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Friday night/Saturday early morning .. stayed up late to watch the qualifying for the 1st F1 race of the year .. can't miss that .. been watching for decades .. but it meant a very late to bed night ... Saturday I had to go to the post office .. check my 'gent' was ok after the shopping trip .. then it was back to bed for 2 hours Saturday afternoon ready for the F1 race I didn't know whether to stay up and wait .. or go to bed early and get up early .. so I stayed up .. great race .. full of surprises (but then the 1st race of the year usually is) . thrills, spills, and interesting 'developments' .. after the race I checked my emails did a few bits and bobs .. then went to bed at 7am Sunday morning .. hahahha ...
Sunday afternoon I went into Cambridge to look at the sheltered housing place .. it's a nice enough place .. but sadly in completely the wrong place .. I got my scooter out to try out the journey into the shopping places .. but turned back when I got to the ENORMOUS and extremely BUSY cross roads .. no ... NO .. I can't face having to cross that each and every time I wanted to get into town .. the 'window of opportunity' for crossing seems so short that I would really fear getting stranded mid way .. it's a fatal accident waiting to happen .. so that's that .. I'd rather wait a year and get the place I want .. than go to this place .. I just know I wouldn't go out much .. in a way I would feel just as 'trapped' there as I feel here ..
Tried to go to bed early last night .. but then couldn't sleep .. woke up at 11am .. so still adjusting to all the sleep pattern changes over the weekend ..
Wow Toots, you've certainly been busy!
I was off work last week, my home PC is dial-up so I don't tend to post much when I'm off -too much like hard work - but I enjoyed the mousey tales.
Liked hearing about your neighbour. Reminds me of my nan who used to toddle off round the shops twice a day, every day, well into her eighties. My dad is 80 this year and as fit as a flea apart from being slightly underweght and having poor eyesight. He goes out for a walk every day - it's amazing!
Sorry to hear the place wasn't right for you but it wil be SO worth the wait to get the right one. Gives you more time to clear out too of course.
Hope you have a good night's kip tonight
Goodness me what a morning I've had ...
Turned the heating to it's daytime setting as usual .. it's been getting a bit temperamental lately (well the calor gas heating system is 20 years old) .. and it's been 'kettling' .. so I usually just let it warm up a bit .. them turn it up fully once it gets it's arthritic joints working properly .. (sigh .. I know the feeling .. we have aged together hahahah) .. only this morning it must have got fed up with life ..
Because .. I think it's blown a gasket somewhere .. all of a sudden there was a furious banging and pounding coming from behind the boiler (Baxi Bermuda fire with back boiler) .. and literally clouds of steam billowed out from the kitchen cupboard where all the knobs, pump etc are for the boiler ..
I leapt up and ran .. yes folks I really did RUN .. to the on/off switch .. then courageously pulled open the cupboard and literally hoicked all the linen, towels etc straight out onto the floor .. covered myself over with a towel in case steam shot out from somewhere .. and looked for where the leak would be ..
... only ... I can't find one .. yet my kitchen was filed with steam .. there must have been a t least one droplet of water surely .. yet when I ran my hands over all the pipes and joints .. all perfectly dry .. none even hot .. of course the radiators were RED HOT .. and singing loudly ... so fearing the worst I threw open the doors ... then walked round for the next 30 minutes checking each radiator in turn for leaks .. blimey .. nothing ...
So .. here we have it .. I KNOW the back boiler has overcooked itself .. I know that clouds of steam billowed out from the cupboard .. I KNOW the boiler stinks of HOT metal .. yet I can find nothing wrong ..
I don't think I shall turn it on again until I have an expert check it out .. well I know I won't .. back boilers can and do explode .. and I am not so stupid as to let that happen .. not with me in the home anyway .. but I have turned on the front fire part .. stood and watched it for 30 minutes .. made sure it's safe .. got to have some heating ...
But it's typical isn't it .. Murphy's Law .. if something can go wrong it will .. and it will only go wrong late at night or on the first day of a long Bank holiday .. hahahahah
Oh Patootie, that must have been a real scare! When something like the boiler goes 'pop' you know it's serious. I think you were both brave and sensible to check it out so thoroughly. And I'm sure you're right not to try to use it until a professional has come to sort out the leak, which obviously IS there. But will you be able to get someone over the weekend? Because it's awfully cold at the moment, and I don't think you should be without heating in this weather, should you?
