A few weeks ago, I strapped my 3 daughters into their carseats, and set off on our way to drive down the coast. After 5 hours we ended up .........
back home.
We got stuck in traffic chaos after some flash flooding and ended up turning back when a landslide closed all roads leading south. They cried, I cried, the car overheated and we officially had our first "holiday from hell" experience as a family.
But it's still not the worst holiday I've ever had.
For nearly 20 years now, my brother and I have been mercilessly guilting our Dad about "the trip from hell". It was a canoe trip. Look, for me, this post could end right there. A canoe trip, while all the other kids at school were going to the Gold Coast or Hamilton island to tear it up in the kids club, seemed a poor second. Let me also emphasize that this was a survivor style canoe trip which was to involve 5 nights, in the Winter holidays, at a campsite you had to canoe to, that would therefore have no toilets or ANY AMENITIES OF ANY KIND.
Right, so, already reluctant we set out from our house, collected by a slightly deranged guy with some canoes tenuously attached to a trailer. How tenuous became obvious as we wound our way down Cambewarra Mountain and the canoes disembarked. Have I mentioned that this was the man my parents had paid for canoe hire and drop-off and pick-up at Tallowa Dam?He wasn't a random guy off the street or anything, he even had an ad in the Yellow Pages, indicating that he normally did this sort of thing for a living.
So, canoes re-attached we arrived at the dam(n) and set out into what could only be described as the largest freak windstorm of the mid 90's. And I am not even exaggerating much. Waves were breaking over the side of the canoes. We were rocking, tipping and generally paddling as fast as we could to get nowhere, or at the very least to avoid getting closer to the dam wall. My brother and I were crying, Dad was yelling "JUST PADDLE!!!" and Mum was fence-sitting by alternating between the two. After literally hours of this we finally crossed the damn and managed to create a makeshift campsite just before dark. Everything was wet and several loose items of clothing and luggage had been lost. Miraculously though, we were all OK. At least until the return trip when crazy canoe man was UNCONTACTABLE when he was supposed to be collecting us. I have never been so glad to see the end of a holiday.
Even though Mum and Dad did compensate for this trip in later years by buying a holiday house at the coast that produced much less death defying mini- breaks, it's the trip from hell that we always talk about. There must be a lesson in there somewhere. Something about family unity, teamwork in the face of adversity, yadda, yadda, yadda. Just don't tell Dad. We're still guilting him.
Monday 18 April 2011
The Mates Rates Debacle
Appliances come to my house to die. As of now we have had no hot water for 3 days.
We have lived at #7 for six years. In that time we have had to repair or replace the following:
the oven
the stove top (x2)
the dishwasher (x2)
the toaster
the kettle
the dryer ( ok, it's still broken
2 different fridges,
a video player
a cd player
a computer,
a TV,
the ducted air conditioning (every time I turn it on when the seasons change)
and the hot water system.
I'm not talking about this time. It's happened before. Also lightbulbs tend to randomly explode and something drips out of the rangehood light when it's on for more than 45 seconds.
As I was saying, at the moment, no hot water. For 3 days so far. As of now, the electrician has not even looked at it. This is because of what I like to call "the mates rates debacle"
Here's how it works: something breaks.
I ring husband who says, I'll get my old tradie mate such and such to come and look at it. Of course they're never a close mate, usually a brother's mate's cousin. Who doesn't do that work anymore, but their best mate does, so they'll pass on his number.
So after several reminders from me my husband will call the tradie and then relay to me that they will be here this afternoon, or first thing tomorrow or, at worst tomorrow afternoon. Or, you know, whenever the hell they feel like it. The tradie inevitably fails to show.
Cue increasingly desperate calls from me to hubby to "remind" him to follow up with tradie.
Eventually he will arrive, attempt to fix the problem, require cash to buy the needed parts, fix the problem on a different day and be paid in further cash (that inevitably has to be withdrawn from a credit card, thereby immediately cancelling out any mates rates discount you might be getting) and a case of beer. Because, you know, he is a mate.
Anyway, i'm trying to look on the bright side, because this electrician has done work for us before, and at least I am not related to him. Ring related to a tradie seems like it would be great, but it's not.I know this because my Brother-in-law is a plumber. A plumber who has lived with us on and off for the last 5 years. One time he lived with us, the ensuite toilet stayed broken for 3 months, and let's not forget how much fun we all had turning the shower on with a shifter for over a year. Although, when the kids $5 stocking filler paddle pool was not spraying water correctly on Xmas day, he nipped out to the work ute and welded up a copper attachment to sort the problem out in under 3o minutes. Approximately $400 in parts and labour. What the...?At least I didn't have to pay him. My heart goes out to all the poor women who are married to builders.
Fingers crossed the hot water comes back on today. The sparky is due to come at 4, or, you know, maybe a bit after. Worst case tomorrow morning....
We have lived at #7 for six years. In that time we have had to repair or replace the following:
the oven
the stove top (x2)
the dishwasher (x2)
the toaster
the kettle
the dryer ( ok, it's still broken
2 different fridges,
a video player
a cd player
a computer,
a TV,
the ducted air conditioning (every time I turn it on when the seasons change)
and the hot water system.
I'm not talking about this time. It's happened before. Also lightbulbs tend to randomly explode and something drips out of the rangehood light when it's on for more than 45 seconds.
As I was saying, at the moment, no hot water. For 3 days so far. As of now, the electrician has not even looked at it. This is because of what I like to call "the mates rates debacle"
Here's how it works: something breaks.
I ring husband who says, I'll get my old tradie mate such and such to come and look at it. Of course they're never a close mate, usually a brother's mate's cousin. Who doesn't do that work anymore, but their best mate does, so they'll pass on his number.
So after several reminders from me my husband will call the tradie and then relay to me that they will be here this afternoon, or first thing tomorrow or, at worst tomorrow afternoon. Or, you know, whenever the hell they feel like it. The tradie inevitably fails to show.
Cue increasingly desperate calls from me to hubby to "remind" him to follow up with tradie.
Eventually he will arrive, attempt to fix the problem, require cash to buy the needed parts, fix the problem on a different day and be paid in further cash (that inevitably has to be withdrawn from a credit card, thereby immediately cancelling out any mates rates discount you might be getting) and a case of beer. Because, you know, he is a mate.
Anyway, i'm trying to look on the bright side, because this electrician has done work for us before, and at least I am not related to him. Ring related to a tradie seems like it would be great, but it's not.I know this because my Brother-in-law is a plumber. A plumber who has lived with us on and off for the last 5 years. One time he lived with us, the ensuite toilet stayed broken for 3 months, and let's not forget how much fun we all had turning the shower on with a shifter for over a year. Although, when the kids $5 stocking filler paddle pool was not spraying water correctly on Xmas day, he nipped out to the work ute and welded up a copper attachment to sort the problem out in under 3o minutes. Approximately $400 in parts and labour. What the...?At least I didn't have to pay him. My heart goes out to all the poor women who are married to builders.
Fingers crossed the hot water comes back on today. The sparky is due to come at 4, or, you know, maybe a bit after. Worst case tomorrow morning....
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