What a difference a smile makes

It was Oven Repair Day again today, that special festival when the helpful repair man turns up and ovens across the land magically start to work again. Or as happened last time, the thoroughly miserable and grumpy repair man appeared and the oven died once more shortly afterwards. After that last experience I can't say I was looking forward to his reappearance today.

But lo, something wonderful happened. A different repair man knocked on my door. A cheerful repair man. I knew this one was special as soon as I heard him rat-a-tat-tat at my door knocker. For a start, he actually found my flat without having to phone and ask for directions. To put that into perspective, everyone has to phone and ask for directions to my flat - I don't think I can remember the last time someone found it without having to do so. Nextly he didn't utter a word of complaint about the lack of parking, but rather took it in his merry stride when I mentioned he'd have to park a short way up a nearby hill. And most importantly of all, he was friendly and courteous, his demeanour and attitude a million miles removed from the dour repairman #1. Actually, no, I take that back - most importantly of all, he tested the oven, found the fault and repaired it properly this time, thus earning him even more brownie points in my book.

Lest you think I'm being to harsh on poor repairman #1, I'm reasonably sure that his attitude I witnessed is symptomatic of his attitude in general. He missed his first appointment with me, since he couldn't find my flat (told you!) and the depot had recorded my telephone number incorrectly so he wasn't able to call me for directions. I know it was the same repairman, since when I called to inquire as to why he'd failed to turn up, the operator explained the situation to me and further asked me to ensure that there was parking available for the next appointment, since the repairman they'd sent out had been very unhappy with the lack of parking available.

But thankfully I don't have to worry about any more grumpy repairmen for the time being. The oven is fixed, it works and I feel positively chipper as a result.

Now, where did I put that cookie mix...