Number Eight Wire

We already had some idea about the "make do and mend" culture that prevails over here in New Zealand. It's known as the "number eight wire mentality" - named after the gauge of fencing wire which Kiwis consider most useful for DIY jobs. This Kiwi ingenuity is cited as contributing to New Zealand's burgeoning film industry, progress in stem cell research and the World's Fastest Indian.

So far so good. But we hadn't counted on this attitude being applied to our fridge/freezer. We have a brand new apartment in the CBD with a brand new shiny stainless steel fridge/freezer. The thing has now failed three times and has been fixed twice. In London, we would have secured a new appliance by now but instead we have a loan fridge whilst the original machine has gone off for repair. Madness! But at least I have ice in the interim.