This a reworking of a piece I wrote a few years back following a trip to Ikea. Hardly anyone read it then, so second time lucky – hopefully!
Gosh, this is heavy. A few steps more, through the door, round the corner and drop it to the floor. Hey, that sounds like a poem!
Right, off with the packaging and I’m ready to go!
This looks simple. Twenty assorted screws, one allen key, ten bits of wood and in minutes I’ll have a Billy bookcase!
Now, this one here, that one there. No, that one there, this one here. Ah, that goes…err…no …grrrrr!
Look, I’ve done it! Yea! Now to stand it upright. Heeeeve-ho. Wow, look at that!
Oh, it’s upside down.
I think I need a coffee break.
- Did you know, the Billy bookcase is Ikea’s biggest selling item with over 60 million sold worldwide – two of which are in my apartment!
Thanks to Rochelle for hosting and to Penny Gadd for the photo.
Prod the frog to join in the fun!
Fun story, Keith, and how nice of Froggy to help you with it.
He has his uses! Thanks so much.
🙂 YW
One reader. Next.
Yea, a reader at last! Cheers Denise.
Love it!
Thanks so much!
A well-known story – whole days have been lost after those quick trips to Ikea! 🙂
I’ve never had a ‘quick’ trip to Ikea – I spend ages buying things I don’t need and eating meatballs!
Or getting lost in the maze they make you walk all the way round!
I felt like I was watching Hubby try to build a bookshelf… hahah! Silly man waited until I was napping to do it… Great Writing!
So, hubby ‘tried’ to build it! Has he finished yet? Cheers
Yeh, he finished… woke me up with the hammer. Silly man. Love him, but sometimes he’s silly.
The joys of putting furniture together. I love the Froggy illustration! 🙂
I quire enjoy it – how sad is that? At least I have a frog to help me!
Actually it can be satisfying, can’t it? 🙂
Ha ha, I’m pleased to say I’ve never had to construct a piece of furniture from Ikea! Nice one, Keith.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
It’s either satisfying or frustrating! You should try one day!
Ah yes… the joys of assembling Ikea furniture!
Too much fun with the frog, sir!
I’ve got a house full of the stuff so I’m something of an authority on it!
I did, once upon a time, too!
That’s always the best part, putting it together!
I quite agree but many others wouldn’t! Cheers Mimi
Hi Keith – I enlist an engineer to ‘build’ these! So yes … as you say – though I think I’d go for something stronger!! Cheers Hilary
Okay, so I did lace the coffee with something! Thanks, Hilary.
I can identify with that. Good one.
…as can people across the world no doubt! Thanks, Sandra.
Is there a manual to correct ‘upside down’ mishaps?
I think I may have had the Australian instructions! Cheers Reena
😀😀
I assume you followed Step 1, Keith. – Throw away the instructions.
That always makes it more challenging and fun.
Every time Russell!
Nice humor. Billy should go to trade school and learn to build book cases
Thanks for dropping by Larry
Isn’t that always the way. Don’t follow the instructions and it comes out deformed. Follow the instructions and they’ll mislead you everytime.
I admit to being a retrospective instruction reader so I have had a few strange results!
These things always seem to take me five times longer to build than I think they should.
Don’t I know it!
Ha! Ha! Sometimes I long for that unassembled life when I didn’t know what an Allen key was.
That Allen chap has a lot to answer for! Cheers!
A fun story which I can certainly relate to. “No problem” it’ll be finished in a snap … hours later my husband rues the day he bought it. (haha)
Also, love what you do with the frog!!
Some people who work in Ikea showrooms have to do this all day every day – imagine that. I spent ages putting Froggie together this week! Thanks, Brenda
Do you read the instructions first or only after you get stuck?
There is a new!! crowd game going on, where lots of teenagers play hide and seek in IKEA.
They called the police in Edinburgh.
Afterwards, whether its furniture or a new electrical gadget! What a perfect place to play hide and seek – even I fancy a go at it!
The experience my family and I have had building furniture from IKEA! Especially the bed frames and day beds.
The bigger it is the more difficult it proves! Hopefully, you got your beds sorted by bedtime!
We did – though we went to bed a lot later than usual! 😄
yes, methinks you need a break and start over. 🙂
Exactly! Cheers plaridel.
I’m laughing mightily, here. 😀 We have a couple of IKEA Billy bookcases and went through exactly what you described. It’s supposed to be simple, right? 😛 Cheers!
A shared experience world-wide!
This was fun!
That’s kind of you, thanks.
Coffee break? Maybe something a little stronger? 😀
Yes, why not?!! Cheers Tannille
Great depiction of an universal experience.
Indeed it is. Thanks so much.
IKEA instructions are very much like that, look simple but are not at all! I am sure everyone has had this experience at least once.
…at least! But I still love them!
maybe I should get one of these bookcases…
Cheap and cheerful!
Hilarious, and such a common experience! Glad you gave this one a re-run 🙂
Thanks so much Linda
It is much quicker to build a bookcase with some bricks and a few planks, 🙂
Why didn’t I think of that!
Brave of you to DIY. I always end up with missing or extra pieces. 😊
It can be very frustrating!
Sounds like fun. Upside down, eh??? Never mind – you do get used to it. 🙃
Even more fun if I stack the books upside down too! Thanks Margaret.
Nice read Keith! 🙂
Thanks for the fact! 😀
Thanks so much – my pleasure!
I loved the story, Keith. I also loved the frog. He’s multi-talented I see. 🙂 — Suzanne
My personal assistant! Thanks Suzanne.
Billy fills the world… it’s actually a copy of a shelf from a Swedish bookcase manufacturer called Lundqvist… Love your frog
I learn something every day! Cheers
Hahahagah ! Great take on the prompt Keith, you would think they are easy to assemble but I dunno it’s super hard and why is there a screw left over! Argh not again !
Keith,
I’m sure the assembly instructions were all wrong. It’s surprising how often we’ve run into that problem. Thankfully, DH has a keen sense of picking up what sounds correct and is able to make the adjustment before we blow too many fuses in our head trying to decipher our mix up. 😊
Very true, and even if it’s not, a good excuse!