Bosch vs Miele

We've just set goodbye to our second Miele dishwasher, and have bought a Bosch instead.

Our first Miele dishwasher was a top of the range one,  and was a problem throughout its guarantee period and beyond.  Time after time we had to get an engineer out.  Thank god for their "Diamond Care" or whatever it was called.

We quite liked its features, everyone knows Miele is a fantastic brand, so we assumed we'd just been unlucly and had a Friday Lemon. We decided to buy Miele again when we;'d had enough of paying for repairs for the first one.   Another top of the range one, even more features. Loved the interior light,  seemed to work well.

It first packed up just after the 2 year warranty expired.  Miele were very good, and sent an engineer anyway.    He fixed it, and it worked for a year.  Then it packed up again.  The "Diamond Service" was no longer sold. Now, you could either pay per hour plus parts, or spend a reasonable sum but it would cover the problem with no extra costs.  We did that.

Eighteen months later - well outside the time limit warranty on the previous fix - it went wrong again.  We paid the now increased even more   "all in" price, and the engineer ended up replacing half the machine.

And now, 20 months later, it's gone again.  The "all in" price was now an eye watering £300.  

The machine was now 7 years old.  It had cost a fortune to buy,  and we'd already paid twice to have it repaired and this would be the fourth repair in that time.    We decided it was time to cut our losses and  to look at getting another dishwasher.  

 We looked at Miele again, to get a benchmark and to see what had changed in 7 years.   Our requirements were short (and I know they are going to sound stupid).   We both agreed that the interior light feature , initially a nice to have,  was surprisingly useful, so we listed that as a "must have".  It also "must have" a delicate programme, and it must be possible to set it to start at a sopecific time (to make use of cheap electricity periods).

n the end, it came down to Miele or Bosch,

Availability of models from lot sof manufacturers  is really rubbish at the moment, and I ended up with 2 models  on my list, one from Bosch and one from Miele.  I couldn't find a showroom anywhere near me which had either of them in.  We didn't really need to see the Miele, we've enough experience of them to know enough.  But I really did want to see the Bosch.   

We found a lower model (seriesd 6) Bosch in a local Curry's, so we had a look at that.   It wasn't great (after owning a Miele).  Even the 5 year warranty (vs Miele's meagre 2 years) wasn't enough.  I was disappointed, as I had really wanted to love the Bosch.

We watched a selection of YouTube videos for the Bosch series 8, trying to piece together what we had seen of the series 6, and what the videos showed us.   In the end, we decided we'd go with the Bosch.  It was 2/3rds of the price of the Miele,  and we didn't think that Miele deserved a third chance really.

The new dishwasher arrived today.

Some of the features (like the folding down of bits of the basket) are definitely clunky compared to the Miele,  but (a)  the adjustments are even more versatile than what we had before. and (b) the machine was 2/3rds of the price.      The grey baskets are a bit grim and utilitarian looking,  but we dno't have them on display so it doesn't matter.

I'd forgotten that most dishwashers salt is inside and the basket has to come out to access it (the Miele has salt in the door).  But it was easy to reach, and the salt funnel is fine. 

The basket layout is completely the other way round, so it'll take us a couple of goes to find the "normal" places for our various items.   The basket adjustments are good though.  It'll just take a bit of getting used to.

It's doing its first wash now.

So far, I'm very happy with it.

And around we go

I felt so much better when my house was finally (mostly) free of my parents bits and pieces.  Everything was in the Summerhouse, and fairly tidy.

I set off, with my brother, for our next weekend of clearing, and as part of that we took the last of the china to a cafe near my Mum's house.  They had been lovely with my Mum when we visited, and they had been so helpful one day when we had a problem.  We gave them the china, and the were very happy,.

Our plan for the weekend was to start clearing the cellar, particularly of the out of date products.   They used to be good at stock rotation,  but when things started to go wrong - my dad losing his sight, for example,  it became a small problem.  As things deteriorated, it all got a bit out of hand.

I'm tempted to write about Those Cans Of Food,  but I won't.

The fridge-that-wasn't incident from a few months ago was a good training run for what we encountered. 

Anyway,  I'd had enough of the cellar for one weekend, so  I was up in the attic, bringing clothes down to go to the Salvation Army banks and to the local charity shops).  My brother called for me to come and look at what he had found.

