Friday's painting...

...I was knackered yesterday.

I had a gas boiler service appointment by the gas engineer. But to track him where he was, you had to go onto the app but the app would not let me in. It did not recognise my password. The password was already on my iPad and it wouldn't accept that either. So I ended up trying to change my password, I thought that might be an easy solution. But it wasn't.

So I ended up on the web to try and access my account that way. But I still couldn't get in. It said internal error when I tried to change my password by clicking forgotten password.

I had a no reply text from the gas board saying that the gasman would let me know when he arrives. But there is a phone call, and I cannot take phone calls because I'm deaf. I had no idea if it was the gasman, and I've never answered a phone call because there's no point because I can't hear them. But I press the button, assuming it was the gasman and I said I'm deaf I cannot hear on the phone please text me a message if you are the gasman. Or something like that. He must've heard it, because I've got a text by return saying he will be at my house in five minutes.

The gasman arrives. And he comes in and he starts work on the gas boiler. Then the wheelie bin men arrived and they empty my wheelie. They drive off and  the wind picks up and the wind grabs the wheelie they had placed outside my bungalow and takes it down the road towards the main road. I tell the gasman at this point that I'm going to rescue the wheelie that's going down the road. What happens is I get to the wheelie and grab the handle, but I noticed the gasman is coming out of my house. I don't think he's barely been there for 20 minutes. And I know there are some things, some checks he's not done yet.

He takes down his mask, so I can lipread and says it's all done and I will get a report from the gas company in the post, and before I can say anything he gets in his van and drive off.

I suddenly realise I've left a total stranger in my bungalow so I shoot back in and place the wheelie my side of the gate. I check my Credit cards, my devices, my phone, anything I can think of and everything appears present and correct. I have never had a gas service done that quickly before. And I know there's a couple of indoors checks he did not do, which he should've done.

But, but the no reply texts from the gas board coming about hourly, saying that my British gas engineer would be with me shortly kept on coming. And this disconcerted me further about the validity of my gas engineer. Finally at 6 pm I get a no reply text from the gas board saying they are sorry but my British Gas Engineer cannot make it today (this was last night at 6pm).

I am shattered because I am doubting the gas engineer, and I had spent ages getting all the heavy stuff back into the gas boiler cupboard I had also to drag out earlier. 

But that's not the end of the story. I am sitting on the couch when I realise someone is at the front door. I am not expecting anyone. But I go out and it is the wife of the horrible man next door (she is not nice either).

"You've got my wheelie" she says. I am puzzled because I rescued the wheelie placed outside my house by the bin men. So, I go and get the wheelie and it is not mine because it doesn't have my number on it. She is hanging on to my wheelie and not letting go of it (there is no wind now). So I tell her it was the wheelie the bin men left outside my bungalow, and there had been sudden strong winds and it had taken off tumbling down our road towards the main road where it could have been crushed by lorries. 

Stony face keeps looking at me, she didn't believe me, and repeated, "You've got my wheelie." 

(Honestly, I expected a laugh or something, or thanks for rescuing my wheelie)

She wouldn't let go of my wheelie until she had her hands on her wheelie. 

I came in, made a cuppa, and collapsed on the couch..

I was exhausted mentally and physically after everything yesterday. My hands still haven't recovered for all that lugging of boxes in and out of the boiler cupboard. So, this is my best effort for a painting today.

There have been no more no reply texts form the gas board today, so I assume their software must have gone completely doolally.

I will never rescue a wheelie again that is tumbling down the road, it hurt my hands trying to hold on to it, and lug it upright. I am not fit enough to stop runaway wheelies.

But you know something...today I wasn't up to much, but I did go in the garage, and found all my old car paint match bottles and different odds and ends of spray paint cans, and tins of enamel paints. In two weeks when my wheelie next has a date with the bin men, my wheelie will have a whole new psychedelic livery. It will be the envy of the neighbourhood (NOT!). But I will at least definitely know that it is not my wheelie bin making an escape down the road. And sour face will look disapprovingly out of the window...

I will play catch up tomorrow.

A flower painting in Procreate for today.