Wednesday 16 January 2013

It's the little things that count (infuriate).



Above is the almost brand new water meter which serves our recently acquired tobacco barn; it was installed less than a year ago.

Originally it had a green plastic, and well insulated, cover; the bits of white, honey-comb like, polystyrene are all that now remain.

So how (I hear you asking) did it get to be in such a terrible state? Well, when my arrogant, half-witted, Parisian, neighbour, built his delightful ORANGE WALL last June, he not only left unbelievable amounts a detritus behind, he also buggered-up my brand new water meter. One of his workmen managed not only to smash the top, but also twist the meter itself sideways (you can probably see that it no longer points upwards, as it should). 

Being of a quiet nature, I asked politely if he would replace the cover; and he agreed that he would.

But, as one might expect of a parvenu Cowboy Builder.... he has, of course, done NOTHING. 

It really is the little things that infuriate; I never imagined that it was too taxing for him to replace what he openly acknowledges that he broke. I'm beginning to understand why he's so universally mistrusted and disliked.

p.s. I can hear cries from all quarters of the globe saying 'Cro, why don't you grab him by the balls, squeeze them till his eyes pop out of their sockets, and threaten to torture his wife and children until the bloody thing is replaced'.

Well, the answer is simple; I'm English, and we just don't act like that. We take our time, drink tea, and prune the roses. In fact we allow miscreants to demonstrate their ineptitude by their normal daily behaviour.

One of these years I may simply ask 'Had any luck finding that meter cover yet?' But I ain't holdin' me breath.


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18 comments:

  1. There are always people like that around - he certainly made a mess of it all.

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  2. Is there no gunboat you could send in, diplomatically of course? Send the Missus up the Yangtse, guns blazin', that sort of thing?

    Infuriating - more so since, being English, thee and I would have guiltily stopped everything else we were doing until we'd repaired that!

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    Replies
    1. And probably have apologised for not having replaced it, before it was even broken!

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  3. I can feel myself sinking ever further into my annual bout of Winter depression. We woke this morning to 2 inches (and counting) of snow, Both my internet connection and my electrical supply have been on-n-off, and my son's flight (for a short weekend visit) looks like being cancelled.

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  4. You are quite correct, an English Gentleman would never resort to vulgar displays of emotion.

    Call Big Don Alviti and let the Italians handle it...

    I hope your son makes it over to cheer you up. My Number One son's holidays have finished so this morning I had the very sad task of packing him and his kit into a taxi to go back to school.

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  5. Cro, why don't you grab him by the balls, squeeze them till his eyes pop out of their sockets, and threaten to torture his wife and children until the bloody thing is replaced?

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  6. sorry!...we have 16 neighbours around the field....were surrounded by an estate....some are nice and some are downright horrible....we've put up with it for more than 30 years...but now if they do something annoying I say in a very loud voice to reach over their fence....well potter I'm thinking we should let that builder have the land for the 4 storey factory!!!

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    Replies
    1. We HAVE mentioned that a Hell's Angels Club have shown interest!

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  7. Hmmm I have been sitting here reading posts and having my tea before going out to prune my roses, care to join me?

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  8. some people...

    not that it would do any good, but you could replace it and send him the receipt.

    Sorry to hear your son's trip is cancelled...

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    Replies
    1. Not yet; but could be. We'll know tomorrow.

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  9. sorry to admit it but you gave me quite a laugh over what you "should" do to that terrible neighbor. Whenever I start growling when we go by our messy neighbor my husband says "now Linda,its his life.....Grin and bare it is sometimes all we can do... I loved Gerry Snapes idea!

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  10. Himself works for a borough that's responsible for its own water meters. If any of them are wilfully destroyed (and you could make a case that this is what happened to yours by Thoughtless Neighbour), the Borough replaces the meter and charges the miscreant with the bill. If the miscreant decides not to pay, they can take him to court, or put a lien on his property. Would this be something your burg would be willing to do?

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  11. In this subdivision, we "purchase" a water meter but ownership is retained by the water district. They have to be able to read the meter in order to charge us for water consumption. How often is your meter read? It might be wise to report the damages done by your neighbor before you're charged for said damages!

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    Replies
    1. I did, the last time a man came to read the meter.

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  12. Having a good neighbour can make such a difference to your life. What a shame for you.

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