Love's labours lost? He should have come to Luxor!!!!

Do you remember me "waiting and waiting" for the return of Hany the plumber? Well, he did eventually come. (Was it a day late, or a week?) Anyway, whatever, when he had been here for a while, I was sorely tempted to help him have an accident while up the ladder on the balcony, thankfully, he was called away on a family emergency before I gave in to the temptation! Hany; the man who just recently saved the day when I was beginning to think that the water pump might be defunct, was becoming Hany whose ignorance of simple engineering was almost as monumental as his arrogance in believing that he could bluff his way to making me believe that simple gadgets (see picture below) didn't need certain parts to fulfil their function. Here, look at these:

They look like a very useful addition to anyone's stock of fixings. The part which goes into the wall is only threaded inside for so far. The screwed in bolt then comes up against a 'bullet', which is pushed into the knurled section which has the four splits in and, being bullet shaped, opens out that part of the device to give a sure grip in the wall. To anyone with the slightest bit of engineering common sense, it's a good idea. But not to our star plumber!

Hany was repairing the rail (made of iron water pipe) on the balcony on which the polythene sun-block curtains usually hang. The fixing brackets were coming away from the wall. I was being the labourer, moving the steps (selem kheshup in Arabic, meaning stairs wooden) handing the tools etc. I noticed that one of the little 'bullet' thingies was on the floor, and pointed this out to Hany. "Ahhh, Mister Edward, that doesn't matter, it's just rubbish, we don't need it." I endeavoured to explain to him that without the bullet, the device couldn't possibly work! But to no avail, all I got was that knowing smile which says "I know best!" I just hate being treated with contempt, especially when I know what I'm talking about and the contemptuous one doesn't know his **** from his elbow!!!!!!! And that, Dear Reader was Mr Hany right there and then. He'll never know how lucky he was to be called away!  

I finished that little job off myself, much to my annoyance, but with my sanity thankfully still intact.

Then, my cheap and nasty JCB hammer drill was working itself! The cable was broken just inside the handle, and consequently the switch would only work if the cable was 'waggled'. No problemo! I knew just the man to fix it, in fact he'd already renewed the cable once before, so off I trotted, confidently. What was that about not counting your chickens before they're hatched?

"Oh no, Meester Adwar, not here. Never can we fix that!" My protestations that he (yes it was definitely the self-same man) had already fixed it once before, fell on deaf ears. He just wouldn't entertain it! Downhearted, I went in search of some bread, along behind the Temple. "Ah," I thought as I passed it on the 'bus, "the old brothers in the downstairs hardware shop are bound to know someone who'll sort this out for me." And so they did. One of their staff was duly dispatched to show me the place and to introduce me to the boss there. What a place, I was enthralled just by the smell of it! They repair everything electrical. Here is one bloke re-winding the field coils (by hand) on a huge electric motor:

He'd already been on with it for 5 days, but expected to have it finished in another day, or possibly two! A younger chap took the drill from me, and when I asked when I should return, he told me to wait for a few minutes and he'd fix it there and then.

He was as good as his word, and while I chatted to the owner of the workshop, Engineer Isaac, he took it to bits, repaired the broken wire and rebuilt it. Best of all; he wouldn't accept any cash! I tried and tried, even to the point of stuffing it in Eng. Isaac's shirt pocket when I came outside, but "No!" was the unchallengeable, and final, answer.

Which just goes to prove that not EVERY Egyptian is out to fleece you!