And yes, it IS Murphy's Law. Years ago when we only had our daughter Mr Chuggs was away for a business trip and it froze hard. We were living in Surrey, and all the water pipes froze so we had only the cold tap in the kitchen. And the roads were blocked with snow, so basically the two of us were snowed in for 3 days. Carried pots of water from the kitchen to the bathroom so we could flush the loo, boiled kettles so we could have sponge baths in the kitchen standing in the washing-up bowl. But we had a blast (and watched Mary Poppins approximinate 14 times a day....!)
Will your new accommodation have a central system so that this kind of thing is taken care of for you? And is there any more word on when or where you might move???
No .. I can't get anything done about it until Tuesday ..
But I have had the front part of the fire .. those totally useless little flames that are mainly for effect rather than heating on .. managed to keep the whole place warm .. to 15C anyway .. not really warm enough .. but better than nothing .. worse thing is I shan't dare to leave the fire on tonight when I go to bed .. just in case a chimney seal goes .. (anything could have happened when the boiler let go) .. it's been ok all day .. but you never know .. and if I were to go to bed and a seal went .. well that's it .. shan't wake up ..
I have a little electric fire coming for me tomorrow .. one I had lent to a neighbour for her daughter when her heating went last week .. I'd said it was ok until they went over next .. but now I've had to ring them and ask for it back hehehehe .. so from tomorrow I shall have nighttime heat too .. an extra fleece on the bed tonight and I'll be fine .. I hope ..
Yes .. once I get moved the places are centrally heating and all maintenance work and costs is done for you .. woohooo ... no news yet about when a place will become available .. but that's ok .. it will give me more time to 'downsize' my possessions .. I've already sent a 'ton' of stuff to various charities .. but I can't see any 'gaps' appearing yet .. hehehe ..
Been a funny old weekend .. wind, rain, hail, sleet, cold, sunshine, snow .. just about every weather you can imagine ..
SNOW
woke up this morning to find my world had gone white .. rang my sister in Australia to wish her a 'Happy Christmas' .. she laughed when I said it was more like Christmas than Easter .. then a horrid rain cloud came and flushed all the snow away .. which means .. the rain then turned to ice .. 
I wonder what happened to 'normal' British weather .. will we ever get back out 4 seasons .. or will we always have to put up with a bit of everything all mished mashed up together ..
I think it will be too cold for me to go to Thorney tomorrow for the 10K race .. one thing I can't cope with is getting too cold .. dratted muscle spasms start and then it's not very nice .. and not really safe to be driving ..
But .. I wish EVERYONE a good and speedy race .. I do so hope the weather behaves .. and that the snow has cleared away for safe footing ..
Hi Toots et al,
Hope you are managing to keep warm despite the dodgy boiler.
I got so fed up yesterday I actually had the heating on most of the day. I did, however go out for a lovely 40 minute run in the snow, it was great, all wet and sloshy along the canal. I'd never run in the snow before and I thoroughly enjoyed it - made me feel very dedicated although I'm only training for a 10k at the moment
Hope the Easter Bunny brought you all some yummy chocolate. OH and I shared a Lindt bunny - although when I say "shared" I mean I had most of it
Ooooh, get you, Screamy! Well done, chugging in the snow like that! Wasn't it very slippery? That's what I'm always scared of. Years ago when I was hillwalking in the Highlands I had a nasty fall on some ice and I've been scared of it ever since. Hats off to you!
Patootie, I tried to post last night, and thought I had, til I noticed this morning that the screen said 'You haven't posted a message' when I most certainly had!!!
Anyway, it's not good at all about the heater, but I do admire how sensible you are about it. I just hope you aren't too cold, cos this is really NOT the weather to be without heating, especially for you! Did you get the electric fire back? And is it enough to keep you comfortable? I'm sure you're right not to try to go to Thorney tomorrow, because the wind is really like knives out there.
It's cold here too: we woke up to that Merry Christmas feeling as well! Snow flurries all through the day, and more tonight. We are taking off early in the morning to drive to France, where we have an old farmhouse (bought with my half of the money when we had to sell my parents' house when Dad died 5 years ago, so it always feels like a gift from Mum and Dad). Looks like the weather will be a bit nasty as far as Paris but after that it should get, if not warm, at least milder.
Will you be able to get the central heating people out to you tomorrow? Surely you're entitled to SOME priority there?? It really will be good when you've moved and someone else sorts this stuff out, won't it?!?
