Minor dramas and major performances

this week there has been a conspiracy of irritations, minor dramas and major performances, specially designed to raise my stress levels and to add completely unnecessary complexity to my life. Why can’t it all be simple?

Here’s a rundown . . .

blocked dishwasher - ewwwww. lots of ucky water swooshing in the bottom when I opened it this morning. I just LOVE rummaging around filters in my marigolds. NOT.

wonky worktops – having paid a small fortune for a new kitchen a mere 6 months ago, we have a problem. One of the worktops has a join near the sink. It has been improperly sealed and now water has (of course) got into it and made it go all wonky. Added to that the sealer around the sink has come off and the edging on one of the worktops has chipped, I’m a little annoyed. When the miserable cow at the kitchen place told me that worktops are not covered under the warranty, I nearly went into thermonuclear meltdown. The big bang machine would have had nothing on me . . . . fortunately, I managed to stay more or less reasonable whilst at the same time making it clear that her response was both inappropriate and inadequate. She’s going to talk to her manager and get back to me. She’d better.

broken toaster – I think I jinx electrical equipment. Our old 4-slice toaster was nowt fancy, but it worked for years until the front fell off. My mum bought a new one and gave us her old 2-slice-toaster . . . which was fine, but not up to the job when there are 5 people demanding toast at the same time. So, I took advantage of a half-price appliance sale . . . . and bought a nifty new Kenwood 4-slice toaster – v nice and chrome and shiny – about a month ago. Now, only 2 of the toastery bits will go down. When I tried to take it back, they wouldn’t exchange it because I hadn’t kept the packaging. I’m very extremely narked, and now have to go through all the aggravation of finding a box for the wretched thing and posting it off to Kenwood so they can look at it. Meantime I have no toaster, because I Freecycled the old ones. Gah!

I’m getting militant about the school run. On our way we pass a building yard, or building site, I’m not sure which. This of itself is not a problem. The problem is that it lies on a particularly twisty bit of narrow country road where there are no pavements – blind corners coming from each direction – and people really belt along there in their cars. Very often there are lorries and other plant either parked or crossing the road, with no-one looking out for traffic to warn cars to slow/stop or any sort of traffic control when one lane is blocked. I’m sure it’s only going to be a matter of time before there’s a nasty accident there.

Second gripe about the school run: part of the road floods. It wouldn’t flood if “they” (the council, I assume) properly maintained the drainage channels taking run-off from the road into the ditches beyond the verge. The same ditches wouldn’t overflow if the channel taking the water down into the canal wasn’t blocked with dead leaves and other debris.

Third gripe! We have to walk under a railway tunnel . . . . it’s single file traffic on a 3-way control, but it’s very narrow, an ‘A’ road (hence v busy in the mornings) and there is no protection of any kind for pedestrians – and it’s the only place you can get through, and is used by a large number of school mums both ends of the days. Frankly, getting through it with 3 small kids unscathed is little short of a miracle and is the single most terrifying thing I’ve ever had to do. And I have to do it every day.

And driving is not an option. Why? Because the 3-way control aforementioned doesn’t take into account a 4th road feeding in on our home side of the bridge – to get under the bridge depends on kind people letting you out of the traffic. It can take 40 minutes sometimes to do a 2 mile journey (which is a one of the reasons why we walk) in the car because of the queueing. Why they can’t just bring the lights back 50 yards and put a 4th phase on to let that feed out I have no idea.

sniffy receptionists - I handed my letter exercising my right to opt out of the NHS national database (Care Records Service) and the receptionist got all tutty and irritated with me. She tried to tell me I couldn’t do it! And then made a big fuss about how much work I was now making . . . grrrrrrrr. I was tempted to point out that I paid her wages, but thought that was a bit Tory of me so refrained. I’m worried that I thought about it, though!

waiting for appointments . . . gah! make an appointment for 2:20 because I have school pickup at 3 . . . and THEY KNOW I have Aspergers and I can’t cope with being late (particularly where my kids are concerned) and that delay and getting close to breaking the routine means my stress levels go sky-high . . . so, when I turn up and it gets to 2:49 and we still have not been seen, I’m about to throw a major tantrum . . . when Rumpus decides he needs the toilet . . .  I’m standing in the queue to tell the obnoxious tart on reception (see above) that we’re going to have to cancel and re-book (doubtless to further tutting and disapproval) when the nurse swans out and tells us she’ll see us now. O thank you, o mighty one, for deigning to grace us with your presence. Our time is as nothing compared to yours. Actually, it’s not her fault. Reception have overbooked, allocated 5 min appointments where she needs 10/20 mins, and they’re short-staffed – one nurse instead of 3. And yes, we (just about) make school pickup, though Honey is the last one stood there and starting to look a bit anxious as I belt across the playground . . .

cupboard unpackers – Minni decided to unpack all my kitchen cupboards this morning. Egads, the mess! Took me a good 30 mins to sort it all out again . . . (I have cupboard tidiness issues).

what to do with kale? got some in the veg box, no idea what to do with it. Off to google. It does not look appetising. I expect a rebellion on this one . . .