Last year I spent a long time bedridden, sleeping in a hospital bed that had been installed in our conservatory. It was only when I had learnt to walk again that I was allowed to sleep in my proper bed ... but at the time, getting up to the first floor to our bedroom was impossible until we had a stairlift installed.
We had several quotes from various installers, and in the end we opted for one that could fit a stairlift within a matter of days. That was just over a year ago, and until last Friday it had given us no significant problems. However, on Friday I received a phone call from the installers. The remote monitoring system was indicating that the stairlift was developing a fault and that an engineer needed to come to repair it.
One arrived on Saturday morning, and after nearly three hours he was unable to rectify the problem ... which seemed to be a faulty battery, a problem with the charging points, and the stairlift's programming had developed a fault. He therefore arranged for a second, more experienced engineer to pay us a visit on Sunday to sort the problem out.
We had booked the engineer to arrive at 10.00am, but his previous job had taken him longer to solve than expected and he arrived somewhat later that expected. He then spent two hours working on the stairlift before the faults had been identified and cured. He left just before 1.00pm, and we were told not to use the stairlift for at least an hour so that the battery could be fully charged.
I can now use the stairlift to reach the first and second floors of our house, and not being able to do so for the last day and a half has made me realise just how immobile I am at times. I could climb the stairs as far as the first floor with the aid of a walking stick and the banisters, but there's no way I can easily climb the stairs to the second floor ... which is where my accessible shower and toy/wargame room are located. Having a working stairlift again has restored my mobility … and my ability to do some more modelling and wargaming!
BOB,
ReplyDeleteGood news on having the Stairlift back in full operation. On your 1/1200th Japanese ships- you must have about 18 ships- will you be building up an American Fleet to the same strength? Regards. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteIt’s great to be able to get to the top floor again!
As to my 1:1200th-scale collection … well, the Japanese part continues to expand and I have plans to add some opponents in the near future.
All the best,
Bob
Good to read that you can get back to the hobby room Bob!
ReplyDeleteMaudlin Jack Tar,
DeleteI managed to get up to my toy/wargame room for a short t8me this afternoon … and it was great!
All the best,
Bob
It's good to hear you got things sorted out. Have any more buildings to paint?
ReplyDeleteMark Cordone,
DeleteIt was a great relief to be able to get back to my toy/wargame room … and yes, I do have some more building to paint!
All the best,
Bob
Glad they got it all sorted for you Bob, must have been a bit of a worry though.
ReplyDeleteDonnie McGibbon,
DeleteCheers! When the first engineer wasn’t able to fix the problem, I was rather concerned. Luckily, the second engineer was one of their most experienced people.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob
ReplyDeleteIt must be very frustrating, but thankfully they have eventually sorted it out. It is impressive how you have adjusted to the new circumstances though it must be daunting at times. It must be a relief now that you can get back in your hobby room. We really are very lucky to have such an absorbing hobby, which does so much to keep our spirits up even in very trying times.
regards
Paul
Thistlebarrow (Paul),
DeleteIt was very frustrating, and it has convinced me that my next physical ‘challenge’ is to manage to get up the stairs to the top floor … with the aid of the banisters and my trusty walking stick! It won’t be easy, and I will no doubt find it very difficult to do every time I want to get up there, but if I manage it, it will mark a significant improvement in my mobility.
As to our hobby … well, I was recently asked to write about why gaming in general - and wargaming in particular - was good for one’s mental well-being, something that I feel is often overlooked. If only I could persuade someone to do a study as the topic for their PhD.
All the best,
Bob
Bob -
ReplyDeleteYou have described the one thing I find problematic in the world that is evolving as we get older: our reliance - over-reliance at times - on technology.
Having said that, it was as well the problem with your stairlift that a problem was detected betimes, even if the diagnosis and repair took a while longer (must have been a very tricky problem!). That is pretty impressive!
Cheers,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo (Ion),
DeleteAs I have discovered, without being able to use my stairlift, my ability to access my shower and toy/wargame room is almost impossible.
The second engineer replaced part of the mechanism that moves the stairlift as well installing new batteries and reprogramming it so that it properly docks with the recharging stations. It now seems to be working much better than it did … and long may it remain so!
All the best,
Bob