I'm NOT a girlie. Honest!

Yesterday I went to Ikea. We needed a TV table with a shelf underneath for the video and DVD. Shouldn't have been too much of a problem, even at Ikea. It had to be a certain depth as there isn't much room in the lounge. I knew the maximum depth it could be and after ruling out my first choice because it was too big, settled on a coffee table which would do the job instead.

The first problem came at the check-out. The Beech finish I had chosen was priced up in the showrooms at £29.90 but it rang up as £39.90 at the till. 20 minutes later and dash round the store with a supervisor revealed that that was a promotional price that should have finished last week and no-one had changed the price labels. Well, I know my rights and, fortunately, so did the supervisor and she agreed that they had to sell it to me at the reduced price.

Then came the second problem. Went to pay for everything and my debit card was declined. Three times. I was incensed. I knew there was more than enough money in my account to pay for it. Fortunately they took cheques. Several phone calls to my bank when I got home revealed why it was declined. Although my on-line statement showed sufficient funds, the two cheques I paid in recently hadn't cleared. So although I appeared to have lots of money, I didn't actually have very much at all. After having a bank account for nearly 30 years, you'd have thought I would have twigged that wouldn't you? I really do wish they wouldn't show the funds as being available when they're not.

So, fast forward to this morning. I was awake early so decided I'd start assembling the table. Everything was going well until OH decided to get up and start overseeing what I was doing.

"You need to put that bit in first"

"No, I don't"

"Yes you do. It says so in the instructions"

"No it doesn't. It says you have to put this bit in first, then that bit"

"Oh, I suppose it does. But it would be easier if you put that bit before this bit"

"Do you want to do this? No? Then shut up and let me get on with it."

Because I'm not a girlie. I can handle a screw driver and a few screws and wooden dowels and it really isn't that difficult. First point to me then.

"Ummmmm" says OH. "Is that the size of it?"

"Yes"

"It's too big"

I sit back and look at it and had to concede he had a point. I get out the tape measure (because I'm not a girlie and I can handle one of those too) and measure the table and wander into the lounge to measure the space it's to fit in.

Ah.

So concerned was I with the depth that I failed to take into account the width. It's too big. I swore. A lot. Second and fairly important point to OH then.

I'm not a girlie. Really I'm not. I just seem to have had a momentary lapse.