Kia ora Koutou, after I wrote the Busk below we had the news of Level 4 Lockdown. Had dental appts which I’ve just cancelled, will set them up again after Lockdown. Stay safe everyone. Wear masks when you go out, stay in your bubble.
I had an annoying confrontation with my fire alarm this week. A few years ago when it started cheeping one night I thought it was a bird in the roof, maybe a young bird, calling for its mother. It was irritating but I felt sorry for it so I put up with no sleep. Next day I told a neighbour and he listened and said, ‘Its your fire alarm, it needs a new battery.’
Now I am five foot one inch or whatever that is in metrics. Some years ago when the nurse measured my height and translated it from metre–speak, I pulled a face and said, ‘I used to be five foot, three.’
She said, cheerily, ‘I can go to five foot one and a half, if you like.’
So it doesn’t take an Einstein to see that if a fire alarm is up near the ceiling it is unlikely someone five foot one can reach it without a ladder or a chair. Hmn. It was around 9pm, no way could I ring a friend to come out on this cold winters night to take my fire alarm down. Nor can I expect any sleep if its left in.
So I got a chair, and then the little footstool with its tapestry top, my one and only foray into that art, now very worn, and pulled it in front of the chair. Then I looked at the piano stool. Took the chair away and put the piano stool in its place. I stepped onto the footstool, then – a giant stretch – up onto the piano stool, and I was there. The alarm was still happily cheeping. What does it care? I felt like thumping it with a hammer but decided that while it might relieve my irritation it would not score a ten on the scale of helpful things to do.
I reached up and gave it a tug. Didn’t work. I glared at it, gave another tug and it parted company with the wall and I nearly did the same with the piano stool. It was enoiugh of a fright to make me know I would not do it again. I can see why old people do these things though. When an irrestible force meets an immovable object eg when its a dark and stormy night and a cheeping noise goes on and on, something, anything, has to be done if sleep is going to be achieved.
So I cerefully, very carefully, backed a foot down from the piano stool. It felt a long way down but had to be done. I might not be able to stand the cheeping all night but I equslly could not stand balancing one foot on a stool and one in the air all night either. So after waggling my foot around I finally found the footstool and I was down.
Next day I texted a friend who came in after work, swapped the old for the new and lo – it was done – and no more cheeping.
There has to be a better way.
Take care, wear a mask when you go out, stay safe.
Renée
