Bing-Bong!

Yesterday Don phoned our sparky just to update him on where we stand so he'd know why he hasn't heard from us lately. Don told him that we had a doorbell push for him to hook up to the wiring for the buzzer-bell that already rings at our back door. (We've had a few problems lately of people coming to the new front door and knocking while we've been in the other end of the house and haven't heard the knock.) He also told Gordon that we had finally found some lights that would run off the mains but that it was likely to be early next week before we had them in hand. I won't go into the details, but Gordon said the lights we had ordered would be a problem to install because they were on spikes rather than being the kind that could sit on a slab. Further, he said that the wire we would need to hook the doorbell push up to was buried in the now-decorated entryway wall. He'd have to cut a hold in the wall to find the wire in order to hook the bell push to it. (When he had put the wire in the wall, the decorating hadn't been done yet. If he did cut the hole in the wall, we'd then have to get the decorators back to patch the wall and repaint.)

After Don finished talking with Gordon, we first had fits and complained to one another bitterly about our latest problems getting the last items taken care of. Then we started thinking about what we could do about them, rather than what we couldn't. Don phoned Christopher Wray's store in Glasgow and cancelled the order for the lights we just found last weekend. Then he went to Strathearn Lighting in Crieff and threw himself on the mercy of their lighting specialist, Ken.

He reminded Ken about the problem with the remote control doorbell we'd bought from him in that the signal wouldn't go through metal. Ken suggested perhaps a battery-operated remote control receiver would work better than a plug-in type. He gave Don one to bring home to try and said he wouldn't charge us for it unless it worked and we decided to keep it. The great news is that when Don brought it home and we tried it, it works beautifully! So that problem is solved and we're back to the original intention to have two different rings for two different doors so we'll know which way to go when we hear on of them.

Next Don told Ken about all the problems we've had finding mains-run pathway lights that will work for Gordon's manner of installation. They found a model in Strathearn Lighting's catalog that Ken said he'd check with Gordon about but was pretty sure would be okay. We later got an okay from Gordon so Ken has now placed the order for 3 of those lights. We hope they come in sometime next week.

The other item that remains to be finished is the wardrobe/cupboard for my studio. Barclay, our joiner, is going to make the cupboard and fit it for us. He will later, when he gets the equipment he needs, come take the doors off it so he can make some trim to go on them so they'll match the existing wardrobe doors. He was to have sent Ally over here early this week to start work on the cupboard but so far, we haven't seen or heard from anybody about this. Don phoned Bill today who phoned Barclay and reminded him that someone was to have been here by now. Barclay now says he will be here tomorrow. Fingers crossed he will be.

Oh yes, the last time I used that phrase, "fingers crossed," was about Don's participation in the three-club tournament at the Comrie course yesterday. Well, he came home early and handed me a roll of candy which let me know he had won the Sweetie (come in last) for the 9 holes. He said his heart just wasn't in it and he decided not to go out for the second 9. So all of this aggro about the doorbell and the lights came on top of that! But he's already bounced back. He went to the driving range this afternoon and has a date to play with Gordon at St Fillans tomorrow morning.

Time for me to go cook dinner. Here's a photo of the Alstroemerias in our back garden. They are growing under a little plum tree and an even smaller cherry tree. In the background behind them are some globe thistles getting ready to bloom in another week or so. When I look out the window that's next to the computer, there are other Alstroemerias blooming. They look so bright a cheery.