The Ups and Downs of 2015

Yes, already! The downs ... I sincerely hope that 2015 is not going to continue as it has started in terms of practical hiccups. So far senior daughter has had her windscreen wipers broken by the wind while driving down the M1. Thanks to the RAC's wizardry with a piece of string she managed to get home but is still trying to get it fixed as it broke the fixing mechanism (?) and needs a part. At home the list of minor catastrophes reads as followss:

* The off button for the shower has become very erratic. Sometimes it works, sometimes one has to run round from the shower to the airing cupboard and switch it off at the plug socket. If the last person to use the shower forgets to switch the plug back on again the next showerer finds it doesn't work at all!

* The electric socket circuit fuse blew. Fortunately nothing major, but required an expedition into the dark and cold garage to flip the switch on the fuse box. (How glad I am that we no longer have those old fashioned fuses which meant changing fuse wire!)

* The shower room door became unhinged and my lovely but non-technical husband (M) got stuck holding it up and had to be rescued.

* The internet broke. Really broke. There is something wrong with the line and we are now waiting for TalkTalk's engineers to get in touch to arrange to fix it. Oh joy! Fortunately with a combination of hotspots, helpful neighbours, and all-you-can-eat mobile phone data plans we are surviving without too much trauma. I have a horrible feeling this one could be a long-running saga. 

Fortunately there have also been ups! Relaxing down time with most of the family off work most of the time. As M put it on Facebook New Year's Day was a day of "seriously planned and well executed intense inactivity". We don't have many completely chilled, lazy days like that, and there has been a fair bit more lazing since. Then on Saturday I enjoyed an evening out with senior daughter, with dinner at Wagamama's (a UK noodle bar chain) followed by the final Hobbit film. I have enjoyed the Hobbit movies for what they are - very different in style (and at times in plot) from the book, but great cinematic action and drama.