Middle Class Woes

Tragedy has struck the Tin household. Our dishwasher is dead. It had a good run, bless it, having been bought from friends when they moved house 13 years ago. That's German engineering for you, I suppose. It had been on its last legs for the past six months or so, and had been declared dead twice before, only to have been magically resurrected by Mr Tin's fair hands. This time, however, it's definitely terminal. Of course, it decided to go out with a bang - quite literally - when we were entertaining aforementioned friends on Saturday night, blowing a fuse and temporarily taking all other kitchen appliances with it (including the oven, causing a momentary panic until we decided takeaway menus were thankfully not required).

As household appliances go, dishwashers definitely fall into that "nice to have, but not really essential" category, let's face it. Plenty of people manage without them all the time. Yet when you are used to having had one for such a long time, not having one feels like your right arm has been cut off. (Well, it doesn't really, because you just get your husband to do all the washing up as too much water aggravates your eczema.)

bish bash Bosch

Also traumatising me this week are cheap reed diffusers. As we all know, reed diffusers are the new scented candle. I was reminded of their middle class status since a recent visit to my local John Lewis store established that they seem to stock more of them than even - gasp! - cushions.

Anyway, I purchased some reed diffusers at a local discount retailer a while ago, which provided a delicate scent in my bathroom for many weeks. The thing with discount stores, however, is that you get whatever they have in stock at the time, and the replacement reed diffuser just doesn't quite cut the mustard, giving off a strangely synthetic smell along with the orange and neroli. Note to self; just as cheap scented candles are never worth it, it seems that applies to the general world of household fragrance.

Finally, a thought about lightbulbs; How is it possible to have so many spare lightbulbs, yet it is always a struggle to find one that fits when you need one?!