Heart attack

Saturday, December 14, 2019

General Election and Fridge/Freezer Delivery

So, we had a General Election yesterday. I took Alfie out as usual after 7 o'clock yesterday and no sooner had I bought him back to the flat, I went back out and walked immediately to the Community Centre in Oldbrook, just opposite the Green and next door to The Cricketer's pub, which was being used as a Polling Station. I was amazed by how many people were coming and going. I don't think, considering the early hour (the polling station would have just opened at 7a.m.) I have seen so many people at a polling station for a General Election.

As mentioned in my last blog post, I had to deal with the fridge/freezer defrosting and failing miserably and, as a result, ruining an entire load of food, which had to be thrown away. I was scratching my head to find a solution and came up with one fairly quickly, by ordering a brand new, full-size fridge/freezer from the on-line retailer, Very.  As a result I could pay it off in instalments, and because it's a larger fridge/freezer (actually twice or even more in size to the pathetic thing I was given, and which has let me down big time by breaking down.) Fortunately I had managed to clear the account and was glad that I hadn't closed it down completely. The replacement fridge/freezer was expected to be delivered on Thursday (yesterday), but when I ordered the thing I was not sure at what time of day it was likely to be delivered.

On Wednesday I got a text message to let me know that the fridge/freezer was scheduled to be delivered between 12.15 and 2.15 on Thursday. Then yesterday, Thursday, I got another text message telling me it was going to arrive at around 12.30. Then, by following a link through an email I was sent by the delivery company, I could actually follow there the lorry was on a map. It arrived at around 12.45.

Having got the new fridge/freezer into the flat, carried by two men from the delivery company, it had to stand for several hours before plugging in. This, in order to allow the refrigerant in the system to settle, because it had been on the lorry and then carried into the flat, on it's side. It was quite a difficult job to unpack it, as it was packaged in cardboard, polystyrene and plastic, leaving a large amount of this packing, which will now have to be disposed of, probably taken to the tidy-tip in Bleak Hall. Having allowed the machine to stand for 4 hours, I plugged it into the power point and  I turned on the mains. I had to store milk and other items in the community kitchen, otherwise it would have gone off if left in the kitchen belonging to the flat.

All day the weather had been appalling. When I first went out with Alfie for his early morning walk on Thursday morning, it was cold and wet. Rain falling and a strong wind. No sooner had Alfie realised that it was raining, wet and miserable, he turned tail at the front door and more or less went back in the flat. But he seriously needed to go out, so we walked along Strudwick Drive towards Oldbrook Green, but before we'd even reached the crossing over Oldbrook Boulevard, he turned round and refused to go any further, and, honestly, who could blame him?

Today, (Friday) it is cold and windy, but it's quite bright and sunny.

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