Windy and Wet

The weather has changed dramatically over the past few days, so much so we've put the central heating on and I've had to find Carol's hot water bottle! We have the thicker duvet on the bed, the nights are drawing in. The clocks will be changing in the next couple of weeks, actually on 30th October. The sun is shining, as I write this, but it has been quite overcast early today.

On Saturday morning we went to IKEA. The reason for this was that our wardrobe has one door which keeps on swinging open. It has a hinge missing. Probably went missing when we moved from the house in Crownhill. We had to dismantle the wardrobe and then reassemble it here and no doubt one of the hinges got mislaid. Every time I walk past the wardrobe the door swings open and it will not stay closed, however, I attempt to push it closed. I unscrewed one of the existing hinges and we took it with us to IKEA, with the intention of comparing it with what they would have in stock. We already went to B & Q and Homebase earlier in the week but could not find a similar hinge. They are the type that has a bit that recesses the inside of the cupboard or wardrobe and spring shut. They are found in most modern flat-pack furniture, kitchen units, and wardrobes.  I imagined that this would be easy enough to replace. Or so I thought. On inquiring at the spares desk in IKEA it now appears that they no longer use this type of hinge, having replaced them with a new style hinge around 18 months ago.

We also went to find a suitable frame for a print we bought when we went to Avebury the other week. There is a considerable choice of frames in IKEA all a reasonable prices. Also, I am researching a new armchair for my use in the lounge as the one I seem to have inherited from my stepson, Daniel, is falling apart. The arms have had black sticky tape on them as I attempted to repair the chair, but this has gone beyond repair and on one side the stuffing is falling out. The seat has a broken spring in it and can make a rather sharp 'twang' sound if you sit down suddenly which can be most disconcerting, to say the least. There are plenty of chairs to choose in IKEA and we spent quite a  time trying each out. The Poang range is quite good, with wooden frames of different colours as well as having various fabric for the seats. 

If you have ever been to IKEA you will no doubt had fun engaging with their traffic management system. You are (supposedly) expected to move around the different departments in a sort of 'one-way' system, but this means you can walk miles, or what seems like miles, between not just departments, but floors. There are lifts and moving walkways which link the different floors. We had to return to the earlier departments and seemed to spend a great deal of time walking back and forwards, which can become extremely exhausting. 

When I eventually came to pay at the check-out I discovered that I had won a prize! This is shown on your receipt. I was thinking, 'we've won a fitted kitchen or perhaps a two-week holiday in the Bahamas or something equally exciting. But no. I had to take the receipt to a scanner across from the check-out and get the barcode on the receipt 'read.' It turned out I'd won a doughnut, worth 40p! The excitement was far too much to bear!