I woke up early, my daughter was yelling. I changed her (when I say I changed her, I mean I changed her clothes and incontinence pad, not that I changed her for a puppy). She wouldn’t go back to sleep, so neither could I.
I made breakfast, the postman came, boo, hiss! He brought a Grant of Probate (more boos and some sobbing), and confusing and worrying details of a pension, (much nail biting and headache).
Bugger that for now, I thought. I need to fill the fridge because Old Mother Hubbard would feel sorry for me. Off I went to Asda.
When I came home the house was freezing. Funny, I thought. The storage heaters had gone into a sulk. It is the first really cold day, and the settings my husband had programmed are just not right for cold weather. Much swearing and YouTube-ing later I thought I had cracked it. Come bedtime, the house has turned into an igloo. Too late to do anything now. My daughter is in bed, thankfully I had changed her duvet for winter temperatures and put bed socks on, just in case.
I sat at the kitchen table, cursing my techy-geek husband and gazing at the app that is supposed to control the heating. Scan the QR Code, it said. Piss Off, I said.
The daft thing is, and I know I must sound like a Luddite, or a dinosaur, but I never had central heating until I got married. We had an open fire in the ‘sitting room’ and a paraffin heater in the bathroom. That was it. The front of our legs got scorched until they looked like corned beef, the rest of you was freezing. Ice formed on the inside of the bedroom windows, my mum said it was Jack Frost drawing on them.
And here I sit, mithering because the remote controlled thermometer will not obey me.
The thing is, he sorted all this stuff. I wasn’t even aware these things happen. So far this month I have had a power cut, the water went off, the toaster blew up, the internet went down, my mobile phone services were discontinued because of ‘non-payment’. This was because our joint account changed to just me and the computer couldn’t handle that so the direct debit didn’t happen.
Tomorrow is another day. Sleeves rolled up.
Xx
Evening willow. I don’t blame you for not knowing how to work this stuff. What was wrong with switches and knobs 
Too many things need tech these days but when it goes wrong it’s a nightmare.
It’s been getting a bit chilly up here too but trying to resist the heating going on quite yet.
It does sound like you’ve been having a run of things not working. It seems like that sometimes for me too. But my car got through it’s MOT no problem the other week ( it has been in the garage 3 times since my husband died with major issues ) and I have finally managed to get an electrician to give me a quote for all the fans and lights that have broken in the last 6 months - which are many ! My daughter was complaining of not being able to see in the shower as only one light left working !!
I’m sure we just notice it more as our husbands would probably just sort things without us really noticing.
Keep going and maybe tomorrow things will be more fixable.
Xx
Haha! I completely understand where you’re coming from. If you’d seen me trying to use my husband’s hammer drill to put up curtain poles and blinds!! The Smoke alarms are on an app he set up, so is the tv, the music, the electric. I’ve organised so many other things and I was wondering to myself whether I could go the rest of my life without having to change anything else 
for ease.
I did change the car key battery and set up ring cameras so I’m pleased with that. My Darling was so tech and social media savvy and I’m just not. He was bloomin’ great 
I know… no central heating, just a wood burner, and electric radiators controlled with an app. I got someone to download the app for me, but John chopped all the logs for the fire and I’ve run out. Currently awaiting Men; log supplier, lawn-mower, chimney sweep, builders (for leaking conservatory), tree surgeon, ECO4 surveyors to see if I can get a free boiler. Costing a fortune, plus a ton of chocolate biscuits.
If those biscuits are dark chocolate digestives I am in.
Dark chocolate ginger for the lawn-mowing guy, double chocolate for the builder, plain for the rest, depending on how much I need to butter them up!
Goodness! I just replaced the carbon monoxide detector (thank you You Tube); I’d have gone crazy if it was on an app.
