There’s a character in the Postman Pat spin off, Special Delivery Service who I’ve never really warmed to. As the picture above shows, it’s Ben. A largely futile member of the Greendale/Pencaster community whose sole purpose is to phone Pat at inopportune moments and tell him what to do.
Of course Pat makes a pig’s ear of every job anyway, but I’m blaming Ben for that. Pat was much more efficient and less prone to error before he was around. Anyway, I was subjected to further woe at the hands of this stop motion man recently.
The washing machine had started to dribble a bit. I thought it was just its age – I sometimes do the same in my sleep after all – but, as there hadn’t been any major floods, I’d taken a laissez faire attitude.
Then there was a bigger flood. Shit. I got my socks wet and, as we all know, there is NOTHING worse than a wet sock. I phoned a few plumbers, hoping one could come out immediately – I know, I’m a funny guy – and had no luck.
Fortunately, the last one I tried was incredibly helpful and told me something I could try doing. “It can only be a blockage between the drawer and drum,” he said. He then explained how to check and try mending the machine. All I had to do was remove the top panel and then feel the rubber tube that connected the two components. If there was a blockage, I could just squeeze it out. Easy.
Except I couldn’t find a blockage. Then I had another thought. Perhaps there had been one and I’d pushed it up into the drawer section without realising. A quick bit of brute force and ignorance later, the drawer was out. Somehow without being damaged.
And there he was. Positioned perfectly over the hole that the tube connected to, was a fridge magnet of Ben. Smiling while on the phone and giving me a big thumbs up. The arrogant little fucker.
Since he’s been removed and rehomed in the bin due to being too soggy to stick to the fridge, there have been no problems. Much like Postman Pat’s world before he arrived on the scene.
I suppose I have to apportion some blame to Xander who would have been the culprit – he’s got previous; Pat and Jess endured a tempest of biblical proportions in the dishwasher – but I’m still attributing most of it to Ben.
Still, at least Xander is leaving the washing machine alone now. If only I could say the same for the oven…
Comments
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Haha this is brilliant! I totally agree, Ben’s arrival seems to have completely disenfranchised Pat and knocked his confidence completely. Although he does get to fly a cool helicopter now.
Author
Thanks Judith! Well yes, that’s true. When did he get time to learn to fly it though? He must have postponed his farcical errands for a week!
Love this. Brilliant post. And also quite informative – I now know how to check for a blockage between the drawer and drum. Nice one 🙂
And yes, Pat is bloody incompetent.
Author
Cheers David – glad to be of service!
I never even knew of Ben’s existence till I read this post! He is entirely surplus to demands and definitely needs consigning to the bin. Apparently there’s a Postman Pat movie due for release in May – I wonder who will play Ben?!
Author
Thanks Helen. I just Googled this and it looks like it’s going to be a CGI one with Stephen Mangan as the voice of Pat. Unfortunately, Ben does seem to have made the cut…
hahaha! i shouldn’t laugh but hahahaha. Well done for fixing it tho! 🙂
Author
Cheers Sarah. Quite chuffed I fixed it, but Ben is still pointless!
Haha this made me laugh. I hate some kids tv programmes/characters also!!! Can’t stand the ZingZillas but I love Postman Pat! Prefer the old type to the new Special Delivery Service ones so I’m with you there!!! At least you managed to fix the washing machine yourself – result!! 🙂
Author
Thanks Carolynne! Yes, there are plenty of things I can’t stand too. Peppa Pig is the worst of them – better not find her in the washing machine though!
I would just like to point out that not all Ben’s are bad people 🙂
Author
Well of course, Ben… I doubt that you’ve ever hidden in a washing machine and caused a flood, so you’re in the clear!
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