1 hour, 3 stores and 8.90 francs or…

It’s the little things

Now usually if I start something with “it’s the little things” it is due to some small action, gift or other positive happening. Alas, sometimes it is also the “little things” that cause the most chaos, harm or damage (thankfully not the case with this story, just a short period of finding the solution, a little time and money.)

Yesterday I arrived up in “my” mountain flat leaving my “let’s all work together” housemates in charge of the house - see the following blogs for the continuation of my “Doubly washed clothes” of yesterday:
http://lovinglifeineurope.blogspot.ch/2014/05/the-laundry-saga-part-ii-or-no-i-dont.html 

http://theexpatwriter.blogspot.ch/2014/05/the-laundry-saga-part-iii.html

So far, so good: didn’t have to drag up much as had already done the main move-in earlier this year before my vacation in the USA.

First things first: say hi to the landlord. Secondly a quick walk to breath in that fresh air. Third catch up on e-mails and the like.  And there’s where one of those little things put a wrench in the works.  I had just told my sister that, yes, I would be available to skype with her Saturday (usually it’s Sunday, but depending upon weekend plans we are flexible), when I realized that my (aging) computer needed to be re-charged. Pulled out the charger, which, by the way, I had taken the trouble of making sure that the smaller one had the right end on it for the larger computer (didn’t want to crawl under the desk to take the usual one), only to discover that I had neglected to check the plug type. Help: it was the one that I had used in the USA so wrong prongs.

First trial at a solution – the landlord has a computer and an IPad and has traveled – she distinctly remembered having had one of those multiple-prong type plugs that one takes on holidays, but thought that she had perhaps dumped it whilst cleaning up after her husband’s death: that proved unfortunately to be true.

Second solution: drive down off the mountain and make the rounds of the electronics’ stores. Off I went: first stop the one where I had had to purchase a second mouse last year when I forgot it… they had the multiple everything MAC package for CHF 38.90 so I figured that I could perhaps do better, on to the next store: nothing… desperate at this point checked the third (household goods) where at least they had the travel convertors for CHF 19.90 (had to wait as there was someone already at the cash register). When I explained the problem to the lovely salesman (sorry I do need to note that it was a man) at the FUST in Martigny, he said, “oh I may have another solution” and went to the rear of the store where they actually had just the small plug, which allows one to put the original plug in at one end and the other correct for our Swiss plugs… CHF 8.90 and to make it even better: they actually had the lovely under-the-sheet heating mattresses that I use. As mine is probably on its way out – and because we do sometimes have more than 3 people in the house (the current status of heating pads) he was able to make that purchase as well!

As they say: all is well, that ends well.

And now I’m off to lunch, invited by a friend – is my life good, or what?