WOYWW #168 and the door handle incident

It's Wednesday, so that means time to share workspaces and have a nosy around the world at the lairs of creative types via Julia's place, where today she is contemplating altering a van.

Well, hush my mouth for saying I had no inspiration yesterday, the devil does make work for idle hands.  Or should I say little devils!!!  Late yesterday afternoon the children, in an amazing combined effort involving the Dinky Diva outside and the boys inside,  have managed to jam the front door shut and break the door handle trying to force it open.  So here is my work for the day.

I know about the internal workings of a door handle, yes I do.  I suspected that the spring inside the handle had gone so I took it apart and was indeed correct.  A very helpful man who runs a garage in our street levered it back into place for me, but alas it still would not turn the catch and was pronounced deceased.

The DIY store was open until 8pm so I hopped into a taxi and went and bought a shiny new handle and assembled it to find that the blessed door still wouldn't open.  At this point I called for reinforcements and my brother-in-law will call by on his way home from work tonight.

I felt fairly sure that we would be safe for the night as no-one was coming in through a door with no handle and a jammed catch, but just in case, by some miracle the latch popped in the night, I locked it for good measure.  This morning the barrels on the lock won't turn.

A tale of woe you might agree but you haven't heard it all yet!

Bright and early this morning, in anticipation of Mr Waitrose delivering my weeks groceries at 8am,  I got up to review my options.  I could get him to pass the carrier bags in through the front window, but that would be ridiculous, and yet I would come to regret the decision to just use the backdoor!?!

Small-n-Grubby alerts me to the arrival of the van and I scoot out back to catch him before he thinks there is no-one home.  The bags are unloaded onto the pavement and we laugh about my wonderful start to the morning.  Aware that I cannot transfer all the bags into the house in one go, I call through the letter box for the Dinky Diva to come out and help me.  She arrives on the pavement and I casually enquire whether she has shut the dog in and am assured that she has.  We get to the back door, bags in hand, and IT IS JAMMED SHUT!!!  You could not make this up, really?  She has slammed it and the catch, which is a bit iffy at the best of times, has caught tight.

Lesser beings would have crumbled at this point, but not I!  DD runs to the front and calls for Small-n-Grubby to come to the back door.  I instruct him on where to find the large screwdriver I left by the front door and he levers it against the catch whilst I wiggle the back door handle and we are in.

Now as I type this it is still only 8.50am.  Stiff drink anyone?

** Kate **