Early yesterday morning I set off to try to find the parts I needed to repair the broken toilet flushing system. The local plumbing supply shop didn't have what I needed, but did suggest a nearby plumber's merchant who might be able to help.
The second shop didn't have what I needed, but they gave me the name of their wholesale supplier and directions to their trade counter. They had exactly what I needed, and a little over ninety minutes after leaving home in my expedition, I was repairing the toilet flushing system.
So for once, I did do it myself ... and it worked!
The second shop didn't have what I needed, but they gave me the name of their wholesale supplier and directions to their trade counter. They had exactly what I needed, and a little over ninety minutes after leaving home in my expedition, I was repairing the toilet flushing system.
So for once, I did do it myself ... and it worked!
Well done!, you might get rewarded with a jewellery cabinet or something.
ReplyDeletePaul Liddle,
DeleteAs the draft blog entry that was inadvertently uploaded before it was finished stated, my wife has done just that!
All the best,
Bob
You should be justly proud of yourself ! , I find I am soooo proud of myself when the most mundane DIY task succeeds .
ReplyDeleteThe Good Soldier Svjek,
DeleteI admire people who can do-it-themselves ... and share your feeling of pride when I can just about emulate them!
All the best,
Bob
As mechanically challenged male myself, I can both appreciate and relate to the situation as well as your elation. Well done!
ReplyDeleteBest Regards,
Stokes
Heinz-Ulrich von Buffke (Stokes),
DeleteI suspect that quite a few wargamers are DIY-challenged! Just because we can paint toy soldiers and make terrain, it doesn't mean that we are qualified builders, plumbers, or electricians.
All the best,
Bob
Well done! I consider myself fortunate to have learned how to do all sorts of DIY stuff helping my father out. I can still hear his voice in my head occasionally when working, reminding me of little tips or safety cautions, or not actually cursing at some obstinate object,
ReplyDeleteRoss Mac,
DeleteMy father was not very good at DIY, so I wasn't able to pick up tips by working alongside him. He was - however - an accountant, and gave me a love of mathematics and numbers.
All the best,
Bob
Sometimes the small victories are the most satisfying. I worked maintenance at the YMCA after university - very handy.
ReplyDeletePat G,
DeleteIt sounds as if you are the sort of man I should and would call on in a real domestic emergency!
All the best,
Bob
I hesitate to introduce a Les dawson-esque element to this success story. But did you actually repair the toilet - or were you simply going through the motions Bob! I'm here all week - but I'll stop now!
ReplyDeleteKen H,
DeleteThe great British musical hall jokes are the best!
In reply, all I can do is to quote from BLACKADDER GOES FORTH:
von Richthoven: You English and your sense of humour. During your brief stay I look forward to learning more of your wit, your punning and your amusing jokes about the breaking of the wind.
Blackadder: Well, Baldrick’s the expert there.
Baldrick: I certainly am, Sir.
[von Richthoven laughs.]
von Richthoven: How lucky you English are to find the toilet so amusing. For us, it is a mundane and functional item. For you, the basis of an entire culture.
[Baldrick laughs, von Richthoven slaps him in the face.]
All the best,
Bob
Brilliant Bob! I'm a fan of the scene where Baldrick is engraving his name on a bullet. He'd heard that somewhere there was a bullet with his name on it, so he thought that if it was in his pocket, it couldn't kill him!
DeleteKen H,
DeleteI thought that the entire BLACKADDER GOES FORTH series was the best of the BLACKADDER programmes ... and I re-watch it regularly.
All the best,
Bob
Well done with the plumbing fix.
ReplyDeleteWe had a failure with the bathroom cistern a good few months ago and I managed to fix it with a timely trip to the local B&Q.
A few days after that the bathroom hand basin blocked which eventually resulted in me smashing accidentally) the ceramic pedestal while I attempted to clear it.
A proper plumber largely funded with household insurance money replaced the entire bathroom suite.
I recycled the old wooden panelling around the 'works' and remodelled flush fitting panelling retaining the 'antique' finish.
The carpet needed replaced which I did using unused carpet tiles from a friends house which were destined to becoming ploughed fields.
All in all a good set of fixes and I still have enough carpet tiles left for some ploughed fields.
Jim Duncan,
DeleteYour story sounds very much like the sort of DIY nightmare that I would have experienced if I'd tried to unblock a bathroom sink. You were much more intrepid than I would have been.
Luckily we have water supply insurance that covers sorting out leaking taps, blocked sinks etc, and I suppose that I could have used one of their plumbers to fix the toilet, but I thought it might be quicker and easier to do it myself.
Carpet tiles have lots of wargaming uses. I've seen them used to cover complete tabletops as well as cut to form stepped hills and fields. Ian Dury (of the Continental Wars Society) created an entire set of portable warganes terrain using squares cut from carpet tiles ... and it looked very effective.
All the best,
Bob
Careful. You are setting a dangerous prescient. Now what about that peeling wall paper? Your busy retirement could get a lot busier ;)
ReplyDeleteGeordie an Exiled FoG,
DeleteI understand that Pritt sticks are ideal for fixing peeling wallpaper.
(This statement should not be construed as being based on personal experience of any kind whatsoever or as an endorsement of this particular brand of adhesive product. Other glue sticks are also available.)
All the best,
Bob
Very impressive Bob! Personally I subscribe to the "getting a man in" school of DIY... it's a lot les painful for everyone!!!
ReplyDeleteAlastair,
DeleteI impressed myself with own my achievement ... even if it wasn't that big a problem to sort out.
Painful experience tells me that it costs less in real terms to 'get someone in' than to DIY.
All the best,
Bob