Thursday, July 07, 2016

BIG FAT HOOKS

Last night, I thought... FINALLY!
Stew went to hang our big mirror in the entrance way...


 ABOVE:  But not before the hussies got in on the act and wanted loves.


ABOVE:  He had everything ready to hang it, then changed his mind.  He wasn't too sure about the anchors he had bought.

I have to go down to Bunnings sometime this morning to try and find different anchors to use.  The last thing we want is for it to come crashing down off the wall!

I might have some company later on today.  Lacy said she might visit for a couple of days.
So, I will wait and see if she turns up or not.


What else can I get up to today?  I'm sure I can find SOMETHING to do around here.  I might plant my succulents in the gardens, hopefully they don't die!

They are not too happy right now, I think they went into shock when we got our first frost!
I might have to buy more, ones that are already acclimatised to the cold Waikato.  

OH and before I forget, I am going to email the agent who sold us this home, and ask her to contact the previous owners.  I want them to remove the fig trees asap.  Now is the best time to move them, while they are dormant.

And camelia's.  They put in HEAPS of small camelia's all around the edges of the gardens out the back, and I don't want them!

If they don't want them, I will probably just pull them out.  I'm over trying to sell stuff on TradeMe.

ONWARD...

DOGSTARS:  MAP of house below.  There is a 'formal' lounge, which the kids use to watch TV, and for visitors to stay in overnight on the bed settee... if the spare bedroom is already in use.


ABOVE:  it is a long  house!  It takes me 54 steps to get from one end to the other.  There's only a few days since we moved in that I haven't clocked up over 10,000 steps.  *smiles*

Right, enough sitting here, it gets bloody cold if ya don't keep moving!

DEE: why don't I like camellias?  Well I'm not too sure there is a good answer to that.
Why do some people like figs, and others don't?

We all have different tastes, be it food or plants, style of furnishings etc.

Every single camellia in the gardens is white.  I don't mind white flowers, I just don't like camellias.

SIMPLE.  *smiles*

9.50 am:  Well, I just had my first shitty experience in Cambridge.
I went to Bunnings, and walked down the aisle that has wall hangers/anchors.  I passed a Bunnings employee talking to a sales rep about padlocks.

I pass them... look at the anchors, get bamboozled as to what I needed, so I go up to the information desk and ask for help with my purchase.

The lady behind the desk pages the person who I just passed ... as he's the one I need to talk to.

He's yakking to the sales rep.  I wait.  And I wait.  And after about 5 minutes the lady pages him again. All this time, I can SEE HIM.  

Meanwhile at least 5 Bunnings employees stroll past me.

I wait another 5 minutes, then someone walks past me and says "Oh you are waiting for G***?"... and I say yes.

She said... oh he's busy right now, just wait.

So I toss the anchors I had in my hand on the counter and tell the lady behind the counter I'm off to Mitre 10 in HAMILTON now. 

She said sorry. 

Crap service, who is more important? The sales rep, or a customer?  Must be the sales rep.  

I'm now going to just do stuff around the house.  Maybe not gardening.  It's really cold out there.

OH MY GIDDY AUNT!

I got the quote from the 1st electrical firm who visited, to put lights above our kitchen sink and add a few power points in the house... $2,637.15.  I thought that was a bit high!

Today I got the quote from the electrical firm who came out yesterday... $1,012.66.
I thought there must be some mistake?
So I rang them and NO, that is the fixed quote.

Now I am left wondering... did the first company think I was a rich Aucklander who could be ripped off?   WTF?

Needless to say, we have accepted the 2nd company's quote!

LUNCHTIME!  Lacy is due here within the hour.  I better make sure the spare bed is all honky dory for her.  

Lacy arrived.  Tallulah does not like her. She's snapped at her twice and growls at her if she comes too near.  Hee hee.  Clever dog.

4.45 pm:  Lacy just got back from picking Keera up.  Keera is staying until after dinner, then Stew and Lacy will return her to Amanda's.

