I realise that this post may be frowned upon by many environmentally conscious readers.
I apologise profusely.
But this is a household that heavily relies on its electrical appliances.
And recently, Frank the Clothes Dryer went bung.
I know. First world problem.
The dilemma occurred right smack bang in the middle of one of Sydney’s wildest storms; when the freak weather was so insane, innocent traffic signs didn’t stand a whisker’s chance…
Now, most devices in this house have some level of dodgy factor but we always seem to somehow fix them with a little percussion therapy. (“Just bash it and see if it starts again…”)
But here’s the thing with Frank: He’s an integral cog in the cycle that keeps my 3 stinky males somewhat respectable and clean. (Yes, that’s right, I don’t smell…I’m perfect).
For the first couple of days without Frank, we managed to keep our heads above water.
But then, the volcanic mountain in the laundry sink was about to erupt…
While a forest of damp hanging clothes started to invade our dining room…
Drastic conditions call for emergency drop-offs into Ma&Pa laundry mats. Yet, it was the essential pick-ups that provided much drama.
Just as we were down to the last pair of pyjamas, Mr Surfer fought the flooded streets and untamed Sydney traffic to pick up our garbage bags of clean clothes, making it 5 minutes before closing time.
I was so excited when he arrived with the treasured goods, the moment had to be documented…
However, what’s interesting about outsourced laundry is how random apparel items mysteriously find their way to your home…
What’s most upsetting about this particular situation is that Mr Surfer actually thought the large granny knickers were mine. With little thought, he shoved them straight into my underwear drawer.
How rude.
And yet, he was dead certain the purple lacy number didn’t belong to me.
Just because I haven’t been a size 8 since I was, er…8, I can still do raunchy.
Hmpf.
It took 3 weeks for someone to come and have a look at Frank.
Why so long to fix a machine while still under warranty ?
Apparently, according to our retailer, the issue was at the customer service centre end because they had lost our email (twice)…blah, blah, blah. Of course.
By the time Mr Surfer made the upteenth chasing up phone call, I was – much to his disgust – yelling my frustrations in the background.
Not my finest five minutes.
By the time a technician was booked in, I was over it.
In fact, having been out of the house myself, I almost forgot.
“So, did he show up ?” I asked, expecting the worse.
“Oh yeah…” Mr Surfer was being suspiciously nonchalant.
“And ???”
“Well, it’s fine. Actually…it wasn’t even broken to begin with. We had just overloaded it…”
Oops.
What’s the one electrical appliance your household can’t survive without ?
Linking up with Jess and Team IBOT
Special thanks to my buddy @wanasworthit for letting me use the crazy traffic sign photo…
Tracey @ Bliss Amongst Chaos says
Ha ha! Love this!
Of course you can still do the raunchy Grace! I would have those those purple knickers were yours for sure!
I’m hearing you about the dryer though. I’ve never used my dryer very much, until this year. All of a sudden I have school uniforms that have to be worn everyday, and with it having been so wet, I’m relying on the dryer like I never have before! But I think the one appliance that I absolutely could not live without would be my dishwasher. I LOATHE doing dishes!!
🙂
Tracey @ Bliss Amongst Chaos recently posted..Wordless Wednesday : Autumn Joy
mamagrace71 says
Oh, dishes!!! I so hear you, Tracey! Our dishwasher is on its last legs and I keep praying to the dishwasher gods each time I switch it on. For now, they’re listening to me 🙂
kirri says
I need my water filter tank….which I have only had for a year and it has started making funny noises at night – if it breaks…I may cry.
As for those sexy granny undies….what do you do with someone else’s undies? Do you return them? Pick them up with a stick? These are the big questions 🙂
kirri recently posted..Rockin’ Mamma interview with Naomi Ellis
mamagrace71 says
A pair of very long sterilised tongs ?!! 🙂
Rhianna says
My washing machine is on the side of dodgy, something to do with the sensor. It is currently being maintained with the bash and pray theory. After pleading for as long as I can remember I finally gave into Mr Awesome’s wish for a dryer. It lasted till just past the warranty. So no more dryers here 🙂
Rhianna recently posted..The real reasons behind it all being quiet on the writing front
Penny says
Yep, I too could have sworn that purple number would have been yours, the granny undies not so much.
