luckykaa

I was expecting a delivery from Ikea.

Didn't receive the expected message telling me when they were going to deliver. Realised they had the wrong number. Contacted them. Fixed it. Received a text telling me that my delivery was scheduled for the 9th Oct. Yay. Apparently there was no time slot yet. Okay. Seems a bit slow but I was satisfied that I hadn't missed any important messages.

Still no time slot on Sunday. Contacted online chat. Apparently the delivery wasn't routed in time (whatever that means), and needed to be resceduled. Well, that's fucking great. Thank's a lot, idiots. Actually tellimg me might have been useful. Pondered options for picking up but nothing seemed viable. Decided to give up. Went out. Later on, had a look at the order status (because apparently I like to torture myself) and see the message "15:19 We were not able to deliver to you. Please contact IKEA". So does that mena they did try to deliver after all? They were meant to call an hour before.

Will elave the positive aspect of the day to another post because this is the "Ikea are useless numpties" post wshere I bitch about what complete and utter useless numpties Ikea are. They are utterly inept. Hopeless and worthless.

In case anyone hasn't got the picture. I'm kinda peeved at Ikea.

So, having breakfasted, unloaded the van, and turned the new flat into a box fortress wed decided to get an early start to Ikea.

Holly The Evil Satnav took us most of the way there but decided to send us right when the entrance to the store was to the left. Damn you Tomtom! Why can't you store entry points? Once again I was uirged to make a u-turn which I ignored. Instead I took a wobbly route around the streets to turn around. Plenty of room to park but no specific parking spaces for larger vans.

Too early to eat so we set off. For those not familiar with Ikea, the bulk of the store is a showroom, where items are labelled with a location in the self service storeroom. You write down the item code and location of the items on a pad (provided at various locations) with a pencil (also provided) and pick up the flatpacks at the end of the trip. Smaller items can be picked up on the way, and put into a heavy duty plastic bag (also provided). flickums started loading the bag with scented candles.

Sofas first. We needed to test several for snugglability.I found there was free wifi, plus a handy app for the shopping list so downloaded that while testing the comfort of the sofa. The sofa was quite comfy. Had a tryout of the desk I liked the look of. It was too low. This is why it's better to go to a showroom than mail order. I did find the idea of a pop-up power socket kinda cool but it was horribly expensive. My vanity demanded that I get a wardrobe with mirrored doors. Actually it was a really nice configurable design. I have a rail various hooks, a couple of shelves and some pull out drawers. Will enjoy building that. Also bought some under-bed storage now that I have a bed I can store things under. Have since realised that I probably went overboard here. I won't have access to two of those drawers.

Was a little disappointed at the pickup area. The sofa was way too big and heavy for the two of us. And the staff weren't willing to help. Also the hinges for the wardrobe were out of stock. Although decided to go for a 4 pack instead of a 3 pack, oddly, for the same price. Decided to get an armchair as a temporary measure while I decide on the sofa situation.

But, mustn't forget the most important aspect of any Ikea trip: meatballs! Flickums insisted. I was tempted by the loganberry jam.

Really should have bought some jam when I was there.

Also a cutlery tray.

Maybe I should head back. Get the jam.

Hired a van at the weekend. It was really nice. Brand new, with aircon and a handy reversing indicator. Paid extra for a full tank of fuel, before realising that it was only really worth it if I brought it back almost empty. Surprisingly nice to drive, although I felt I was about to tip over every time I went round a corner. Am actually tempted to get a practical car when I replace Megatroff. Fun though a sports car is, a 10 year old MG is a little shaky.

Went to the storage locker. Loaded what I could into the van. Decided that I didn't absolutely need my DVD collection, especially because I lacked storage for it.

Needed to dash back after a short time at home because Flickums was visiting. Got home late. Went straight to bed. Flickums arrived the next day and in order to prove she is the best girlfriend ever, helped me unload. Was considering moving the living rom to the spare bedroom and the spare bedroom into the living room but way too much hassle. And there was snuggling to do.

Realised I really need more storage. And a coffee table. Also needed food. Flickums suggested that since I had the van, we go to Ikea and get meatballs (thus confirming beyond any doubt that she's the best girlfriend ever!)! The ikea in Leicester turned out to be a figment of Google's imagination. But meatballs had been sugested so we had to get meatballs!

Meatballs were duly eaten. Furnishings were bought. I now have the potential joy of assembling a vast quantity of Ikea furniture.

Been a fun weekend.

We did completely fail to see Starlord and the Raptors. But that can wait.