Trials of life

1 Household chores

1. How do you feel about household chores? Are there any particular ones you like
/ don’t mind doing or ones you particularly hate?
2. How are chores divided in your house? Is that the same as when you were a kid?
3. Do you have any particular ways you approach different household chores?
Have you encountered any odd, annoying or bad examples of other people (not)
doing chores or using household items? Maybe you know people who are guilty
of some of the following . . . .

He didn’t wipe his feet.

He hoards stuff. He won’t chuck anything out.
He can’t even boil an egg.
Everything is overcooked.
He doesn’t warm the plates.
He never clears up after himself when he cooks.
He leaves the dishes in the sink.
He doesn’t rinse the soap off the dishes - just leaves them in the drainer.
He lets the tap run when he’s washing up.
He wipes down the surfaces but doesn’t wring out the cloth.
He doesn’t make the bed properly.
He doesn’t put his socks in the laundry basket.
He lets clothes pile up.
He doesn’t separate out the colours.
He doesn’t know the meaning of ironing.
He often forgets to flush.
He doesn’t know what a toilet brush is.
He never unclogs the plughole in the shower.
He never dusts.
He doesn’t water the plants.
He doesn’t separate out the trash.

I don’t mind it – as long as everyone chips in.

I avoid ironing like the plague. I only buy clothes that don’t need ironing.
I can’t be arsed to do the ironing. I get bored out of my brain doing that.
I don’t mind folding the laundry. I find it quite therapeutic.
All we ever had to do was help with the washing-up, but often wriggled out of that by
going to the loo.
I put my foot down when it comes to involving my son in the household chores.
He’ll thank me for it one day (I hope).
I hate / loathe them with a passion.
I especially hate taking out the rubbish. Apart from the fact that it stinks, if it’s very full
/ full to the brim, then it can overflow / spill out and make a right mess – or even
worse, the bag can split!
Having to clean the loo is like drawing the short straw in our house.
The thing with chores is that you’ve got to keep on top of them.
If you keep putting them off, then they will just pile up.
I seem to get lumbered with all the chores that no one else wants, like scrubbing the
toilet, taking out the bins and lugging home heavy items of shopping.
I seem to always draw the short straw!
There’s a knack to removing limescale from kitchens and bathrooms.
You can find loads of time-saving hacks online.

2 DIY and other problems at home

1. How would you cope with any of these problems? Could you sort them out
yourself?
● A tap’s dripping
● The washing machine springs a leak
● The lights suddenly go off.
● The heating goes off.
● You rip a shirt / jacket or wear a hole in it.
● The toilet stops flushing.
● A chair/table is wobbly
● Your computer is on the blink.
2. What successes have you had with DIY?
3. What failures have you had?
4. How reliable are builders/handymen where you are? Do you know of any scams /
ways they cut corners?
5. What good / bad experiences have you had?

I’m hopeless / useless. I can’t …… to save my life.

I always like to have a go at repairing something myself before forking out for
someone else to do it. Besides, I enjoy learning new stuff and nowadays with YouTube
you can pretty much find a tutorial to talk you through it step by step. I’ve had a few
success stories – as well as failures.
I wouldn’t say I’m a dab hand at sewing / with a needle and thread or anything, but I
have been known to sew the odd button back on or mend the odd hole / tear.
Our oven packed in after about a year. I was quoted a couple of hundred quid over
the phone, so I thought I’d have a go myself. I ordered the replacement part on
Amazon and followed a step-by-step tutorial on YouTube. I fixed it myself for a
fraction of the cost / price.
I was well / pretty chuffed with myself. I felt a massive sense of achievement, and
I’d managed to save myself a small fortune.
There are loads of cowboy builders out there, and that’s what worries me about hiring
someone online. I’d rather get someone in who came recommended.
I couldn’t do it to save my life.
I’m not very handy with DIY and tools – I’ve got two left hands.
I can put my hand to doing most little jobs that need doing around the house.
If I have computer problems I turn to my children for help – they usually have a nifty
solution.
I tend to rely on word of mouth – most of them take you to the cleaners and do
shoddy work.

3 Out and about

1. What’s public transport like where you are? Have you had any of these problems
in transport: strikes/industrial disputes; frequent cancellations;
underinvestment;overcrowding; station/line closures? Did it affect you at all?
2. What’s using a car round the city like? Are there many traffic cops? How officious
are they? Have you ever been stopped and/or fined for anything?
3. What are your attitudes towards queuing and the etiquette around queuing where
you live? Have you ever seen or been involved in an argument in a queue?
What’s the longest you have queued for? What for?
4. Who do you bank with? What are they like to deal with generally? Have you had
any banking problems?
5. Are there any other aspects of life that are a bit of a trial to overcome?

We’ve got pretty good transport links where we are.

We’ve been directly affected by the introduction of the new traffic restrictions. Our
car’s not green enough apparently, so we’re going to have to fork out for a new one –
or cough up £15 or so every time we drive into town.
Driving’s / Traffic’s a nightmare around here. You’re better off taking public transport.
I hate seeing people cut in. It’s the sense of entitlement that annoys me.
Trains are non-existent and buses are pretty erratic where I live, so most people drive.
It feels as though they’ve made going on strike the national pastime.
The public transport network suffers from chronic underfunding.
We have these rickety old trains that are always breaking down.
Driving in the centre of town means taking your life into your own hands – it’s a
suicide mission.
I got done for texting at the wheel. I got three points on my license.