In my previous post about the great Frankston flood of 2012, I failed to make the observation about how lucky we were when the hot water pipe burst while someone was home. Imagine the mess [and subsequent mildew pong] we would have had if the on-demand-just-keeps-on-filling hot water service had been happily pumping water into the house for hours.
Things must and do go wrong from time to time, but timing is everything. After a visit with some friends years ago, up in the hills where the roads are windy? wind a lot and are narrow [sorry about that, they don’t always have wind], I climbed into my little car and about 60 seconds after take off the steering died. Given the timing and location, I could live with that.
---------
Now I can change a tyre if I have to, but would rather not. A very long time ago, driving between Mildura and Adelaide
After entering what remained of the little township after the copper mine had closed, I drove around for a block or two then found a garage with a work-shop.
It was a warm day, and sweat ran in rivers down the face of the proprietor as he pummelled and banged with hammer and lever to remove said tyre from wheel. I kept my fingers crossed that he would not croak from the effort before the job was finished, or before what looked like his rapidly approaching age of retirement.
After quite a bit of pummelling and banging I wondered if I would croak before he finished.
He fixed the inner tube and then, with some more pummelling and pounding, eventually got the tyre back on the wheel, and the tyred wheel back on my car.
The total cost was something like $5 [I told you this was a very long time ago], but I gave him an extra $2 and told him to go and have a couple of pots of beer.
Relieved that neither of us had died during the repair process, I set off in search of a road from Burra to Adelaide
*The tune used for my favourite AFL team's theme song
I always take for granted that these sorts of things will keep on working forever. I guess part of it has to do with renting and knowing I'm not responsible for the bill if anything does go awry. I'm glad you were able to get it fixed with little hassle.
ReplyDeleteRubye, there are times when I wish I was renting. The inconvenience sometimes involved in getting a landlord to fix something is nothing compared to the stress we feel whenever something goes wrong, because it's then we start imagining all the things that might go wrong.
DeleteYes, there is an angel watching over your shoulder - it's all in the timing, not the actual thing that breaks down.
ReplyDeleteThat bloke might have gone to have a beer, met with an old friend he hadn't seen for ages who needed cheering up and then went on to invent the internet...or something equally important in his own life.
It's the timing and little connections.
Jayne, the 'might-haves' are frightening, aren't they? My mother always told me it's rude to look over someone's shoulder, but I'll make an exception for the angel.
DeleteDriving in the hills without a steering pump? You did well.
ReplyDeleteIs that what they're called? It was definitely time to buy a new bomb.
DeleteWhere was the spare wheel??. Driving with a dead power steering pump is very dangerous indeed :-).
ReplyDeleteOh no, no power steering. This was a while ago and it WAS a bomb. Spare wheel? As in if I get a flat tyre? All I know is I started the car, turned the steering wheel a tad to pull away from the kerb, heard something snap and then the steering wheel turned loosely in both directions with no connection to car wheels at all. I was very lucky it happened before I was hurtling along in traffic. [Separate from the flat tyre incident.]
DeleteObviously I've not written this very clearly, for which I apologise. Just blurting on generally about how if things go wrong the timing is important :)
Best song ever. We 'indoctrinated' Sapphire to this movie recently and were so proud to see her get so many of the jokes.
ReplyDeleteWhenever something goes pear shaped, we often whistle this tune.
Best movie ever. If I could either whistle or hold a tune I would do the same.
DeleteYes indeed timing is everything, not just the good stuff! LOL When in a crisis tho we sometimes forget that the timing "could have been" worse!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I'm too busy panicking to get upset, but once the worst is dealt with, I try to remember how lucky I am to have water pipes, and cars and flat tyres :)
DeleteHahaha! Sorry, I know I shouldn't laugh at another's misfortunes ... but it appears that you, like me, have the unenviable gift of unerringly turning a bad situation into a worse one by doing it the hard way!!!
ReplyDeleteWho told you you shouldn't laugh at another's misfortune? A laugh shared is a laugh quadrupled!
Delete