Reasons why Fran's ribs are fine but her feet are not

I bought a new non-slip bath mat. But I am a spectacularly unsuccessful shopper and could not sing, along with Edith Piaf, 'Non, je ne regret rien' because I rue 90% of my purchases.

Neither can I speak French, so that's another reason.

And she's dead, so singing along is probably too high an expectation.

We never used to own a bath mat. But our shower is an over-the-bath type, without the dimpled surface one gets in a purpose-built shower unit. Since my husband slipped a couple of years back while showering, fell forward, and landed on his ribs on the edge of the bath, we've used a mat. Yes, ouch. He broke two ribs and, as you probably know, medics do nothing for broken ribs these days unless the shards have pierced your lungs, your lips have gone blue, and your eyes have disappeared into the back of your head. 

I remember the Summer of the Spouse's Broken Ribs well, because four weeks later, with his chest still the colour of blackberries, we travelled to the Lake District. We'd booked a pretty holiday cottage and didn't want to cancel. 

Because we don't drive, we took trains and buses, and I had to manage all the luggage including a case the size of the Lake District itself. 

This was fine while we were on the flat, as the case was on wheels, but when we arrived in Grasmere, and took the 'short walk from the bus stop' that the holiday cottage details had promised, we found we had something like THIS to traverse first.




We made it, but the words 'solicitor' and 'Do I get the piano or do you?' had been mentioned on our way there.

Back to the bathmat.

My first response when I ordered the mat from Amazon was one of amusement because of the description of it. 

PVC Transparent Large Long Non-Slip Anti-Slip Shower Bath Mat with Massage Function (Green)

I have filed the description away because next year I'm teaching A level Linguistics and it will provide me with an entire lesson on pre-modifying and post-modifying adjectivals, ambiguity, noun phrases, the use of parenthesis, syntax, advertising conventions, and the most important lesson of all, don't buy this kind of bath mat. 

Here is why 'Oui, je regret everything' about my new purchase.

1. The description says it's green. Our bathroom's colour scheme is 'aqua' and the picture of the mat made it look a similar shade. It is not. It is a green so garish that, in the middle of the night, there is no longer any need to put the bathroom light on. If the window's open, the bath mat attracts moths, mosquitoes, and the occasional ship out at sea. 

2. It is so non-slip and anti-slip that, when you try to detach it from the base of the bath after a shower, its rubber suckers cling to it like stubborn monster-limpets, and the resulting noise means that people in New Zealand look up in the street and wonder if bad weather's coming. No, we're not going to slip and break our ribs. But we might pull a muscle wrenching the damn thing out of the bath and one day the bath may come with it.

3. Its 'massage function', which I assume is meant to give the soles of your feet a mini-workout while you shower, takes the form of raised pads on its surface.  But 'massage'? Imagine Astroturf that's been starched, or something like this.


Fran's new lime, almond and jojoba shower cream wasn't having the relaxing effect promised,
mainly because her feet were being pulverised to shreds

I need to buy another one but this time I'll go into town so that I can 'feel before I buy' and make sure it's a bath mat and not an instrument of self-harm. 

Comments

  1. Ah well. At least we all got a laugh.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy to be of service, living my disastrous life for your amusement!

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. That comment made me laugh! My brother-in-law said just the same!

      Delete
  3. I'm stuck on the massage feature. My master bath has a shower that allows me to step in and out. I make Willy Dunne Wooters use the hall bathroom that has a tub. The bottom of the tub isn't slippery, so he doesn't need a mat for his shower. The dangerous part is moving across the floor, whether it's wet or dry. I have placed three non-skid rugs in the hall bathroom. Willy Dunne Wooters has not broken his ribs--yet. Of course, he doesn't live here so the last time he took a shower in my house was several months ago. But I am prepared in case he wants a shower. We don't have to worry about which one of us will carry suitcases or trying to traverse a long path to a cottage because we don't go anywhere other than the local diner. Fortunately, I like the diner. I am welcomed there with open arms because Willy Dunne Wooters is quite the tipper. But he doesn't tip on the bathroom floor. I think I ordered Martha Stewart rugs from Macy's. They are gray and look nice with the general black, white, and grayness of the hall bathroom.

    Love,
    Janie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not going anywhere except for the diner .... that's definitely the way ahead!

      Delete
  4. I don't mean to laugh at your pain but HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's right, you just laugh away while I get my feet shredded.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous26/6/16 18:11

    Just to make sure--you're not entirely pleased with your purchase?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're so good at picking up the subtle nuances of my posts, fishducky.

      Delete
  6. ... bath/shower mats are a real problem for me too.... I bought one from a catalogue that was supposed to be mildew resistant....well is isn't! It suctions to the floor well but is too heavy to stick on the wall to drip dry... we drape it over the shower chair and I have to soak and bleach it every few weeks....
    Why do I persist in using it? My 99 year old mother loves it.. she is the one who found it in the catalogue.. xxxx
    ..hugs... Barb xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nothing is mildew resistant. Even my husband has mould on his beard.

      Delete
  7. And this is why I don't buy such things from Amazon :)
    In fact I no longer buy anything from Amazon, since the shipping rate to Australia is now astronomical where once it used to be reasonable.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have an ethical problem with Amazon. But I manage to overcome it when I realise how easy it is. I am a sucker for convenience.

      Delete
  8. indeed. we did all get a laugh. Thank you Fran! here via Potty Mummy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And you're very welcome!! Thanks for visiting.

      Delete
  9. Haha!!! This is why I have never bought a bath mat. But I'm really pleased you did. It made my evening. How do you manage to create such visual posts? Felt as though I was there watching you. Fabulous :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I bet you get feedback from Amazon asking you to rate the packaging. I ordered a hard skin file thingy from Amazon & it arrived in a medium sized cardboard box with masses of paper wrapping. I commented that it was just as well I work in a charity shop as can re use the paper.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now you mention it, I think the packaging would have made a more comfortable shower mat. *thinks* I hope I've been using the right thing ....

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Evidence that Fran is still around

Reasons why Fran is desperately in search of earbuds

Evidence that Fran is looking forward to winter