More Colclough china.

Different patterns to the five patterns I'd already sold.

We brought the pieces out and sorted them out into sets.

I messaged my husband, who just laughed.  

We did our Salvation Army bank runs,  and a run to a Charity shop.  And some other runs as well. We've completed 32 full loads now, so we just under 11 skips so far (3 loads to a skip).

We still have no water, but we were prepared this time.

I ended up bringing home 3 full crates, plus another box of jigsaws,  plus  a small crate of Mums stuff.  I hadn't bargained on brining anything back this time.

The journey home was troublesome, the alternator stopped working.  DB used to test engines for a living,  so he tried all the tricks.      We got home in the end, very tired.    DH came to pick me up from DB's, and told me to leave the stuff in the car until the morning.  Normally I would have disgareed, but I was very tired and desperate for a shower.  I had a shower and went to bed.

When I got up the next morning, DH had got the china out of the car and had put it in the dishwasher (on a gentle cycle, with a gentle tablet). He'd also got out the other crates and stacked them.

And so yesterday and today has mainly been about the crate contents. 

The good news is that the property is now on the market and we have our first viewing on Wednesday.

I feel like I'm holding my breath.

 

Order! Order!

My house is a mess.

I haven't done any proper housework (apart from washing,  batch cooking, and swish & swiping) since Easter.   All my time is spent either away (visiting my Mum,   or at her old smallholding trying to clear the rubbish),   or at home dealing with Mum related things.

The mess, compounded by crates of my mothers things,  stacks of my mothers documents and photos,  piled up everywhere has been really getting me down.

DH went away to visit his brother in law, and I decided that I was going to spend the weekend trying to get sorted out.

It's been tough.

Yesterday, I cleared the living room and dining room.   Most furniture was moved, the floor was washed multiple times.    Crates were emptied and re-sorted.  Stuff was moved.  

The stuff that I'm taking back to Mums (like the towels, which I had to bring home to wash as we have no water there at the moment), is in a stack in the summerhouse.  A box of china, which is being donated to a cafe local to where she used to live, is there too.    The rest of the china has been passed on to my brother to go to a local chap who is going to be doing afternoon teas for senior citizens.

The stuff that is being sold (both my Mum's and mine too now) is now organised on a large table in the summer house.  The packing boxes and packing materials are - mostly - all out there as well, mostly stored underneath the table. 

 The charity shop stuff continues to be stored in the boot of my car, and I really really need to empty it.   I did try on Thursday, but I couldn't park near my chosen charity shop and I gave up.

The living room looks OK.  It's still got some crates in,   but most of those will be gone (to the summerhouse) tonight.  The remaining 2 crates need to continue to live in the house for now.

Today's focus was the kitchen, and it's taken me 6 hours so far.    It's a grade 2 clean.  Everything off the worktops, the worktops are scrubbed, the stuff is cleaned, everything put back.    Things like the cutlery drawer are emptied and cleaned.  The hob plates and cooker hood filters are dishwashered.     It's not a cupboard-emptying clean, I don't have the stamina for that.

I'm only about half way round.  

There was so much stuff (mainly my Mums) under the table.   It's been dealt with now, each box as I pull it out. 

The windows are clean. The windowsill is sparkling.  The sinks are shiny.    The floor has been vacuumed (by Raymondo) and washed (by me) multiple times.

I'd planned to do our bedroom today as well, but I can't see me keeping this up.

I just need to get it finished.

I'm going to feel so much lighter when I can walk in to a clean, fresh, tidy home.

I just need to find one to visit.

Ups and Downs

A couple of packs of photos on, and I'm now feeling rather miserable.

One pack of photos was of my Mum, lying on our sofa. There were lots of photos, and my Mum is wearing different clothes   so they weren't taken at the same time.

We had a typical of the time living room: A three seater settee, and two armchairs. There were 5 of us.

The photos brought back some very unhappy memories.  My Mum used to come home from work, and then she'd lie on the sofa across 3 seats, and that was it.  Mum didnt care what it meant to the rest of us, she had no interest in us ir engaging with us,  she was entirely  consumed by her own unhappiness. 

  I realise now she was suffering from depression,  she was very unhappy with her life and made sure we all knew it. 