One thing that seems to happen after a bereavement is chaos. The day after my husbands funeral I noticed one of my freezer doors hadn’t been closed properly. It was so iced up I couldn’t get it closed. Was in danger of losing a freezer full of food. I sat and howled so loud that people passing in the street went to my neighbour to say someone was in distress. My BIL and SIL were staying with that neighbour who offered them an en suite room for their stay for the funeral. They de iced the freezer so it would close and my neighbours provided freezer space. Then my riser recliner got stuck in the recline position with me in it. (Happened twice since). The radiator in the conservatory stopped working. The shower drain blocked twice. The washing machine made weird noises when I was cleaning it. The dishwasher flooded the kitchen. The loo seat became loose. I have had Covid. The lock on the door between my lounge and porch for front door broke with door closed of course. Couldn’t get to front door. Once this fixed the door to the extension and the back door broke again closed. Am now on my 3rd gardener and 3rd care company. At my December med review discovered a heart condition and low B12 so 6 injections over 2 weeks. Fortunately I can take B12 orally. Bathroom scales no longer fit for purpose. Wardrobe door came off. Sound bar stopped working after power cut. Think that’s all in 15 months. I am lucky to have excellent neighbours who have mostly rescued me.
Those in the early days watch it is likely more havoc is on its way.
Oh and because I am able to get in and out of my front door I am not classed as housebound to the NHS. The fact that once out I am not able to go anywhere due to mobility problems is irrelevant. Have just had to find a private physio to help mobility as NHS won’t come to me as I am not housebound.
Daughter’s standing frame broke, heating wouldn’t work, filing cabinet locked itself, garden gate wouldn’t shut, tv stopped working, toaster blew up, oven went off, power cut which shut things down and didn’t come back. Water stoppage during shower. Got wheelchair stuck in damp lawn, wheels locked with daughter sitting in it. Scratched the car. Discovered fizzy plug socket (technical term). Spotlight went off, Sky tv went into a sulk.
That is all in three months.
Not just me, then?! That’s a comfort, I was beginning to think I am cursed.
Xx
No not just you. I am in contact with someone via e mail who couldn’t deal with this site. In the weeks after her partner died she discovered as they weren’t married or in a civil partnership she had no rights. Her heating broke down twice. There was a leak under the floor which brought the lounge ceiling down. She fell and couldn’t get up for 2 hours and no way to contact anyone. No family. Initially partners father wouldn’t let her have access to bank account. Now a cousin of her partner helps her but still not everything fixed.
I tell everyone I meet who are in a long term relationship but not married to make sure they have a will expressing what they want. No matter how long you have been together if not married or in a civil partnership no will means no rights.
Crikey it makes my stubbed toe pale into insignificance then.
Yes, I tell all my married friends to learn how everything works, and to think about joint accounts, just in case.
Xx
Absolutely. I dragged him off to the solicitor to do ours, otherwise I’d have had to leave the house; his share of it passes to his daughter when I die, but in the meantime I have the joys of log-stacking and major repairs… So important to get this stuff sorted ahead of anything happening.
I have posted this before but my brothers wife has terminal ovarian cancer. Whilst she is still able they are working through her bucket list but also she is teaching him how to cook and he has written himself a manual of how all the appliances work. I should say he was also a project manager before he retired. We just can’t help it. I have spreadsheets for just about everything and to do lists. Oh if we could all have had the time and the foresight
I know. I even had to learn how to cook; John loved cooking and wouldn’t let me near the kitchen. It’s been such a huge learning curve, some of it quite funny as well as sad (like burning oven chips to a crisp!). Now I have a ‘useful tradesmen’ book and a ‘how to do’ book, but if only I’d had them 11 months ago…
I can’t cook as they say I could burn water. Lived on ready meals until reduced mobility meant I needed extra help. Now my carer cones in makes me lunch and dinner.
I was the cook,my wife was the baker good fit really.
Best thing I bought after Norman died was an air fryer. Meant I didn’t have to bend to use the oven.
Oh log chopping and stacking deep joy😂