Laundromat Blues

The good news is that the replacement washing machine valve arrived today. The bad news is that, because it’s not an OE part, the hose fittings are a slightly bigger size. Soaking the hoses in hot water and applying some liquid soap meant I could - with a bit of force - slide the hoses on.
But there is no way I can get the spring clips into position - they just will not expand wide enough. After half an hour of struggling, I gave up and had a look for alternatives. Unfortunately, I could only find one jubilee clip of the right size. And a trip to B&Q proved fruitless. I know where I can get some more from but I couldn’t be arsed struggling through traffic to the other side of town, and I wouldn’t have had time to complete the job before heading to the theatre, if I did.
So, time to concentrate on getting in the right mindset for Panto now. Last night was first one after our three days break and there were a few cock-ups, to say the least. I didn’t forget any lines, but I did almost forget to come on for a scene. Twice.
Hoping for a better show tonight and a working washing machine by this time tomorrow…