We live in a throw-away society, for sure. Why then, when one household appliance decides it's had enough, do others quickly follow suit?
In the last month, our radio alarm clock suddenly started gaining about quarter of an hour each time we looked at it! When I turned it over, it felt warm and looked slightly brown, so we decided it may be a fire risk and we'd better throw it out. We had to have another. Trying to sleep at night without the sound of the radio is difficult when I suffer from tinnitus and insomnia - not a good combination. Fortunately we found a very suitable replacement close to home.
Just over a week ago, I went to the fridge/freezer to take out some ice-cream for our desserts. It was ominously soft, and obviously defrosting. We were lucky in that our very kind neighbours were able to take some of our food in their freezer as a temporary measure. The next day we went to buy a new one, and were able to arrange a quick delivery. Years ago we would have tried to have the item repaired, but nobody wants to know these days, and it would be too expensive.
That was not the end of the disaster though. As I pulled out the old fridge/freezer, I found it much heavier than I'd remembered. It must have been caught on something, as when it finally emerged with much puffing and sweating on my part, there was a tear in the flooring, which had only been replaced last year. I've tried to do some invisible mending on it, and probably others wouldn't notice it, but I know it's there. It will have to stay though for the moment.
What will be next I wonder? I suspect it could be the telephone, as sometimes it's hard to hear people, and I can't always blame my ears. It may of course be the toaster, which has travelled far and wide over the years, so has done good service. Whichever item it is, I hope it will not be for some time yet.