Hi GC,
It was wet rather than slippery. There were a few frozen puddles along the canal towpath I had to be careful of but it was otherwise ok. I didn't run my last two "easy" runs easy enough so it helped slow me down which was a good thing.
Someone threw a snowball at me at one point and missed. I turned round and said "Ooh, bad shot", LOL
Much nicer weather today though - now that the Easter holiday is over - typical!
Glorious sunshine here .. today .. but snow again yesterday ... typical Easter
I know all about those winds that go across the Thorney Fens .. I used to live very close to there as a child .. we often used to bike to Thorney .. back in the good old days when kiddies could go out alone .. we used to pedal furiously to get speed up to pass the pond .. the pond where the headless coachman and his coach and horses rose up in the dead of night to travel around the fen roads .. but we took no chances of it happening in broad daylight and pedalled as fast as we could to get past ... there was once a small zoo (or maybe wildlife park) at Thorney .. now don't laugh .it's true .. and there was a big old gorilla there .. in a small manky old cage .. we used to sit and just look at each other .. his eyes were so sad .. he used to make me cry .. and when he got into a rage he would shake the whole cage to and fro .. very scary .. it would never pass any modern day regulations .. and I believe the poor old thing just sat down and decided to die one day .. but I was only about 9-10 so I can't really remember properly what happened .. all very sad ..
Weathers played havoc with all my various weather related problems though .. I'm sore all over, bunged up, and my hands hurt like stink .. flippin' arthritic joints ..
Good news on the boiler front .. I have been accepted for a grant towards getting it sorted out .. and I am just waiting for the heating company to ring me and tell me how quickly they can come and help me ..
Got to be a shorter post today .. thumbs are rather sore .. so wearing my splints and that makes typing harder
No probs Toots, rest those thumbs and come back when you feel better
As a kid we used to stay in Cornwall with my auntie who lived a mile from the nearest main road (and a mile is much longer of course when you're a child). As I got older my mum and dad used to jet off to Portugal while I (out of choice) carried on going to Cornwall.
I spent hours out on my own in the middle of nowhere for three weeks every summer - just me, the dog and the cows. Wonderful times!
I do realise now though just how bleak it must have been for my auntie during the winter. She lives in sheltered accommodation near Newquay now.
Checks outside the window .... yup .. right on queue it's gloriously warm .. fire's off and windows open
Now .. I want to tell you a little story .. hehehe ... about 3 years ago when I was in Ely shopping .. I saw a stonkingly good bargain at the "Pound shop" .. packs of 1,000 cotton buds for just £1 each .. I mean that's totally dirt cheap .. and I do like a bit of a furtle here and there with a cotton bud after a shower .. so I thought .. yup .. that's a good offer I'll have one of those .. but as I got closer I saw there was an even more staggering offer .. £1 for packs of 1,000 .. OR .. £3 for 5 x 1,000 ... well .. you know me .. can't resist extra value bargains like that .. so I grabbed 5 packs and happily paid my £3 ..
Only ... in my sheer greed for the ultimate bargain .. I never quite thought enough about just how many 1,000 cotton buds is .. never mind 5,000 ... even if I used 5 cotton buds a day they would last me 1,000 days use .. or 3 years !!! .. At most I only use 2 a day on average which is over 6.5 years of use .. and that's if I remember to use them every single day!!
So I can't help but laugh ... because you see I have only just opened the second packet .. in 3 years I have only managed to use 1,000 cotton buds .. and that's being creative with them and using them for all sorts of things other than after shower furtlings .. so in a way my bargain was not quite such a bargain as I at first imagined .. but then I do have a lifetimes supply .. I won't ever have to buy another cotton bud .. hahahahahaha
Didn't I say it would warm up before you got your heating fixed? I actually took my gloves off at lunchtime today -gasp!
I am trying to ecenomise on cotton buds. I was putting tea tree oil on one for any spots and blemishes then throwing it away and using another one to get the eye serum out of a broken container. Now I use both ends of the same one.
Still I know where to come if I run out
The engineer has been ...
With typical predictability the flamin' central heating worked perfectly .. I am still basking in 20 degree heat .. and however high the engineer tried to make the heating go (was up to 25C at one point) the wretched thing just wouldn't go wrong again ..