We have a dryer too, only because hubby already had one before we moved in together. I try not to use it as much as possible but when it’s been raining for a week and you’ve got a family of five… Well, you kind of need it. It’s when people use it because they are lazy and can’t be bothered putting out on the line on a perfectly sunny day that gets my goat. No problem here, you obviously needed it in that week.
mamagrace71 says
Glad you’re on my side on the purple undies, Penny-licious 🙂
Yup, here you on the dryer on sunny days thing. Just doesn’t make sense, does it ?
Julie says
I love the term “percussion therapy” – going to have to use that one. We don’t have a dryer and have survived almost 9 years of marriage without it, but in the recent stormy weather (actually, it has been raining for pretty much the past year here!), we were seriously considering.
Julie recently posted..Cute and smart
mamagrace71 says
Yeah, I don’t remember when I first heard “percussion therapy” – LOL!
9 years without a dryer !!! Well done! You guys deserve a medal. Seriously. I think that’s amazing! 🙂
Tat says
You are using a dryer!? Don’t even call me again! Just talking, we had to use it once or twice, too, during the wet weather but I hang my clothes on the balcony for a day before I dry them and then it doesn’t take very long. Lovely undies!
Tat recently posted..Guest post: Gift ideas for teachers
mamagrace71 says
Our clothes line gets no sun so on those cloudy days, I need to zap them in the dryer for a little bit too.
Those undies totally freaked me out! Both pairs !
MsMandie says
Oh no. Poor Frank went on overload strike! I went into meltdown when my washer carked it. I can’t live without the heater (I know, such first world probs too) at the moment. Mr. Mandie tells me to just put on another layer of clothing, but he just doesn’t understand my level of cold!!
MsMandie recently posted..Saturday Nights at Le Casa De Mandie
mamagrace71 says
Oh, don’t you hate that? Mr Surfer doesn’t understand my threshold of cold either. He expects me to get warm by just cuddling him. No thanks ! 😉
Amy @ MahliMoo says
Our washing machine died while still in warranty a few years back when I had two kids in cloth nappies. That was hell! And to make it worse, Hardly Normal refused to send us a replacement machine while our other one took 3 months to be fixed due to parts not being available. After me kicking up a stink about it they ended up replacing our machine completely.
I laughed out loud about the random knickers that showed up in your clean laundry! Did you notice anything missing from yours?
Amy @ MahliMoo recently posted..Finding my homes style
mamagrace71 says
OMG, Amy! Cloth nappies and no washing machine would be total hell!
Sounds like we use the same retailer. Love your little nickname for them…heh…
Lyndal says
bah ha ha percussion therapy!
im glad it is working again – we don’t have a clothesline so I’d be a bit… smelly if our dryer broke 🙂
mamagrace71 says
Oh, Lyndal! Remind me not to sit next to you next time I see you…juuuust kidding 🙂
It’s a shame we can’t have backup dryers, huh ?
Pink Ronnie says
Oh Grace, this had me laughing out loud. Thanks for making my Tuesday morning a little brighter!
Ronnie xo
Pink Ronnie recently posted..The perfect antidote
mamagrace71 says
LOL! You’re welcome, Ronnie. Here at your comical service x
Kim-Marie says
Love the percussion therapy! I tried it on our dishwasher. Still not working.
I have a dryer but haven’t used it for about 5 years. Went to use it the other day, when the rain was so bad I was looking for an ark out the window, and discovered it no longer works. It is wall mounted and makes a lovely safe laundry basket for my delicates. No chance of the boys throwing wet towels or stinky boy stuff on top of my silks and cashmere and stockings!
Our dishwasher no longer works and is out of warranty. We need to call a technician but don’t have a spare day off to wait at home for him to turn up. So we’ve been doing dishes by hand. We discovered our crap our dishwasher is. Things are so much cleaner now. Tea stained cups are now sparkling again. All it takes is a squirt of Fairy and some hot water handwashing. Who knew?!
Kim-Marie recently posted..The curse of the cardboard box
mamagrace71 says
LOL! Kim-Marie, this cracked me up! Looks like you’re in a household full of dodgy appliances too.
