Gremlins & the Perversity of Life

I'm really p..... off. I can cope with one thing going wrong, but when you have a succession of problems to solve in a week or so it just gets very time consuming & frustrating.

• The installer of my new ensuite managed to fit the "self closing" WC seat wrongly! I've been waiting for him to come & rectify it. He's been paid & swore he would come a week ago, but I've got to chase him. No surprise there. Done - waited 11 working days. Then he told me that there wasn't anything wrong. I've looked at every loo seat since the ensuite was finished & all of them fit the WC basin flush all round the edge. Mine was set back couple of cm at the front tapering to less round the sides. The manufacturers photos showed it as I expected. Is it a man thing? Don't they like admitting they have made a mistake? Or do they think that clients are stupid?

• I discovered that the plumber who installed my new boiler hadn't given me a vital completion certificate. Texted to ask for it - No response. Re-sent the text - he said he would look in his records. Still haven't had it, so I've got to chase him too. Still haven't got it.

• Then I got a streaming, sneezing cold. I'd forgotten how miserable that can make you feel. Gone.

• My hearing aid and my watch both stopped working. The first involved a visit to the JR hospital & waiting for ages for someone to replace the plastic earpiece which took seconds to do. The second involved returning it to the online company I bought it from just 10 months ago. Response from the Watch Co. Apparently it was the battery, which should last longer than that. It seems that "new" watches have the battery fitted, so if a watch is on the shelf a while the battery life can be quite reduced. Why don't they put a battery in when it sells?

• My GP surgery have had a problem with nurses so I couldn't get my regular INR / Warfarin blood test for 3 weeks.That meant going to the JR hospital for it, because I have to have the test on a certain date. Still very booked up, but they managed to squeeze me in for the next one.

• I ordered a case of wine from M&S which was supposed to be delivered on Wednesday by 7pm. I stayed in all day. It didn't arrive till the next day. Fortunately I was in. Surprisingly no response to email sent to M&S.

• To cap it all my computer browser has gone haywire. My computer man came to install a new router on Tuesday which took him hours over 2 days! When he had gone I had all sorts of problems with Firefox. Still not sorted, despite the help of my previous computer guru who really does know his stuff. Computers can & do eat up the hours of your life when they are working. When they aren't it's much worse & you lose the will to live. Finally sorted remotely by my ex neighbour & computer guru Steve on Monday night. Now I need to find a local computer man who is similarly competent - it's not going to be easy. Apparently there are no qualifications these people have to have. Anyone can set up as a computer "expert"! Where is the consumer protection in that?

All in all I'm pretty fed up. I know, I know - none of this is major. I also know that sooner or later all of it will probably get sorted. It is just the perversity of life. But it's my life & there isn't enough of it left for me to want to waste it on this sort of stuff.