I was having only a very few hot flushes a day lately.  Today?  One an hour.  Hmmmm.

We have had a nice, if noisy evening.  Lacy took Keera back to Amanda's after dinner.  We will get Keera again tomorrow after Kindy.

19 comments:

  1. I have to ask , why don't you like th camellias? I find them low maintenance with a pop of colour
    I haven't noticed them in any of your photos so I'll have to look now

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  2. Anonymous11:11 AM

    Why don't you give away the camellias on a pay it forward page in your area on Facebook?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hum?? Was it this cold where you lived before?

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  4. Anonymous2:11 PM

    Camelias are nice until they drop there flowers and go brown n ickyyyyy! lots of news on here big difference and electrical quotes though sheesh. Bunnings wont realise there mistake you guys would go there a lot Im sure big mistake on their part I would ring manager and let him know. Wow from the floor plans it is a big house.Its me Blondie

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  5. Send a written complaint to Bunnings, that is unacceptable service.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. aHH ... WHAT SERVICE? There was none.

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    2. Haha good point - ok ... Send a written complaint to Bunnings outlining their complete lack of service :-)

      Delete
  6. That extra LOUNGE is great! And if you do have someone staying there , they get a semi-private space. That is awesome. And multiple viewing options is nice too. For people with different tastes. Quite nice. I was looking at those photos going "those are different rooms - where is that other room.....". I imagine you are loving this house. It seems perfect. I am so glad you got one that you are pleased with and didn't have to "settle".

    I would go with the second electric quote too! I have not priced that sort of stuff, but a simple task like that should not have such a huge difference. It's not like you are wiring the entire house!

    Greetings to Lacy!

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:44 PM

      Greetings dogstars :)

      Delete
  7. Chris, it might be worth your time to investigate "Neighbourly" in your area, and maybe join up. Then you can offer your camellias to whoever wants to come and get them. I did this with some unwanted plants recently and it worked out well.

    I'm amazed at the disparity between electrical quotes!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous3:42 PM

    Hi
    I was at Bunnings on the weekend here in Australia and I had a question about a fern to see if it was frost hardy as it was not written on the label, I walked up to the garden guy and started to ask him what sort of species etc, before I could even finish my question he said it is a fern, duh!! I said yes I KNOW THAT and asked him the question which of course he didn't know..I went a across the road to Magnet Mart and got a frost hardy fern there which was labeled properly...he was rude...

    Cheers

    Peta

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  9. Anonymous4:42 PM

    Second quote is still way to much just for those jobs. Id get a third quote

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    Replies
    1. Not really no, you've got to take into consideration the cost of the new fittings, the cost of running new cables through the ceiling cavity direct from the circuit breaker, there is also the fact that the walls in which some of the new fittings and cables need to go are internal so all the gib is on and painted, the timber nogs inside the wall are all in meaning the electricians will have to drill each of them out individually, meaning they will have to cut holes in the walls etc. The first quote is absolutely ridiculous, the second quote however is a fair and adequate price. Feel free to disagree but in my opinion (as a tradesman) the quote they received is pretty good.

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    2. What is gib Steve ? Plaster ?

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    3. Yea it's the plaster on the internal walls

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  10. We always prefer Mitre 10 to Bunnings and they also have a great coffee shop in lots of their stores. Have always found them super helpful and friendly. Gold star for the service we get at Whangerai. Helen in France( for 9 months a year and 3 months in Ruawai)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous4:31 AM

    Why did you have to give Keera back tonight if in fact she's Lacys daughter?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Keera lives with her Aunty in Hamilton, til life settles for everyone, Keeras gets to enjoy her cousins, kindy, friends and nearby family, it doesn't matter that she's not with her mummy for now, Keeras blessed to be able to see her mum and all her family X
    Family is always a blessing, and the support they give! Keeras a lucky wee girl!!

    ReplyDelete

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