So I had to deploy my plan B .. and burst out crying saying how scared I had been and how I simply couldn't trust it ever again .. and how ill it had made me over the weekend with the shock and everything .. I really hate playing the 'dumb, stupid female' role .. but on this occasion needs must !
So .. a second engineer is coming out to take the thing to pieces and inspect it .. which is something that this engineer is apparently not qualified to do .. as he is only an installations engineer ..
It's just soooooooooooooooo annoying that it worked perfectly .. he KNOWS it had failed on Friday because when I described what happened it fit perfectly with what should have happened in those circumstances .. and when I asked him if it might happen again .. he said there was a possibility but that it was 'very unlikely' .. so I said .. as 'very unlikely' as it happening in the first place .. yes he said .. ohh well I said so in other words it's '100% possible' that the 'very unlikely' event will happen again then .. umm .. well .. yes he said ..
So I then asked .. and what would happen if it did do the 'very unlikley' thing while I was asleep or out .. he started to look very uncomfortable .. so I said .. well WHAT would happen .. well it's likely it would explode .. so I looked at him and said .. and are you happy to walk away from here today knowing that I have a 20 year old boiler that is likely to explode at some point .. NO he said .. which is the point where he made the call to get a second engineer out ..
Sometimes life doesn't play very fair does it ..
Just rung them back to say I am now sitting 'terrified' with a back boiler that is bent on self destruct and hoping to take me with it ..
Just before 5pm ... they rang me ... I had a wonderful conversation with a lovely lady called Jean .. she was horrified at what had happened with the installations engineer .. she told me it wasn't up to the fitting company to just walk away and leave me with a boiler that potentially could become a 'bomb' .. he should have measured up there and then to get a new system sorted ... that was the brief they had .. not to just say a few placating words and wash his hands of it all .... so I get the feeling heads will roll ..
I did my best for the poor guy as h was only doing what his compay told him to do .. and I did explain to Warm Front .. that he hadn't seen any problem occur while he was here .. I mean he was a very nice man .. as perplexed as me at why it had happened at all .. so I hope it's not his head that will roll .. it's his superiors ... can someone sharpen the guillotine please ...
Hi Patootie,
Gosh what a c*ck up eh?
Glad someone you spoke to has seen sense though. When is it likely to be sorted?
Patpptoe, you stick with that boiler thingy. That's no joke! Hopefully your nice lady Jean will be on the case with you.
Sorry to have been out of touch but we are having a few days' holiday and the internet connection here in rural France is totally impossible: transfers data at 26 kps so am just popping in to say hi while in a café with an internet pooter. Will be back in proper cyberspace in a couple of days, by which time I really hope that boiler will have been sorted!!!! xxx
Sigh .. no engineer until NEXT Monday .. grrrr ... ohh well .. haven't needed heating for the last two days so I hope that carries on ..
BUT ...... I've just had some wonderful news .. as I don't get out a lot I try and keep active doing things on the Internet .. and with a plethora of online competitions to choose from and all free to enter I apply myself to entering all the comps that have a prize I would like to win ...
Just got this email .. and it's EXACTLY what I needed as my old TV's picture has just started being 'hourglass' shaped for the first 30 minutes or so after turning on .. and it's a whopping great big box shaped old fashioned 15 year old jobbie
"Dear XXXXCongratulations! You are the winner of the Gadgetspeak March Members' competition and have won the Humax 19" LCD TV.In order that we can arrange delivery of our prize, please confirm within the next 7 days that we currently hold the right address details for you:
XXXXX
Once confirmed, we shall pass your details to Humax who will arrange to deliver your prize directly to you.Once again, congratulations, and we hope that you will continue to visit Gadgetspeak often.Kind RegardsCaroline Wilson
Gadgetspeak www.gadgetspeak.com "
http://www.gadgetspeak.com/gadget/article.rhtm/753/489933/Humax_LGB-19DZT_-_19_Digital_LCD_TV.html
Ooh fabby a new telly
Forecast is for relatively mild from now through to the weekend so you shoud be ok re the boiler.
