We all make (expensive) mistakes.

It's September, big kid is back at school and small kid is a part timer.  This means I have a couple of days next week where I will be kids free for at least 6 hours but this time will be spent with paintbrush in hand.   The family room where the kids and I spend the best part of our lives needs a bit of TLC and it is my job to put it back to rights.  With this in job in mind, this leads me on to this cautionary tale ....... 

A couple of years ago when I decided to give the family room a lick of paint and a "refresh" (loosely translated as lets paint over the handprints on the grubby walls) - I decided to replace our old, broken Wesco Kickmaster bin with another one.  It was a nice looking bin in a nice inoffensive almond (cream) shade.  I used to get compliments about this bin and I know it's a little bit sad and needy to resort to buying a specific bin just to keep the compliments coming but it does kind of go to your head, you know, having a cool bin.

picture : achica.com

Wesco bins are not cheap but I would say they are a modern design classic ... in a retro kind of way. The draw of the kickmaster to me is that you stamp on the foot pedal and the "doors" part in a red sea kind of way.  Hugely entertaining for kids (probably why it broke) but not good for health and hygiene as they then like to peer inside for no good reason and breathe in the germs.

Ours gave up the ghost after several years but I think I must have been premenstrual when I thought a blackberry (ribena purple) Wesco bin was the way to go.  I can look back now - hindsight is wonderful I hear - but where were you when I was purchasing this blackberry coloured bin?  

picture : johnlewis.com

Look how lovely and blackberry shiny this is - you'd buy it too wouldn't you?

What made me choose this colour in the first place?  Somebody pointed out that I had a framed picture with purpley tones in it  - nothing more, nothing less.  But it was enough for me to think that a blackberry coloured bin was the way to go. Doh

The bin arrived.  I set it up in its place.  I stood back to admire.  But no, there was no little smug smile this time and clappy hands to say "yeah, you did good girl!" for my design statement.  The bin just looked glaringly, obviously wrong.    It was shouting "look at me, I'm a big purple bin" whereas the old cream bin blended beautifully in to the cream walls.  The Grumps came home and said "it's 'rude word' awful" and declared it also glaringly, obviously wrong too. Big bog.

The bin had to go.  It went back in its very big box and in to the garage and I muttered something about ebaying it back out.  I went out the next day to Argos and bought a big functional cream bin which did the job it needed to do.  For a fraction of the price.  But no one compliments me on this bin.

Firstly.  Lesson learned.
If it's not broke - don't try to fix it.  Meaning the cream Wesco was brilliant.  I should have just got another.  Do not be swayed by other people's remarks and suggestions.  Do not let them sow the seeds in your mind that you need a purple Wesco bin and not a classic not in your face cream Wesco bin.  Because that would be a big mistake.  And not is it just a big mistake - it's also a very big, expensive, glaringly obviously purple mistake.  

Secondly.  For Sale.
One lovely and highly desirable Blackberry 33L Kickmaster Wesco Bin.  Currently retailing for oodles in John Lewis.  All sensible offers considered but you have to cart it away yourself :o)  Yes - 2 years later - it's still in the garage awaiting it's Ebay turn in the queue.