Printer Frustrations

Sunday. 6.20 a.m. A good deal cooler this morning, thankfully. My digital thermometer reads 81ºF as I write this post.

I received two books on Saturday morning,  which I had ordered via Amazon, but they were both identical and hardback versions.  I don't want them in hardback form, and why would I order two? They will have to be returned, which isn't difficult because you only need to print off a return label and there's no charge. But my HP printer will not play ball. I can't fathom the confounded thing out and after around half a dozen attempts, I gave up. I still can't see why I had two books sent. Something must have gone wrong during the ordering process. At this rate, if the printer doesn't behave and function as it is supposed to, I may be forced to defenestrate it. It's possible, but not entirely, the only solution to the problem. Why do computer printers behave in this way? 

3.45 p.m. I have had several printers over the years, and they have all caused similar problems. I thought I'd try a different tack this afternoon and try replacing the ink cartridges, but that has made no difference. I have moved the whole printer on its new trolley, into the lounge so that I can sit and fiddle with the thing, which I hoped might make things easier, but nothing has happened. I am gradually running out of options.

The current temperature of the flat is 89ºF. I can't wait for the weather to break, which is what they are forecasting for the next couple of days. It's not often we are only too pleased to get rain, but the heat is becoming intolerable.

Monday. 4.05 a.m. It's not often I'm awake and out of bed at this hour, but, what with the heat and not being able to sleep,  I had my obligatory shave, which was enough to wake me up, and then I thought I'd get on here. The digital thermometer currently reads 84ºF. Crazy sort of temperature for this time of the day. I just hope that today sees the temperature fall considerably and even the chance of some rain.

8.45 a.m. I have packed up the two books I mentioned earlier in this post. You have to print off a label, which has the company address the books came from on it, along with a bar code. Because I can't get my HP printer to function, I emailed it to Barbara, SHO of Dexter House, and she printed it off for me. The label was stuck onto the parcel, which was securely taped up with Sellotape, and then I drove to Tesco Express in Oldbrook Boulevard. Oh, dear! The woman I handed it to must have got out of her bed on the wrong side (as my mum would have said. Why does getting out of bed on the wrong side make people miserable?) Well, the face of this particular woman, behind the till in Tesco, was enough to turn your milk sour.  She scanned the barcode with a sort of mobile phone device, although I doubt it was a mobile phone, and then I had to put my name into the device, not easy when the thing is so small. Then, sign, equally difficult, as you can't write with your finger. Do companies really expect you to sign a legible signature on these things? I think not. I got handed a receipt, and that was it. The delivery company is or was called Hermes, but now it's called Evri, which makes it even more confusing. The grumpy old woman could then get on with whatever she was doing before I entered the store. But she wasn't a good advertisement for Tesco or exactly inspiring any sort of sense of being professional or able to deal with a crisis. I rather got the impression that she would have preferred to be anywhere but working in the local Tesco.