Ring of bright water

It's time for a Wednesday Whinge!

I had arranged for the decorators/builders/call them what you will to come back today to finally finish off the repairs after that leak last August. I was off work on Monday for them to finish the job then, but in typical fashion a team of five different workmen worked only until lunchtime before they had to head off to another "job". So, of course, I'd booked the day off work to be there and they said they'd try to come back later that day to finish. Naturally, I hovered around (not hoovered, you understand, as that would have been too noisy and I wouldn't have heard either my phone or the doorbell) all afternoon, but they didn't come back.

So on Tuesday I got the call from them asking if they could come back that day to finish off, but I told them I had booked off Monday for them to do that and I could not just drop work and be there for them as it would involve booking more time off. BUT, I could be there from 3.30pm if that was any good. No, it wasn't, apparently. But they arranged instead to come today (Wednesday) at 2.30pm to do the work instead (with the arrangement that I would work extra time and have no lunchbreak to make up the time).

Well, at 2.40pm today I got a call asking if they could arrange to come back to finish the work on Thursday...so I patiently (and through gritted teeth, it has to be said) explained that I was there NOW, having agreed to be there for 2.30pm, and them having agreed to do the work. Oh no, the message hadn't got from one side of the company to the other, so it could not be done. As it happened I had both sides of the agreement on tracked mobile phone messages clearly stating 2.30pm on 15th, so I sent that back to them (for what good it will do).

It is now left that they will come back tomorrow...but do you really think they will? I doubt it, I really do.

By the way, the pic is of my granite bird bath, which Mr A gave me for a birthday present several years ago. I am always astounded how filthy and murky (and almost chalky) the water gets after the local wood pigeons have their bath, but the murky water didn't make such a good snap, nor would it have fitted the title of the day.