Monday 15 April 2013

Sticky wicket

I decided to get some additional syrups and stuff for my cocktail making.  My friend Y is coming over on Friday, and we're going to spend the afternoon making cocktails,  so I placed online orders on Friday.

One of the orders was for some additional Monin syrups.  I already have plain syrup and vanilla syrup, but I wanted to get a few more.  The company I was ordering from was doing a special offer if I bought 6, and it wasn't too difficult to find 6.   I'm not really sure about Monin syrups, but they aren't that expensive, and I', sure the kids will like them on ice creams etc.

Delivery was superfast, arrived today. I signed for it, then picked the box up from the step and turned to go in the house.

I was three steps into the hall when I realised that the bottom of the box was very, very wet, and very, very sticky.  I shouted for the driver not to drive off, and told him that my package was damaged.  Actually the box wasn't damaged at all, but we could all see the dark stain on the bottom and the liquid oozing out.   In the end, we agreed that we would write "damaged" on his electronic delivery thing.

I left the box outside while I attempted to clean the syrup off the hall floor.  Then I got some newspaper, put it under the box, and carried it into the house to the kitchen sink.  By this time, syrup was leaking out all along one side of the box.  I slit open the tape, and found another stout box inside. This was really well packaged, so i was surprised that there was damagage.  I slit that open, and started to remove the bottles one by one.  I rinsed them under the tap as I did so, getting syrup all over the sink in the process.

Bottle number 4, Butterscotch, was shattered. By this time, the syrup was everywhere.   I got a bin liner, and put the entire box-within-a-box in the bin liner.  I picked up the newspaper and stuffed that in, and I took the whole lot out to the dustbin.

Despite my precautions, I had managed to get more syrup all over the floor, all the way from the front door to the kitchen sink.  I mopped again. I cleaned the sink. I realised that I had syrup on my sleeves.   I took my jumper off and put it on the floor of the utility room (next to the washing machine, not just for the hell of it).  I sat down to phone the company and, while I was on the phone, I realised that I had syrup on my jeans.

Who knew that the stuff could be so pervasive?

The house smells of sickly butterscotch mixed with vinegar (I used vinegar solution to mop up with).

Thank goodness it isn't hot, or I'd be besieged by ants and flies.

Roll on Friday.
 

Followers