New sink with draining board and new tap...
...but sink is not in the middle of the cabinet.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Old sink, new sink
Old sink, with no draining board and manky old tap.
New sink with draining board and new tap...
New sink with draining board and new tap...
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Washing-up bowls
If you're lucky you can find a red one and occasionally, if you know where to look, you'll find a round enamel one. However, if you go into your local store to buy a dishpan, this is what you will find. Not very inspiring, is it.
DH dislikes washing-up bowls so from Day One of our marriage I have managed without one - which isn't hard when you have a dishwasher, but can be inconvenient at times. Such as now. Now I have a Corian sink that can't take boiling water directly into it and it's been recommended that I pour such boiling water into a pan in the sink to cool before pouring down the sink. Inconvenient? I should say so, but I can adapt to this new situation with the purchase of a simple, but attractive washing-up bowl. So having been to two or three local stores and found that white one, I thought I'd look online. Guess what? More white rectangles. So, on a whim, I looked for washing-up bowls. I found these.
They are mostly found on British web sites but I found this set on likecool.com, an American site. But they are designer bowls. They can be unfolded, squashed, will change shape and withstand boiling water but they cost $50 each. I like the colours but $50 for a washing-up bowl is a bit extravagant. So I looked for some more.... Well, this is nice. From DrinkStuff.com it's rubber and stainless steel, and £44.99. (That's $68.73 at today's exchange rate!) It's not getting any better is it. Back to Google.
Ahh! Good old IKEA. For $14.99 (£8.99 on IKEA UK)) this handsome BOHOLMEN 'rinsing tub' (US) washing up bowl (UK) can be purchased. Not sure I really want black but it's a bit better-looking than the white rectangle. I think.Monday, May 3, 2010
Fire and water
All this talk of kitchen counters and sink installations has led me to a problem I didn't anticipate (besides the off-centre sink). Apparently, Corian isn't as resistant to heat as I had thought it was. I presumed that Corian and Formica (laminate) were equally heat resistant. For years now, I've taken pots and pans straight off the flame or out of the oven and put them on the counter or in the sink when space and trivets aren't available. It's not that I do it all the time, by any means, but it must be said that I have done it. Now I'm told that I can't do that at all with Corian because it will burn or melt. Not only that, but for the first time in my life I don't have a stainless steel sink so I can't put hot/burning/smoking red hot pans in the sink either! I can't even pour boiling water directly into the sink because there is a risk that it might crack!
This brings me to two unexpected problems. Firstly, I need a heavy-duty trivet (with rubber feet) that is big enough to hold at least two saucepans or one large casserole. Secondly I need a washing-up bowl. Hmm....
This brings me to two unexpected problems. Firstly, I need a heavy-duty trivet (with rubber feet) that is big enough to hold at least two saucepans or one large casserole. Secondly I need a washing-up bowl. Hmm....
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Diminished disgruntlement
Having had a beautiful new Corian counter and sink installed in my kitchen two days ago, then realising the sink was off-centre, I decided that for once I wasn't going to let it go. As my friend pointed out, it's a once-in-a-lifetime purchase, it was custom-made and there is no reason to settle for second-best. So I called the store to explain the problem and they promised to call me the next day
Well, it looks as though Customer Service is going to come through for me. The store manager called me as promised, yesterday afternoon and said I should expect a phone call from the manufacturers / installers. That phone call came half an hour later. The representative said that a difference of two inches is unacceptable and that they would put things right for us. I have asked for them to send someone to look at the problem, and to explain how it can be resolved before they cart off our counter, and I should hear something on Monday.
The interesting thing is that since it is a solid surface counter, I'm told they can cut it and make seamless alterations. Imagine if this had been granite? The upside is that they are willing to put it right and the downside is that they will have to take it away so we will be without a counter or a sink for a couple of days sometime soon.
Further details as they develop....
Well, it looks as though Customer Service is going to come through for me. The store manager called me as promised, yesterday afternoon and said I should expect a phone call from the manufacturers / installers. That phone call came half an hour later. The representative said that a difference of two inches is unacceptable and that they would put things right for us. I have asked for them to send someone to look at the problem, and to explain how it can be resolved before they cart off our counter, and I should hear something on Monday.
The interesting thing is that since it is a solid surface counter, I'm told they can cut it and make seamless alterations. Imagine if this had been granite? The upside is that they are willing to put it right and the downside is that they will have to take it away so we will be without a counter or a sink for a couple of days sometime soon.
Further details as they develop....
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Disgruntlement
Is that a word? Probably not, but that's the state in which I find myself just now. Yesterday I was happy that finally my new Corian kitchen counter was installed with its matching integrated sink. The plumber came and installed the new faucet, but because DH was going to reinstall the old garbage disposal unit, he left him to finish up the drain connection.
Anyway, DH came home to finish the job and he found that the drain leaks because the pipes don't quite match up. Then he pointed out that the new sink is not positioned in the same place as the old one. In fact it is not even in the centre of the cabinet; it's at least two inches to the left. This is problem for a lover of symmetry, and a bigger problem for the plumbing.
Meanwhile I have called the store responsible, and await a call back from someone who can do something about my complaint. I have learned to live with imperfection and disappointment over the years, and I love the look of the new counter, but to find that what should have been a simple replacement of like with like has gone wrong, is very frustrating.
More on this when there is more to tell.
