Sunday, February 28, 2016

Turns out the hair straighteners has an Off switch

You know it's going to be a good evening when the raffle prizes include a whip and line dancing classes.

Sadly/luckily I didn't win either of those but it was a great night with music from Captain Cat and a ceilidh called by the inimitable Nigel Mason. The event was in aid of Circus Eruption: a Swansea-based charity that aims to be a place where, using circus skills, young people can challenge their fear of failure in a safe, non-competitive environment. The twmpath, as it's called in Welsh, was part of a western skills weekend Circus Eruption was holding where skills taught included lassoing and knife throwing. Fortunately there was none of that on the night.

So, what else happened this week?

Well, there was the minor matter of Younger Son heading off back to Malaysia for six months without Nuora. She's staying with us for an extra week before heading back to Italy to stay with her family until after Baby is born. She booked her Swansea to airport coach ticket this week and, amazingly, it costs only a few pounds less than her air flight. I can't decide which is more shocking: the high price of the coach ticket or the low price of the air ticket.

After seeing him off Nuora joined me in Zac's for the women's group that this week hosted an art workshop.

And then there was the matter of my hair straighteners.

I've had them for a few years as you can see by the wear on them but I was annoyed when I went to use them this week and found they weren't working. I don't use them as frequently as I used to but I had bed hair and was willing to try anything.

As I was shopping for reading lamps for Uncle - more later - I thought I might as well buy a new straightener at the same time but just to be sure asked Husband to check it, to make sure 'the fuse or something like that isn't working.'

He did so and reported that the straighteners was working fine. 
'How did you do that?' I exclaimed.
'I switched it on,' he said.

Turns out there's not only an On/Off switch but a temperature adjuster too. 

All these years and I never knew.

So, yes, Uncle and his new reading lamps.

He struggles to sleep at night but finds the bedroom light too dim to read by so off I set for B&Q with one thought in mind: to but a lamp and suitable bulbs.

I never want to go through that experience again. Do you know how many different kinds of bulbs there are? 

Back when I were a girl, it was simple. You had a choice it's true but only whether you wanted 40w, 60w or 100w etc and, of course, the bigger the number the brighter the light. Not any more. Today's energy saving bulbs - which I applaud wholeheartedly - are available in different wattages but each measurement is equivalent to a bigger wattage which in turn equals so many lumens, which don't necessarily relate proportionally to the wattage. And if you didn't understand what you just read imagine how I felt in B&Q.
I was the epitome of batty old woman wandering around talking to herself. (I know that's hard to believe ...)







3 comments:

nick said...

Energy saving bulbs are so confusing (not to mention the annoying delay before they reach full power), I generally get my bulbs from the local hardware shop, which makes a point of stocking the old-fashioned bulbs we all understand.

Liz Hinds said...

I think that is probably what Uncle would prefer. Ah well, maybe next time. Now wait, there's not going to be a next time!

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

The last time I went for a bulb I thought I'd better check which lumen/watt/whatever I needed so asked one of the young assistants ... who thought he'd check with one of his colleagues ... who thought he'd check ...
Nobody has a clue , really .