Today is A Red Letter Day!

I wanted to write the title as Today is A day and see if people 'got it', but for some reason Blogger just didn't want to give me a way to do one single character in a different colour in a post title, so that was a funny idea gone to waste...

It's a red letter day because a man has just been and delivered a new washing machine, replacing the one that died just as we got back from our trip to Fife. I have mixed feeling about the dead machine. I cannot say it has not paid for itself because it has lasted a long time, and certainly longer than the dryer and the dishwasher which we installed at the same time and both of which have already been replaced. It didn't owe me anything. On the other hand we tried to get it repaired, much as we tried to get the dishwasher repaired when the original one gave up the ghost and with exactly the same result, we ended up having to get a new one. So much for trying to help the environment.

At least with the dishwasher we managed to get someone to come out and look at it and tell us that a repair was possible but not advisable. With the washing machine we thought we had booked someone to come and look at it - we had to go through the manufacturer's website where they took our post code, and a large amount of money, and then let us access a diary in which we could book a slot for a local engineer to come and visit. The engineer never turned up (which was actually no surprise to me as I had never believed for a minute that he even existed, let alone that he would pitch up at the front door) and when we queried this with the company they told us first that 'the repair hadn't been allocated, they would do that now' and then when we heard nothing from them and prodded them further they finally confessed that they had no engineers 'in our area (quelle surprise!) and after a couple of days they refunded our money. 

In the middle of all that we gave in to the inevitable and ordered a new washing machine which has been installed this morning. The man who installed it left about 15 minutes ago and I am already into the first of what will be many loads of laundry today. It is perhaps unfortunate then that last Friday a man did actually come when booked to install a smart meter which  is already exerting an unhealthy fascination over the OH. By the time the washing and drying is up to date he'll be having an apoplexy. But do I care? No. Because I need to wash. 

While I am, quite evidently,  much more excited about a new kitchen appliance that I really should be, I will refrain from taking and posting a photograph of it.