It shouldn't be this hard

There's sewing at my place today and I wanted to clean up a bit, in particular, vacuum the family room carpet so we can lay out fabric.

To start with, you have to question your lifestyle when your two year old cowers in the corner when you start the machine.

then I had to stop the machine and clean the strings off the power head.

Another square metre and I stopped again, to empty the blockage.

And again to empty the dirt chamber.

And then it refused to start.

Obviously we've been doing the right thing - fate doesn't think we should vacuum.

Oh also, mr_bassman collects vacuum cleaners. We have the house vacuum cleaner, which doesn't work. The Electrolux, which, "just goes", the Sanyo for sucking sawdust while operating the Triton sawbench, and the industrial canister one which "looked really useful" in the back lane with its power cord cut off but doesn't work and is waiting to go to the tip.

Unfortunately, he's also hidden all of the hoses and attachments I might use so I could finish the job with one of those.

He doesn't want me to vacuum either.

Bummer about the centre of the work patch

( Don't read this if you are childfree or squeamish )