The worst thing an animal owner can hear, is the vet suggesting that perhaps now is the time for a beloved pet to head over that rainbow bridge; to ‘go to sleep.’

In the end, it’s quite a straightforward decision, though the owner will have wrestled with their conscience, perhaps for days; maybe even weeks

I wonder if the same holds for owners of tired old toasters?

Surely there can be no other reason for the one in the breakfast room of my holiday apartment to continue being forced into service?

I mean, a new one wouldn’t be expensive to buy and would serve the owner for a long, long time. It would likely come with a guarantee and could even last as long as the Russell Hobbs model above.

I can understand the owner’s loyalty, but there comes a time when the kindest thing to do is unplug it one final time; let it pass the crust cross-over. Set it free.

As is, the poor thing is unable to cremate a piece of bread like any young toaster can. It’s no longer capable of ‘popping up’ at a moment’s notice … a sure sign of old age if there ever was one. 😉

It’s only a matter of time before it causes an accident.

Not so much a direct Health and Safety style accident from enticing impatient apartment guests to dive into its innards with metal tongs to retrieve the slowly browning bread. I think that would have to go down as a ‘schoolboy error’ by the imbeciles that do so.

No, I’m talking of death by the stampeding guests on the stairwell upon realising everyone else is headed to the breakfast room.

Nobody wants to waste twenty valuable holiday minutes in a queue for their bread to be slightly warmed and shamed into adopting a more interesting hue.

There’s no sadder sight than witnessing a toaster lose its dignity.

And there’s little worse than the sight of anemic toast being ripped apart as ice cold butter is forcibly spread across it’s surface.

It’s a tough call to make, but the right one; the only one.

Night night, sweet toaster.

_______