Xmas 2006 now finally over :?

I just popped out to a call my local electrician friend passed on to me recently. He told my that the lady phoned him about her electric going off and he has isolated it (over the phone mind?) to perhaps the tumble dryer? He reckoned that only when the lady switches on the dryer does the RCD trip go out, so by that it’s just got to be the dryer at fault?

So, I called by this afternoon and find the Carlton Dryer wedged under the stairs in the hallway. I drag it out to find that the dryer is switched via a multipoint trailing socket onto which not only the dryer is plugged in but also a Time switch? The wire from the time switch goes through a hole in the wall outside somewhere? 😕

I ask permission to go out the back to find out where the extension leads to as she had no idea? It turns out that the whole of the side of the house is covered in Christmas Lights ( hundreds of them!) and the wire leads to a plastic bucket which has (because of all the rain we’ve had this last month or more) filled with water and shorted out the power. 😉

After I told my customer the reason for the failure she said “no wonder my neighbours were moaning that my Xmas Lights came on and off at all hours of the day and night this last 7 months!” She then went on to say that her husband had since left her (good riddence apparently – I can’t blame the bloke either 😈 ) But no-one has been willing to climb ladders and take it all down. 🙁

So, Christmas 2006 is now officially over @ no: 12 Priory Avenue…AT LAST!!!