Anyway, DH came home to finish the job and he found that the drain leaks because the pipes don't quite match up. Then he pointed out that the new sink is not positioned in the same place as the old one. In fact it is not even in the centre of the cabinet; it's at least two inches to the left. This is problem for a lover of symmetry, and a bigger problem for the plumbing.
Meanwhile I have called the store responsible, and await a call back from someone who can do something about my complaint. I have learned to live with imperfection and disappointment over the years, and I love the look of the new counter, but to find that what should have been a simple replacement of like with like has gone wrong, is very frustrating.
More on this when there is more to tell.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Blogdentity crisis
So it has indeed been quite a long time since I posted here. I have been having a a bit of trouble figuring out what kind of blogger I would like to be. I confess that I like the idea of writing something that is interesting enough that people other than my friends and family would like to read it. This blog, thus far, has been a venting and sharing place for me and while I haven't exactly written about everything that has happened in my little world, I have used this blog to say what is on my mind.
Apart from this, I have had two other secret blogs in which I have been experimenting with subject-specific writings. I haven't shared them with anyone I know because I wanted to see if they would generate any interest from strangers, although so far no-one has even looked at them, as far as I know. I think I was trying to write about what I like to read, and I didn't really have anything new to say. In one blog I attempted to write about my experiences as an expat, but you know... it's all been said somewhere before, and probably more succinctly and descriptively than anything I would write. In another blog, at a time I was despairing of my teenage child, I started to write down all those life lessons which I would love to teach my children, but which they have no time to listen to. I attempted to show the differences between my British upbringing many years ago, and my children's American lives today but really.... even I got bored with that! Those blogs are still online - will you be able to find them, I wonder?
The truth is, that I don't like to write about what I like to do - because I prefer to be doing it instead. I do like to write what's on my mind, but often the only time I have the opportunity to write about what is on my mind is when I have nothing better to do! How can that be interesting? So, I've Twittered, Facebooked, Bloggered and Wordpressed and now I've discovered something new and I think... yes, and I hope that I have finally found something that will work for me. It is Tumblr.
I came across Tumblr quite by chance some time ago and although I'm still learning to navigate it, I like very much that I can connect to Twitter and Facebook, and that it is set up in such a way that I can send little snippets of this and that through the air to land wherever they may. I can do full blog posts, send a link or a photo or a chat and it will channel out to all those other places at a single click. Yes. I think Tumblr will suit me well - and if you are reading this, there is a good chance that you found it through my Twitter or Facebook Tumblr-generated link.
Apart from this, I have had two other secret blogs in which I have been experimenting with subject-specific writings. I haven't shared them with anyone I know because I wanted to see if they would generate any interest from strangers, although so far no-one has even looked at them, as far as I know. I think I was trying to write about what I like to read, and I didn't really have anything new to say. In one blog I attempted to write about my experiences as an expat, but you know... it's all been said somewhere before, and probably more succinctly and descriptively than anything I would write. In another blog, at a time I was despairing of my teenage child, I started to write down all those life lessons which I would love to teach my children, but which they have no time to listen to. I attempted to show the differences between my British upbringing many years ago, and my children's American lives today but really.... even I got bored with that! Those blogs are still online - will you be able to find them, I wonder?
The truth is, that I don't like to write about what I like to do - because I prefer to be doing it instead. I do like to write what's on my mind, but often the only time I have the opportunity to write about what is on my mind is when I have nothing better to do! How can that be interesting? So, I've Twittered, Facebooked, Bloggered and Wordpressed and now I've discovered something new and I think... yes, and I hope that I have finally found something that will work for me. It is Tumblr.
I came across Tumblr quite by chance some time ago and although I'm still learning to navigate it, I like very much that I can connect to Twitter and Facebook, and that it is set up in such a way that I can send little snippets of this and that through the air to land wherever they may. I can do full blog posts, send a link or a photo or a chat and it will channel out to all those other places at a single click. Yes. I think Tumblr will suit me well - and if you are reading this, there is a good chance that you found it through my Twitter or Facebook Tumblr-generated link.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
What to do, what to do, what to do...
I hate being on the horns of a dilemma. I seem to be debating between Options A and B in several matters these days and it gets harder to be decisive because so many other elemets come into play.
So.... Colorado. Do we all go? Does DH go and the rest of us stay? Does DH go with one child?
My job. Do I keep it and spare church and pastor the hassle of finding a replacement who doesn't know anything? Or do I give it up and allow myself more time for home, family and my own interests?
How should I prepare myself for the prospect of spending a year holding down the fort with DH almost 2000 miles away? Should I look forward to a year of being in control of the remote, being able to put things where I want them and making some quiet little changes to the decor without seeking approval? Or should I figure out how on earth I'm going to survive as a parent the first month without him?
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear....
So.... Colorado. Do we all go? Does DH go and the rest of us stay? Does DH go with one child?
My job. Do I keep it and spare church and pastor the hassle of finding a replacement who doesn't know anything? Or do I give it up and allow myself more time for home, family and my own interests?
How should I prepare myself for the prospect of spending a year holding down the fort with DH almost 2000 miles away? Should I look forward to a year of being in control of the remote, being able to put things where I want them and making some quiet little changes to the decor without seeking approval? Or should I figure out how on earth I'm going to survive as a parent the first month without him?
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear....
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