windows in cars. I once had my hand trapped in one when the driver failed to realize I was resting my hand on the open window. Ouch! Fortunately, my panicked screams alerted her, and she quickly put down the window. Still…
All’s well that ends well, but it could have been a lot worse.
I’m with you both about ALL of the fancy stuff in cars these days. It’s all just more stuff to break, in my experience. I’d take a manual shift and hand rolled windows and none of those dumb dashboard lights I have to ignore, if I could find it.
A friend of mine drives old Land Rovers as they don’t have computer chips to go wrong. I, meanwhile, have had several mystery lights and associated costs.
Funny what goes on cars! I’ve not had the windows down phenomenon and can’t say I would care for it much.
It’s not the best bit of technology I’ve had on a car, I admit.
I hoard books and a few things the girls have given me/made for me over the years. Everything else I find easy to part with. I enjoyed the novelty sporrans. A vegan taxidermist!?
They sound good things to hoard. 🙂
I’m dubious about vegan taxidermy – I mean, why not eat sausages if someone else kills the pig?
Well, yes!
🙂
I’m pleased the mood is lifting. Julia’s tidying tendency needs watching
Not as much as her tendency to hoard absolute junk and blame me…
🙂
We disagree about golf balls. I have so many in boxes and bags that I have found and can’t bring myself to part with. They drive Kim crazy especially when a bag splits and they spill all over the floor!
I just hand over my collected coppers to the grandchildren – it’s easier!
I can see her point, but on the other hand if life gives you golfballs what choice do you have?
I need to do a clear-out myself. No shotgun shells would show up, though watches might.
Watches are tricky things. I still have several to find.
You must have deep pockets to carry thirty pounds in coppers around.
I sympathise with your tidying angst. It is never a happy process.
I only have myself to blame for the mess. And Julia.
I used a bag for the copper. I often look at the coins in the shop – did we really carry those pennies round?
Any time I embark on sorting stuff, I am confronted by things in odd places or simply things that I wonder why I’m keeping. I can’t blame Mr Snail, though – it’s all my own fault.
We are both as bad as each other, and we also blame each other. It seems to work. 🙂