And “squirt of Fairy and some hot water hand washing” ? Priceless! 😀
Catherine Rodie Blagg @CoTaaB says
Tee hee. Make me giggle. love the photo of the knickers!
‘The poor overloaded tumble dryer” – think you’ve got a story there Grace!
X
Catherine Rodie Blagg @CoTaaB recently posted..The poor neglected handbag (short tale tuesday)
mamagrace71 says
I was actually thinking of making it into a post for Short Tale Tuesday! I’ll save it for my next dodgy appliance 😉 Or pair of random knickers 😀
Jess says
Oh this was hilarious! Lucky you hadn’t picked up the laundry cause you might have wondered where Mr Surfer obtained the lacy purple gee. If he was just harbouring the granny knickers, I wouldn’t have worried too much 😉
Jess recently posted..Peace, Love and Shopping
mamagrace71 says
LOL!!! I had never thought of it that way, Jess!
And you know a woman left with her random thoughts can make things rather scary 😉
Ai Sakura says
that storm looks crazy!! I think something I can’t live without is my washing machine. As you know we don’t really need a dryer here but no way am I going to be able to wash all the clothes we have by hand! Lol at the granny knickers! The nerve of Mr Surfer 😛
Ai Sakura recently posted..Bub & Me: Father’s Day Card 2012
mamagrace71 says
Yup! You guys so totes don’t need a dryer!
I know…me and granny knickers ??! What the heck was he thinking ??!!! 😀
carmen says
Bwahahaha! Is it here that I admit we have 2 dryers in our household? And I’m pretty sure we’re unlikely to get rid of one any time soon… that said, wet washing from 7 kids and 2 adults spreads a looooooong way around the house.
And fancy the purple underwear not being yours? 😉 LOL!
xxx
carmen recently posted..Dear Google…
mamagrace71 says
I know, right ? Purple is totally my colour!!! 🙂
Oh, my…7 kids ? You either need 2 dryers or one major kick butt industrial one.
Bridget says
I think the purple ones are made for a cabbage patch kid.
Bridget recently posted..No Kids Allowed
mamagrace71 says
LOL! Either that or some stupid Barbie doll 😀
ava says
Hahahaha! I’m embarrassed to say that I am so the grey granny knickers type.. Hahaha! We don’t have dryers but we still have situations like these during wet/rainy season which is about this month until December! Funny post Grace-ie!
ava recently posted..Weekend Bedroom Spins
mamagrace71 says
My undies…admittedly are kinda granny-ish (ahem) but those grey ones were MASSIVE!
Hope you stay dry, Ava! 🙂 xxx
Me N my Monkeys says
Lol Males!! 😀
Glad its ok.
I would find it a nightmare to live without my Washing machine, with my Dishwasher coming in a very close 2nd. 😉
Me N my Monkeys recently posted..Got a Love for books! and giveaways!
mamagrace71 says
Yeah, I think my list is similar to yours!
Only because I need to keep those stinky boys clean!!! 🙂
salz says
can’t survive without my dishwasher and my dishwashing kids. washing machine is a very big one too i don’t want to lose.
salz recently posted..Recognition of the Bogan
mamagrace71 says
Yup, those 2 would be top of my list too, Salz 🙂
BossyMummy says
I live the knicker thing – ha ha ha! I would love a dryer – definitely on my wish list. At the moment, I just pile my wet washing up on a clothes horse – funnily enough,
mamagrace71 says
Ah, the good ol’ reliable clothes horse! At least you know that’ll never break down 🙂
Jane @ northernmum says
as a fellow twin mother I would die (slighty dramatic) without my washer!
I feel your pain…
Jane @ northernmum recently posted..You know you are a mum when….
mamagrace71 says
Oh, hi! Always nice to meet another twin mum! I’m sure we’ll have plenty of notes to compare 😉
Kristyn says
Mama grace you raunchy little thing!!!
And omg strange granny undies, that is just, omg!
I’m currently dying a slow death without a dishwasher. I know it’s first world issue but still…
Kristyn recently posted..Wordless Wednesday: For Trish
Nami says
Whoa, for a minute there, I thought you were going to say a purple thong got caught up in the belts! Overloaded, my butt. I think the dryer was drinking.
