Timber!

After my electrical ‘incident’ I’ve ordered several new items to replace the ones that were damaged, including a new microwave oven. The new one arrived yesterday, of course, while I was out on soldering iron business so I had to go down to the little post office in Plazac before mid-day when it closes, to pick it up. When I got it home and began to unpack it I immediately found that whereas I’d ordered one in ‘inox’ (stainless steel), the one that had been sent was black. This is getting a bit like wading in treacle. I seem to be beset constantly by the mistakes of others that keep dragging me backwards all the time. Because of the mistake, I then had to contact the internet merchant that I’d bought it through, which was not easy because (a) you have to dial a premium rate number and (b) they then divert you to another premium rate number to maximise the profit that they can make out of you. At the same time they give the second number out very, very quickly and somewhat indistinctly so you have to keep replaying it before you get it right. Clever eh? And really, really annoying. This French thing and customer service (or lack of it) is beginning to get my goat!

After sorting the mess out (I hope) at my expense, of course, as it will take at least 5 days for a replacement to be delivered, I turned my attention back to my X-Air panel. I’d just got going nicely and was close to finishing it off when my phone rang. Christian said he’d be right round to prune my giant lime tree that stands in front of my house. When he came I had to give him a hand, of course, and here’s a pic of the work in progress. Just three final small high branches left to be sawn off at a later date when Christian has his long ladder with him.

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The branches that he took off will make quite a bit of difference as the tree hasn’t been pruned for years and quite a bit of foliage was hanging almost right down to ground level. Last year when I backed up the van containing my belongings that I’d brought over from England before moving in, I had to break off quite a bit of low hanging stuff before I could get close enough to the house and naturally it’s grown some more since then.

Afterwards I did manage to get the new panel finished, after giving Toddie his dinner, of course. What I want to do always has to come last on the list! Here are a couple of shots of the panel back, a bit less distinct than they might have been because of the sun that was by that time streaming through the glass in my back door.

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With a bit of luck, who knows, unless there’s a small local earthquake or some other minor natural disaster over which I have no control, I might even get it fitted in the aircraft some time this week-end. That’s if I’m very very lucky, of course 😐