Thursday 27 January 2022

The Story Of The Lamp

 It all started when one of the light bulbs went out in my living room again, they don't seem to last that long, I had replaced all six of them quite recently and they aren't cheap are they?  Then it got me thinking a small floor lamp would be much better for me, stood in the corner where I sit in the evening.  I would save on electricity too if I wasn't putting the big lamp on all  the time, all I need is something to illuminate whatever I'm working on.  I must quickly add here I have reached that conclusion before and I bought one of those day light type of lamps, it didn't take me long to realise that the light was far too strong it actually felt as if it were boiling my brains, said lamp is now confined to the summerhouse where I use it for photo shoots when I can be bothered.  It's not very stable either when I pick it up it tends to fall to bits and the stand bit at the bottom comes out and oozes cable. Even when I get it back together it's decidedly wobbly, anyway I digress.  

I don't know if you are like me but when I look for something new I have to research it for weeks, yes even for a lamp.  To cut a long story short even though it's already too long I decided in the end to buy this one from Amazon. Why? I'll tell you 

  • I like it's simplicity
  • I redeemed my credit card rewards and got a £35 Amazon gift card.
  • I applied for a Amazon Mastercard because they were going on about how they wouldn't accept visa anymore (I know they have since gone back on their decision) Anyway you get £20 for applying for their card so it's all ok, (you have to factor in the cost of the lightbulbs) that was a total of £55 so actually it added up to a free lamp.
The process above took two weeks, I ordered the lamp and it arrived late one dark cold Sunday evening, I had been waiting in all day so you can imagine my anticipation.  I have to jump in here just to set the scene I had prepared the area where it was going to stand, it was a corner so you can imagine how long it took, I didn't realise how many cables I had, bits of yarn, dust, ok so I'm afraid the crafting comes before the housework.  Anyway back to that lamp I was slightly concerned that it had arrived in a very thin looking box, I expected the lamp box to be padded inside of another box but it wasn't. I opened it carefully and it consisted of a base and two poles with cable running through them, I had to turn the box over to reveal the top of the lamp with cable meeting the other two pieces. then in two seperate compartments protected by flimsy bubble wrap were the two lamp shades well I say two when really it was one, the other was smashed into a thousand pieces. I have given you the build up just so you know how I felt! what a let down😞



Anyway I got a returns label and ordered a replacement, I decided to hold on to it until I was sure that the second one came intact.  It came just two days later, again late at night but to my relief it was a box inside a padded box and it was  thankfully all in one piece. So great end of story I hear you say that is if you've even gotten this far, but I have to assemble it! and there is no instructions, well it's easy enough I can hear you say just screw the bits together, I did just that but was left with about two foot of cable hanging out so wasn't able to screw the top bit in, I tried to sort of bend the cable inside the pole but it wouldn't go, I was almost in tears at this stage and reading the reviews on Amazon I wasn't alone, someone else had found the same problem.

All I can say is thank goodness for YouTube! you can find everything on there, I watched this pleasant gentlemen assembling a similar Lamp and for those of you who don't know, you pull the excess cable through the opening at the bottom, so simple! go on say it, you all knew that right? I switched off YouTube thinking I had no more problems to solve until I tried to screw the lampshades into the lamp, there was no way I could get my hand in to do that the opening was just too narrow,  I sat and pondered whilst staring at this weird plastic thing that had come with the lamp when it suddenly dawned on me, it's a gadget to screw the lamp in. I should have kept the YouTube video running because I'm sure that it would have covered that bit too. It took me a while but I figured how to do it, am I exceptionally thick here😕 would you have known straight away ?
 


So here it is ta da...


and it doesn't even wobble😊

If you managed to get to the end well done! I just had to get all that off my chest, normal service will resumed next time I promise.

The bark/cough continues, today is day 12 I'm staying away from folk even though it isn't Covid no one would want this, it does improve a little everyday and I'm hoping next week I'll be able to resume my normal activities.

Take care until next time 😘😘

10 comments:

  1. I actually enjoyed this post Linda! I so wish more bloggers would write about those everyday things that happen to them. I for one find those type of topics interesting! I can so relate to several things you have mentioned here as in buying a floor lamp,researching thoroughly beforehand,the assembling of the lamp (in my case not a lamp) and the disappointment of receiving a broken item. Nothing to do with being thick at all! I think you did well especially as there were no instructions. Bad show on the manufacturers part for not including the instructions! It looks really nice there by the giraffe and not too big and cumbersome as some floor lamps. By the way YouTube is a boon in everyway I have used it numerous times now to find out how to do something craft wise or other. Very helpful. Love that gorgeous red blanket in your previous post it goes so well on the settee. Hope you get rid of that cough soon! Take care Amanda x

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  2. Oh Linda, what a frustrating tale! But the end result is beautiful and I look forward to seeing it in real life soon. It appears that NOTHING comes with instructions nowadays. I bought a new TV on Monday; it came on Tuesday and I don't know how I would have ever got it going without the famous Colin. It took him over an hour and even then, he had to log me in as him because it didn't send an email when it said it would so that I could access it in my own name. Why does everything have to be so difficult??? xx

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  3. Yes, that does sound like a frustrating situation. I can't believe how the light came not wrapped up and it was broken. It's so hard assembling something with no instructions included. I love how helpful YouTube is and I'm glad you were able to assemble the light!

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  4. Modern times...but not easy time...
    Your lamp is beautiful !
    Take care !
    Hug
    Anna

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  5. What a palaver! I was saying only yesterday that everything is such a carry on these days. Fancy not providing enough packing material to protect a glass shade, and no instructions either. It does look lovely in situ with your plant and giraffe so worth it in the end. Hope you're feeling better soon.

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  6. I would ha e been the same, its a very lovely looking lamp.

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  7. You have made me laugh at the saga of 'The Lamp', Linda....sorry. =) Goodness, whoever thought it was a good idea not to smother the glass in bubble wrap??!! Linda, I would still be sitting there with all the parts of the lamp sitting before me, scratching my head wondering how everything fits to together to make one lamp. Thank goodness for You Tube! It seems, the world over, that everything one buys these days is fraught with problems. BUT....how lovely your little lamp looks sitting there in the corner. A rather elegant and sophisticated lamp if you were to ask me. May I say, "all's well that ends well"??!! =)

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  8. So finally you had your lamp! It's beautiful and I like the giraffe that stands beside it.

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  9. I was enthralled. I knew it would be a roller coaster, so I settled in. :) Youtube is an amazing wealth of information. I'm thankful so many people create videos of their solutions to problems. The lamp is pretty. I imagine you've already put it to good use!

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  10. I do like your lamp, it looks very nice indeed.

    I hope you feel better soon.

    All the best Jan

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