Aieee - back to the data mines
Jan. 2nd, 2008 12:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
abendgules This working for a living lark has serious drawbacks. Going back to work after hols is one of the biggest. I feel like a slug on downers.
Spent Christmas very quietly with my sweetie, my favourite way. Lots of slothing, reading, TV and some sewing, knitting and crafting.
Spent post-Christmas w/ a small selection of friends, includingstarmadeshadow, and Sebastien WINOLJ, and my cousin Myra and her partner Jim, both visiting from Canada.
New Year's was spent w/ Master Paul and milady Anne, with Anne and me sewing, and the gents drinking beer and talking food.
Robert fed everyone (me, guests, himself) til we urped and squeaked.
New Year's Eve was, of course, the day that the boiler gave up - no pilot light. Thankfully it's been mild, 5-8 deg C, most days. Our flat tends to reflect the outdoor temp - unremarkable while mild, miserable in the real cold.
That was also the day we discovered that the contract w/ British Gas (arranged by the landlord) doesn't cover emergency service.
We also cannot request service - has to go through the contract holder. That would be contract holder who lives abroad...Sigh.
SO: After several tries through assorted numbers, we finally got hold of our landlady's father, who agreed to help arrange a call. Robert trotted off to find an electric heater, and we lit candles and the oven to help warm the house.
The earliest an engineer was available was/is tomorrow - meaning 3 days w/out heat. Thankfully, though, our heating system and water heater are two different units, so we still had showers, and hot water for the kitchen and gas for the stove & oven.
We're due for still more housing drama shortly: we got a notice announcing that the scaffolding goes up to replace our windows in mid-January. What a splendid time to open the entire flat to the great outdoors! Though with any luck, we'll actually be away when they get round to our flat.
We're warned to put away our valuables, notify our insurers, and to be suitably cautious about letting anyone who claims to be a builder into the flat. I guess it's a regular scam, using the building works as an excuse to scope out future robberies. Delightful.
Spent post-Christmas w/ a small selection of friends, including
starmadeshadow, and Sebastien WINOLJ, and my cousin Myra and her partner Jim, both visiting from Canada. New Year's was spent w/ Master Paul and milady Anne, with Anne and me sewing, and the gents drinking beer and talking food.
Robert fed everyone (me, guests, himself) til we urped and squeaked.
New Year's Eve was, of course, the day that the boiler gave up - no pilot light. Thankfully it's been mild, 5-8 deg C, most days. Our flat tends to reflect the outdoor temp - unremarkable while mild, miserable in the real cold.
That was also the day we discovered that the contract w/ British Gas (arranged by the landlord) doesn't cover emergency service.
We also cannot request service - has to go through the contract holder. That would be contract holder who lives abroad...Sigh.
SO: After several tries through assorted numbers, we finally got hold of our landlady's father, who agreed to help arrange a call. Robert trotted off to find an electric heater, and we lit candles and the oven to help warm the house.
The earliest an engineer was available was/is tomorrow - meaning 3 days w/out heat. Thankfully, though, our heating system and water heater are two different units, so we still had showers, and hot water for the kitchen and gas for the stove & oven.
We're due for still more housing drama shortly: we got a notice announcing that the scaffolding goes up to replace our windows in mid-January. What a splendid time to open the entire flat to the great outdoors! Though with any luck, we'll actually be away when they get round to our flat.
We're warned to put away our valuables, notify our insurers, and to be suitably cautious about letting anyone who claims to be a builder into the flat. I guess it's a regular scam, using the building works as an excuse to scope out future robberies. Delightful.