My 15 year old TV is a thumpin' grut big 'un .. it's a big cube shaped thing .. over 21" on all sides .. to move it's 50+lbs
bulk (when it arrived 2 'strong' men struggled to lift it) takes every bit of my energy and strength .. and then some .. the new TV will be a positively dainty 17" high, 20" wide and a miniscule 7" deep .. will weigh a mere 18lbs .. still a fair weight to lift .. but the easy to handle shape makes it a breeze to lift .. I know this as I had already been to look at some TV's ready for when I move into the new flat 
At first I was a bit disappointed it was 'only' a 19" TV .. but realistically in a small room that will be more than big enough .. a a big plus is that it can be wall mounted .. so if I am really cramped for space when I move (note the 'when' not 'if'
) .. I can always free up some space by wall mounting it.
Other plus feature are that it's HD ready has a fast response time and has all the scart and HDMI connections I'll need .. built in freeview, digit radio and has an enhanced sound thingymajig that according to the reviews makes it sound very good and they top all that off with a FREE 3 year warranty too
Wobbleator update .. I am now doing 10 minutes a day .. my muscles do seem to be getting stronger .. now and then I even find I have ''walked off (well waddled off) without my stick .. I think now I have got it to the 10 minute stage I am going to drop back to 5 minutes and use it twice daily .. then if I can build that up to doing 10 minutes each session I think I will really start to see some good results happening ..
I would definitely recommend these moving platform power trainers .. especially for folks like me who find moving their muscles themselves difficult or painful .. (obviously do check with your doctor first to be on the safe side if you have a medical condition) .. I had to start with the 30 secs on the lowest setting .. but in 3 months I have got up to the 10 minutes on a medium setting without too much difficulty .. and I am positive that I have had less muscle cramping or painful muscles and I am sleeping better too .. I only wake up now for the frequent trips to the bathroom .. not because my leg muscles have cramped or are aching ..
I'm also just starting to try out the different positions you can use .. standing on one leg for instance .. (had to turn down the intensity to do that ) .. sitting on the bed and just putting my feet onto the platform .. (gives the calves a nice work out ) .. and bending over and putting just my hands onto the platform .. now I couldn't have done that when I first got it .. so I have clearly got more 'supple' all over ..
I think given time I am going to greatly benefit from my wobbleator .. and I am sure it would be of benefit to all you 'fit and healthy' runners who can't get out to run for a few days .. or as part of the preparation for longer runs as you are getting the muscle toning without the constant impact .. it would be great through the winter too .. if it was too cold and really bad weather .. probably be useful as part of the 'warming up' leg muscles before runs too ..
Brilliant Toots, I am so jealous.
We have a big widescreen thing. All well and good bit you can't see crawler messages or crcket scores with the strecthed picture.
Doubtless when it is time to replace it we'll go for a nice shiny HD one. We've only had this one about 3 years though.
Hi Patoootie, great news about the TV. We got an lcd TV a little while back and it is amazing how small and light they are compared to the old style ones - will be much easier for when you move. Actually I won something recently - a pair of running shoes in the Saucony RW competition - very exciting, it's great getting something for nothing
Glad to hear you are building up time on the wobbleator and that it is having a positive effect. So will they fit a new boiler on Monday whether the old one works or not? I hope so, it sounds a bit scary as it is.
I can't use the boiler at all .. it's been completely switched off for 2 weeks .. other than the 4 hours from when the engineer came and looked at it (and that's ALL he did .. just sat and looked at it ) .. and it 'blew up' in clouds of steam again .. when this next chap comes on Monday .. he will also 'look' at it .. try and work out what's failed .. what needs replacing ... and then they'll search for a couple of weeks to find parts (non existent for my 20 year old boiler) .. then finally decide to fit a new one ..
But .. a friend rang me to say that Warm Front were getting really bad PR on Watchdog the other night .. so I am going to have to have some blunt and to the point chats with Warm Front to see exactly what they are paying for ..
I like it when Watchdog get on the case.
I had a nice call from them to discuss a complaint I had about a kitchen fitting company. I imagine the investigation did finally get on air but I never saw it.
I had a chat with them about my Watchdog concerns .. seems the main case they cited was a man who had heating fitted in 2003 and kept complaining it wasn't working properly but independent engineers checked it and found it was OK ..
AND .... and I've won another prize ...
Congratulations you are a winner with Visit Scotland and Thorntons !
I am pleased to tell you that you have won a fabulous prize of a Thorntons Wickedly White Hamper courtesy of Visit Scotland White Campaign. Please contact us as soon as possible to make arrangements for your hamper to be couriered to you.
Ohhh dear .. a chocolate hamper .. a THORNTONS chocolate hamper .. bang goes the diet .. hahahaha