Nami recently posted..My Preciousssss
mamagrace71 says
LOL! Yeah, stupid, drunk dryer!
Can you imagine if those purple thingies got stuck ??! Especially as they don’t belong to anyone in this house !!?
Cathy says
Lol I love my dryer too – we got a gas one for this house!! Lol at the stray knickers! Can relate to the broken/not broken situation…did same with our freezer. Lost an enormous amount of food including seafood…and think it was due to door not being closed properly 🙁
Cathy recently posted..Top 10 Annoying Behaviours in the Family Car
mamagrace71 says
Oh, that’s a total bummer!!! It’s amazing how a faulty electrical appliance can create the biggest drama in a household!
Gas dryer? Sounds like a great (and economical) idea!
Mum of Adult Kids says
Oops! That’s funny. (sorry) I have a clothes dryer but we only use it when it’s desperate. Which for my son is every fortnight when he realises he’s run out of clean underwear! It is mostly used for boxers and socks.
I think the two I couldn’t do without are the washing machine and the coffee machine. Not necessarily in that order!
Mum of Adult Kids recently posted..The. Shortest. Day
mamagrace71 says
Oooooh, coffee machine! I wanted one so badly! But then I gave up coffee. Still trying to convince Mr Surfer we need one for my chai lattes 😉
Rachel @ The Kids Are All Right says
Love my clothes dryer, love my dishwasher. And I think of myself as rather green too! Must say my washing machine has a hell spin on it so things are almost dry when they’re done there. And my dryer has a great ‘light dry’ setting – so this is how I sleep at night!
And now we’ve all learnt a lesson about overloading the dryer. You’ve done your community service for the month Grace.
Rachel @ The Kids Are All Right recently posted..‘You’re grounded’ and other futile punishments
Kirrily says
Wait…. waaaait a second. Your husband puts your washing away? You mean… in drawers? YOUR washing????
That would be considered a miracle in this house. Even after 19 years of requesting and hinting and screaming and crying (I’ve tried it all), it is yet to pass into the skull of my otherwise highly intelligent male.
I’m so distracted I don’t know what else to say!
Kirrily recently posted..Ancestors: Sometimes the healing is in the not knowing
Parental Parody says
Anyone who wants to look down on you for having a dryer can try clothing twin toddler boys in the middle of winter.
Of twin toddlers where the girl is at least half-boy. So it still counts.
I don’t have a dryer, but you better believe that if I could find an ounce of space to fit one in – I would have it tomorrow.
I loathe winter purely for the fact that I have no undercover clothes hanging areas, and therefore we must spend our nights dodging racks of drying clothes.
And don’t even get me started on appliances you can’t live without. RIP NESPRESSO. I am quite literally lost, dazed and confused without you…
Parental Parody recently posted..FFS?! Friday: Toys – mine and theirs
Leanne says
This post cracked me up, Grace! I thought when you referred to the Ma & Pa Laundry Mat that you meant the laundry at your Mum & Dad’s place… or is it just me who ‘outsources’ laundry to their parent’s place in times of need? 😉
Leanne recently posted..5 Reasons Mummies Go Back To Work
Kylie @ Octavia and Vicky says
I will admit that we use our clothes dryer occassionally. I try and use the clothes horse, but there’s only so much that will fit. I will also admit that in my undies drawer you will find a sample of each of those types, but neither that I wear anymore. The granny knickers are left over from my c-section recover, and the lacy gs are left over from… well… before my c-section days! 🙂
Kylie @ Octavia and Vicky recently posted..Soup for the soul
Colleen says
Those purple knickers are very cute. I wonder if someone in Sydney is wondering where their plain granny pants went?
Colleen recently posted..I Ate an Apple
Jayne says
I would definitely miss my dishwasher and washing machine. I’ve become a bit of a princess when it comes to hand-washing things. Don’t wanna. Can’t make me.
So which of your undesirables ended up in someone else’s laundry bag, eh? And are they featured on a blog somewhere I wonder 😉
Jayne recently posted..the beginning in the end
Mum's the Word says
bahahahaha rude~ you would rock that purple floss! 😛 those are some seriously grundy granny undies!
Mum’s the Word recently posted..A great family day at Brave.