Waiting for the Cable Guy

I'm not sure which is worse: Being told that your installer will be there between 8:00 and 12:00 and he doesn't come; or having him call at 11:45 and saying he will be there in 15 minutes and it's 2:00 p.m. and he's not here.  We spoke 10 minutes ago, and, providing he gave me the correct coordinates, he should be here within 30 seconds.  I'm not holding my breath.  Although I do now hear the electronic 'mee mee mee' alerting to me the fact that there is a truck in the area and it is backing up.  Oh please let it be him....

I have used Bell service since the 1980s when I had my first house and my father-in-law gave me a lovely baby blue rotary Princess phone.  Last month I opened my bill to discover that the Bell (having fixed my bills a year ago to something more reasonable and more reflective of the decades of 'loyalty'), special time-offer-clock had clicked over to the dark side and our bill was now double.

For the next 1-1/2 hours, that I will never get back, I stayed on the line while they, said "What's wrong with your phone line, it sounds awful?"  "That phone number you gave me doesn't connect with an account, is this a new phone number?"  "You'll have to wait while I find that account number."  To which I replied, "My lines are so old that when it rains, they crackle - maybe someone could come and fix them?"  "I've had this phone line for 23 years."  "Your billing department doesn't seem to have a problem finding me and doubling the amount I pay, certainly you should be able to find my account number."

So, on Monday they sent someone to fix my outside lines.  I bought a new phone - alas, the inside lines are a mess - something about reversed polarity?  And, then I called Cogeco who said, they would come out, cancel my Bell service and I would pay less than I was paying before.

Ok.  A day later.  Mr. Cogeco arrived and went to work.  Rather he walked in checked out where my phone lines were, and then started a long personal phone call in French with someone he seemed very chummy with.  Merde.  At 4:00 he left.  The wires under my desk look like I did the job myself.  My phone still crackled.  So, I took my phone with the main line, plugged it directly into the cable, put the satellite phone in my office and abandoned the phone downstairs that was direct-wired into the wall, after all, who really wants to answer the phone when you're watching TV.

The score sits at: Bell minus 4,325, Cogeco minus 542.

Outside, things are almost as ugly.  We have charming orange plastic fencing that has been added to the yellow and red locator flags around the perimeter of the property.  It really is discouraging to try to make things look better, when the backdrop is so offensive.  I don't even want to talk about the dust, the noise and the general chaos.

So when the going gets tough, the tough go to the Royal Botanical Gardens, as I did this Sunday - before the sleet hit.  So here are some pretty pictures.  And, if you're in the area, do try to go this w/e, the Rock Garden should be magnificent and the Lilacs (the early ones) should be out at the Arboretum - plus the rest of the gardens should be wonderfully springy and completely devoid of any bright orange plastic fencing.

As you can see - lots more colour to come:

And the magnolia posts continue....

This gives you an idea of how cold it was.  In some areas we had frost.  However, I bet this bunch would be in the pool if it were just 10 degrees warmer.....

The light changed dramatically while we were there.  Almost looks like my flash went off.

Such a scruffy perennial - Alyssum - and yet so lovely this time of year.

Really should be perfect this w/e.

Note to self, crop my photos before posting....what a lovely trash bin, so solid and rectangular.  However, if you get beyond that,

such a pretty combination of colours:

And more pretty spring colour:

So lovely and puffy and yellow... and can you imagine how wonderful it would look with some

bright orange fencing?  

Have a lovely, safe Victoria Day weekend!