OK, that might be exaggerating a little bit, because it's almost over with. I bloody hope it is, anyway.
I had hoped to have a post set up for the end of January, when our bathroom work was due to be done. But, as is often the case with our luck, works have taken longer than expected. Then things stopped working. Then they started working, and something else stopped working. To be honest with you, it's kind of the story of our lives.
A bit of backstory. When Wheelz, Lil Monster and I moved in August, we moved into a property that an occupational therapist said needed to be converted. This was absolutely fine with us. Wheelz's physical restraints mean that a bath is too much to manage, whereas a shower should be absolutely fine. The grant took a while to come through, but eventually, at the end of last year, we were given a date in January when work would begin.
We were incredibly excited. As I said, it would mean so much for Wheelz especially. She could take showers independently, with no worries about getting in or out of the bath. She'd be able to wash her hair properly, instead of using the no-rinse shampoo from the care supply shop. The work that needed doing, which they predicted would take a week to ten days, would be well worth the initial inconvenience of having workers in, right?
Well... I suppose so. But it's not done yet.
When the work first started, it was tough to get used to. Early mornings blighted by incredibly loud noise from drilling, and removing tiles, and rerouting plumbing. People flitting in and out of our home, with no introduction and few explanations. The cats were freaking out at the intruders, spending a lot of time hiding, and not eating, and keeping very close to us for protection.
For a few nights, Wheelz had to sleep on the sofa, because it was too much for her to cart all of her stuff (painkiller drawer, CPAP machine, duvet, crutches etc,) through to the living room. The dust kicked up, made her asthma worse. The tools and supplies made our flat a veritable assault course to get from one end to the other. The kitchen was filled with toilet cisterns and new sinks, whilst my bedroom doorway held shower rails and parts.
We spent two days barely able to get through the front door because of the giant box that housed the shower gates.
Saturday mornings weren't exempt either. Our plumber wanted the job done as soon as possible, which meant starting early, working weekends and bringing in extra help/apprentices (his identity was never made clear to us).
We spent time poring over tile colours and floor coverings to make our selections, sweeping up the debris caused by builders wandering through the flat and keeping our fingers crossed that they would be finished soon.
And, thank God, they said they were. On Saturday just gone, 3/2/18, he said he was finished. He showed me the shower, and told me that we just had to wait on the electrician to hook it up, and it was ready. He walked me through the issue with the boiler and explained that he'd complete the radiator just as soon as we got it repressured (?), so that he wouldn't overload it and cut off our heating.
I'll tell you, Wheelz and I rejoiced. We'd spent the last two weeks managing with strip washes in the sink, and were desperate for a proper shower, with hot water and handmade soap- which I promise, I will eventually get around to posting about.
The electrician showed up yesterday morning. He disappeared into the bathroom for a while, whilst we waited with bated breath to hear that the shower was done. Then we heard him on the phone to the plumber. There was an issue, the said. The circuit board wasn't working. No bother. A quick job, which they would pop around this morning and fix. We tempered our disappointment, and waited for them today.
The plumber showed up this morning. He brought the new circuit board, and reiterated that it was an easy fix. He disappeared into the bathroom. An hour or so later, he stuck his head around the door, and asked if I wanted to see the shower working. I nearly knocked him over, trying to get there so quick. And it worked! You pressed a button, water flowed out. I was ecstatic! He got me to sign off on his work, and bid me a good day. When Wheelz awoke, she wanted to come see the new shower, so that she could finally,
finally use it.
Except, when Wheelz came to take a look, there was an issue. We pressed the on button, and it started flashing red.
Now, we're fairly capable, resourceful women. So we had a look through the manual, and managed to right the problem. For a few short minutes, it was great. We had flowing hot water!!
Then we noticed that the pump wasn't working. The water wasn't draining, and was in fact making it's way to the toilet with surprising speed. We got in touch with the plumber.
He came around to ours, and expressed surprise that it wasn't working properly. After all, it had been just fine when he had left, not even an hour before.
"That never happens. If there's ever a fault, it's with the shower or the pump, but never both."
Wheelz and I exchanged a droll look. With us, it can always be both.
So, the plumber took a look, dried up the floor, removed some tiles. An electrical fault, he thinks. So he called the electrician, who can't be with us until about three. The shower's fine, he said. No problem there at all. Just the pump not working.
So the electrician has to come by and try to fix it. If he can, the plumber will be back in the morning to replace the tiles. If not... well, I'm trying not to consider that possibility.
We need a shower back. For obvious reasons - the back of Lil Monster's neck is looking disturbingly grey - but also because Friday is Wheelz's birthday.
Historically, no matter how much organising and haranguing and threatening I do, something goes wrong on Wheelz's birthday. Whether it's Lil Monster kicking off, or Bible Sis refusing to get in touch or visit, or having to put the day off because of illness, there is always something.
It feels worse this year, because this was meant to be done. She was meant to get a hot shower, and some handmade soap and a new bleached hairstyle for her birthday. I'd planned it, made it work, willed it to be so, goddammit! But yet again, things are starting on a bad note, and it's not even something within my control.
So, we'll wait until later, to see if the electrician can fix it. And we'll manage if he doesn't, because that's what we always do.
But you mark my words, if this neverending story doesn't find a cut off point sometime very soon, I'm going to be having serious words with whatever cosmic forces have got it in for us!
