h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Paperwork, argh. She sent it, it takes a while, don't yammer at me!

Toast, now I want some toast...

PH: Leaving w*rk for a week and not completing everything

I hate that "last two hours before breaking up for a holiday" rush. Isn't there always something you don't manage to do? Or even worse, completely forget about until the second day of your holiday?

You just have to let it go and enjoy the break. Have fun!

Deb

Yes I know, I think that's what I have a problem with, letting it go!

PH: wasps and there attraction to ice-cream

PH: Inexplicable inability to motivate myself into working on my OWN project.

Talking of kitchens, my main PH about ours is that the wall cupboards have no depth and are attached too high up the wall, meaning wasted space as I'm a shortarse and can't reach the top shelves

The bottom cupboards aren't much better. One cupboard has been built in a way that it could have been a corner unit, but instead of extending the shelves and adapting the door, the builders have just left a huge gap at the side and if we're not careful any stuff that gets knocked down there will never be seen again. We've already lost a measuring jug and some Tupperware; this may sound sexist but non-cooks shouldn't be allowed to design kitchens

Ah, the bliss of an upper corner cupboard. When I had my kitchen redone it was something I insisted on, so I can actually get all my dinner plates, side plates and bowls on one shelf IN SEPARATE PILES. It's huge.

I also have two columns of 5 drawers. Most kitchens never seem to have enough.

Of course, my washing machine, tumble dryer and freezer are in the outhouse and I wash up in the sink, but I don't care. I have a huge crockery cupboard and loads of drawers.

Deb

We don't have a dishwasher either. It's frustrating as we do have a large kitchen, but because the design of it is so sucky there's nowhere to put one!

Try a really pretty dishwasher. They are called wives.

Pit

Fords, how is saying non-cooks shouldn't design kitchens sexist? Unless you're meaning to imply that only one sex should cook...

Ouch, Pit.

That one will Not be getting a trial run chez Ms Stress.

My kitchen needs some reorganisation. I was struck by the notion aired here that a toaster might find a home away from the worksurfaces, and so now I'm going to clear as much space as possible although first I need to find room by clearing space in the cupboards, which will take ages. Does anyone put their kettle away?

unless you want to totally design it yourself, German kitchens have the cupboards at standard heights above the work surface, you can get the "normal" ones, or the longer ones which extend up to the ceiling. Much more sensible.

I designed our kitchen, used a kitchen design app on the computer to work it all out, right down to the finest , most tiny detail.
Layout, colour scheme, appliances,even as to where the dreaded toaster was to go.
Just handed over all the 3D plans and the all important method statement to the contractor and made it clear in writing, as to what my expectations were.
There is a flow to be observed in kitchen design, the likely movements of foods ,utensils during preparation, then on to the cooking and the adjacency of the items most likely to be used , then
on to how you clear up so that nothing crosses over.
All should ideally have a ordeally flow and what is the safest way to handle kitchen items with minimum effort.
Even though our kitchen is long and narrow we never get in each others way other than for the odd or to fill each otherup.

Our kettle never gets put away, it's constantly boiling- we're Irish, tea is forever on the go. Do we have enough space? You'd need to ask my mother. She wanted a totally sterile looking kitchen, kinda like a lab or whatnot when we were putting it in, no handles seen and all that... with a messy father, sibling, I myself am hella messy, three cats and a dog, this will never be achieved. Not at the tidiness/cleanliness level she wants to keep.

PH: OCD cleaning. I know OCD exists and I'm not doing it down but the more you bitch over the house being untidy, the more we will ignore you. Aforesaid pets and the fact I can't move around properly and safely without putting my hands down DOES mean things WILL get dirty. And how you expect us to make tea without spilling things every now and then, I don't know. We need SOME dirt, dammit.

PH 2: WIFI. Printers. Trying to install said printer. Argh. How do you find your IP address? The laptop I'm on has the start as 217 or something but the rest of the electronics needing it have 19.... anyone any ideas?

Calculate by using your fingers. Everything you can´t do that way costs too much or needs a boffin to install.

Pit

Could do a lot once, till a knackered my back

Fitting a kitchen, doddle, installed a few in my time, now I think about things, get others to do it and I just the cheque

Good thing a knackered back is. Once you have to start looking for things you still can sit on, still move around, still afford...you find you´re not alone.

Pit

Anna, isn't it the mac address of your laptop you need to set up wifi? This is usually written on the bottom of the laptop I believe. Perhaps this is also the case with other items you want to connect to your network.

You can probably tell its been a while since I've set up wifi, but I seem to remember there's a way of bringing up your pc's mac address on screen. Hopefully someone more techie will be able to offer proper help.