Well, Bank Holiday weekend and it's been hot and sunny.....what a novelty! Saturday we went to the car boot sale.....wore our masks as it got quite busy there (not surprising, it's a popular one anyway, it's by the sea, it was a sunny day and it's half term holiday). Lots of others were wearing masks too, although plenty weren't - I'd say probably 50/50. Still, I didn't kiss or cuddle (or even stand talking to) anyone there so I reckon I'm safe 😉. We bought another oil filled radiator for the caravan, excellent nearly new condition, for £7.
Yesterday late morning we went to my best friend's house, sat in their garden with cold drinks for a while, their daughter came over with her lovely little spaniel - we've not seen their daughter for over a year so it was nice to catch up.
We spent the afternoon putting up our new gazebo - we've had gazebos before, our last one had had it hence the new one. I'd chosen a different one - well, I reckon I must have picked the most complicated one ever. It took us - well, husband mainly - about 2 hours to put it up, it was more complicated than a caravan awning (those of you with touring caravans will understand why putting up an awning is justification for a divorce 😂😂). We did it in the end, but not without a lot of swearing and extreme patience and teeth gritting on my part! 😒 Husband being a man, he doesn't look at the instructions, although, to be fair, the instruction sheets that come with just about anything always seem to be translated from a foreign language - very badly and by someone who doesn't actually have any knowledge of English. So, I was having to decipher the instructions, then try to identify which poles go where, using which nuts etc (turns out they were all the same nuts), then help husband put the bits together, some of which just didn't want to fit without him using mole grips or a hammer, and trying to avoid getting my fingers trapped (by him) or having a pole dropped on my head (both of which were a frequent occurrence when putting up caravan awnings).
A couple of times, when I went indoors to get us cold drinks (well, really just to have a calming break!!), I came back out to find husband had fitted a wrong bit, or was doing something completely arse about face - honestly, can't leave him alone for 2 minutes 😖. By the time it was finished, I was too tired, hot and stressed to sit under it.
We're going shopping in a minute, want to get it done before the holidaying hordes go in there to empty the shelves for their bbqs/picnics. As it's another hot one and Bank Holiday Monday, we shan't be going anywhere.....might even sit under our new gazebo 😁
If you know its up correctly, you could try putting coloured dots of paint where each pole joins to another. That way, should you need to put it up again, it might be easier. We too have no plans to go anywhere. Everywhere will be too crowded for us.
ReplyDeleteWhen ever we get anything that's build at home, I have the instructions, and I sort the bits, and then I pass the past to hubby and point out where it goes, still things go wrong, but never as bad as when he has the instructions.
ReplyDeleteI've never met a man yet that reads the instructions before attempting to put something together.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giggle, Sooze, although I bet you weren't laughing much, putting up the gazebo! I'm the one who does the finesse (like reading instructions), hubby does the bash it with a hammer bit! xx
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, your description of putting up the gazebo and references to caravan awnings had me giggling. We always ended up arguing over which bit went where on our caravan awning!! I usually ended up inside the collapsed awning with G trying to hold various bits together with plain willpower 😅 Glad we no longer have to do that!
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain, I have endured many a similar situation.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good script for a television comedy, if it wasn't happening to you!
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