lirion

Actually, I don't know what saved me.
In the process of cleaning, I jsut unplugged the extension cord my oil heater is plugged into, so I cna put it away given proper Summer has now arrived. The heater had been a bit dodgy the last couple of times I used it - it's old and I figued was wearing out.
But nothing rpepared me for unplugging the cords and finding the connection a melted black and brown ruin. Scary shit! I am incredibly lucky it did not cause a fire. The connecting plug has blackened metal pronbgs and melted palstic stuck to it. The socket of the extension cord is irretrievably damaged, burned and melte dbeyond and use. I can't describe it. But it gave me one hell of a shock to look at! The heater shall be going to it's final death, and I shall be grateful the circuit was killed rather than starting a fire.

Today was washing day. Cleaning day revealed piles of clothing most of which was at least dusty enough tow arrant washing. not to mentioned a laod of towels and washing my heavy winter blankets etc. My washing machine does not work (though soemtime in the next week a new-to-me one is going to arrive, posisbly as soon as tomorrow) and so the washing tends to build up somewhat aside from essential items. So today I put the beach thigns out nto dry on the balcony and carted laundry over to my parents where I proceeded to do 5, yes, 5 loads of washing. And such a good drying day it was that the first was dry by the time the 3rd went on, and 2 and 3 were dry by the time 4 went on. I approve. Even after the 'cool' change came through, the wind was still there, just from another direction; only on a day where the temp reached 40 can 28 be described as a cool change :)

Then I came home with my new-to-me television table and at some stage I shall make progress in moving it over. It's a little larger than I had thought which might make room layout ideas not so feasible. Will have to see.

Tomorrow is possibly morning delivery of washing machine, and taking away of washing machine and dryer, as well as getting leaking toilet and blocked basin fixed. Then dentist at 12. Then shopping for storage containers. Which emans tonight will also involve clearing the space I want to stack them.

Such domesticity!

As opposed to drunken yobbo jerkwad fucktards like I have.

Wandering past on my way into my building this evening one charming drunken asshat sneeringly referred to me as the BFG. Charming. But there's more (and where is my free set of steak knives when I need it, huh?). On my way back out again, he and one of his equally drunken pig felching mates spat off the balcony at me. No really, I'm charmed.

To add to the glamour of this event, I believe these individuals were doing this to impress the female company they had at the time. If it worked then mroe fool the women.

Apparently I have some work to do on my formal invitation writing skills. Because as far as I can tell the cool change that's patiently sitting outside doesn't think it received a glossily enough engraved invite to enter my house, to judge from the heat still radiating from my walls...

Actually I can't quite tell if it's avatar is that of a stiff and proper regency lady coming to call, or some pesky little neighborhood kid of the type that rings your doorbell and then runs away giggling madly.

Either way, my flat is still boiling, despite windows and balcony door having been open for hours now :(

If I had a mattress that would fit I'd almost be tempted to try sleeping on my balcony :)

I have hot water! This makes for a happy Lirion. *does the happy dance*

I mean, it's only been a week. Luckily I haven't been home for a chunk of that time, but still.

Having to remove the cupboard to get into it to get it lit because the flint/piza/striker no longer sparks makes it a major production should the pilot blow out. Such s in the stupidly strong winds last Wednesday night... And given it's coming up to Spring, I'm sure there will be more of the same. Advantage of parent as landlord is that we might be getting a new hot water service just to avoid the round of swearing we went through getting it pulled apart tonight. we had to remove a chunk of fake skirting board to get the cupboard out and nearly had to pull up some lino. This was not a well thought out plan for maintenance when it was implemented clearly.

However, excuse me while I go and enjoy a hot shower in my own home. If the osdding pilot hasn't gone out again as the cupboard has gone home to be sanded back for better ease of removal int eh case of a repeat performance.

Mmmn, shower.

Up until the recent hot water debacle the pilot light for the hot water service had never gone out in the 10 months I've been living here.

During the aforementioned debacle it was discovered that the flint/lighter whatever youw ant to call it, was wearing out and hence lighting the pilot was a right royal pain in the behind. Not to mention that because the unit itself is French, the only spare part carried tends to be the diaphragm (which is what i had replaced). Imagine ym joy this morning when running water in the sink I disocver the pilot has gone out. Getting it relit the first time wasn't the issue. But it went out again 2 minutes later. And I couldn't relight it for love 'nor money (stupid inanimate objects that aren't open to bribery...) Also, due to what I term a flaw in the design, the only way to light it with matches or lighter etc is by removing the cover. As discovered during the debacle, doing this requires dismantling a kitchen cupboard.
I really think it's mroe worth my while to ry and find the part from somewhere if I can.

I finally got the fucker relit but I'm not holding out hopes of it staying that way.
Would lvoe to know why it chooses now to go out too. Curses.

Given I have some sort of fluey virus, being without hot water (again) is not an option I find at all palatable.

*shiver* Much as I tend to be a fan of a nice cold rinse after a boiling shower, I prefer to be the one ctonlling the temperature. This morning's was on the wrong side of tepid to be acceptable. Particularly when washing hair. Brrrr... Not so cold as to be unbreable, but certainly in the annoying category. And a cold rinse after a lukewarm shwoer feels far colder than after a hot one. Gues because ones skin hasn't been heated first.

Water was a bit funny yesterday too, but I still got a hot shower at least. I know they've been ripping up pipes of some description out back recently - the jackahmmers and concrete saws on Friday gave that particular game away - and they were working on it again today so I just assumed that it was likely a side effect. Though some warning would have been nice. Didn't think about it much further than that, simply hoped I'd have hot water by say, tonight or tomorrow.

Was chatting to Nae today while iw as down there visiting her and it was pointed out that if it was the water pipes then surely there would have been no running water at all.. Followed that with a phone call to Lindsay to see if he remembered better than I if my hot water service was gas or electric. He said eletric because it was under the kitchen sink. And to check the fuses when I got home, maybe it had blown. Ok...

Got home, all fuses intact, poked the hot water service, oh look, there's a gas tap... Can only assume they turned the gas off when digging up pipes and hence I lost my pilot light. Next problem was relighting it. Let's start with the fact that instructions are on the side of the unit and hence almost unreadable due to the lack of space between the wall and the unit. Getting past that, following them was easy enough. I could even swear I heard the pilot light after several attempts and a brief break to let the smell of gas dissipate. Oh and look, there it is, ncie blue flame... Now, how long does it take for hot water to heat anyways? Because what's coming out of the tap now is icy cold, nevermind lukewarm... *sigh* *taps foot imaptiently*

And gas makes me lightheaded... Though at least the back of the cupboard is ventilated.

And I was hoping for a nice hot bath tonight.

That happens in Winter when the rooms i spend the most time in both face east.
I ahve to keep reminding myself that it means in summer they don't get as hot either and it's easier to heat than cool (thoguh damn it's expensive).

But it's also good incentive to cook using the oven more in winter. then ic an dry clthes int eh kitchen making great use of the excess heat. And my kitchen steams up like the tropics...

Though I'll have to be careful what I'm cooking... could be like plastering an invisible 'Eat me' sign to myself as I walk down teh street...

I have my bed. My very comfortable bed. My first Queen Size bed. Wish no cheap pine slats that break. And it's 3 weeks ahead of schedule. The service from Sleepy Sam's has been wonderful all round, I couldn't be happier. And I did well on price as well.

It's all good basically.

Now I think I need to curl up and read on it :)