I don't know how long this went on for. In my memory, it was a looiooooong time. I'd guess a year or so. Maybe longer, maybe less.    

That was the point where  I made the decision that I wouldn't have children of  my own, because my mum.had said that children ruin your life.

At that young age, I also realised that it was not good for people to stay together when one of them wanted to be somewhere else. 

It was such an unhappy time.  There was more that happened that I just can't share, although I dont suppose it matters any more. My Dad isnt here now to discover secrets that I've kept.  Like that time when my mum tried to get me to agree to go and live with her when I clearly had no idea it meant leaving my dad.   The whole thing  had such a profound affect on me, and the anger and bewilderment I felt as a child is overwhelming me even as I type this. 

It was painful to be reminded of it by the photos.   I was transported back to that time and to the feelings of inadequacy and confusion, and extreme unhappiness and powerlessness

As a child I eventually managed to squash it all into a locked chest,  deep in my stomach. I buried it,  really well.  

I hid it for a long time.  Although unacknowledged,  it festered and fermented 

My parents eventually sorted things out and had a long and mostly happy marriage.  

For me though, the decision about not having children remained;  and the poison from the suppressed feelings and memories eventually escaped their containment and robbed the  carefree joy from the girl in the earlier post.   

The feelings unleashed today overtook me like an avalanche.  

This time, I won't let the feelings suffocate me. Acknowledging them,  writing down the fact that I had them -that I am having them - is part of trying to deal with it.

It was a long time ago.

It doesn't matter any more. 

I can't go back and change anything.

Picking over it is pointless. 

I just need to put the feelings in a rucksack, and then take off the rucksack  leave the rucksack at the side of the road while I walk away. 

Nostalgia (isn't what it used to be)

The attic photos continue to deliver surprises.

One of the photos is of me with my then boyfriend. I am 16 (possibly just turned 17).  Obviously I am thin, with long slim legs.  I have a beautiful slim neck. 

I sent it to Miss Teen, who is now the same age as I was then. 

But what made me put the photo to one side is just how naturally happy I look.  Big, happy, smile. Mouth, face, eyes, all smiling and happy.   Nothing forced, no nervousness, no self doubt, no guile, nothing.

It is possibly the only picture of me as an adult that I really like.  (Apart from the fact it has an old boyfriend in). 

I've tried smiling like she smiles, and it looks like a grimace.

It was such a long time ago.

For a moment,  I wished I could be her again, just for a bit. Just at that instant, perhaps.  But with my husband next to me.

 

Attic

My brother and I have been trying to clear the huge attic walkway which runs between the two halves of my parents smallholding house.

We've already spent many many days clearing the rubbish from the rest of the house,  this is the last area to have its initial decluttering.

It's been very hard work, with many irritations (more paperwork!!!) ,  many amusing moments (more jigsaws!  more books!!), and some pleasant urprises.  We found boxes of very very old photos.

I've been working my way through scanning and sorting them.   I'm binning nearly all the originals.   The ones where there are people in, I've been assigning to boxes lined up on my sewing table.     I've sent electronic copies to those inteested parties.

Thee are photos of my parents as small children.  There were all my Mum and Dad's wedding telegrams nd cards.    There was everything to do with the very early death of my Mum's dad, and all the condolence cards,  and the death of her Mum. 

There were photographs and newspaper clippings of some of the exotic cars they owned.

Their trip to Florida in 1980 to see the Daytona 500, and the tickets for that.

Letters to my Mum from her Mum after the birth of each of us.  A biurthday card for my Mum (as a little girl) from her Mum and her Dad.

There were photographs of their long dead friends.

I've managed to contact the daughter of Dad's best friend, and I sent her some pictures via Messenger.   I've also sent her a packet of pictures, which include some I didn't send electtronically, and a her (long since divorced) parents wedding invitation.   I sent her step mum pics of Dad's best friend.

I'm trying to contact the offspring of some of the other people of whom I have photos,  but it's not that easy.

I've also been able to share photos of my Dad's siblings and his parents, including his parents wedding photos,  to arious members of the family.  Not all are online, so they are getting the originals, hared a=out between them.   

And some of the photos.... I just don't know what to do with.  

I wish we'd done this when my Dad was still here.  Mind you, he wouldn't have been able to see the photos, so a pointless bit of nostalgia.