Thursday 31 January 2019

Thursday

Minus seven here overnight.   I tried to alter the central heating to stay on for twenty four hours rather than the twelve it does now - in my innocence I thought I could just turn the thermostat down and it would tick over - but in fact I just couldn't do it correctly.   My son came round to see if he could help (at 10pm) but although he thought he had done it correctly he hadn't and again it stayed off all night.   The people who lived here before couldn\t find any of the instruction books to ovens, central heating etc. and although the instructions on the wall thing are quite detailed neither of us was able to succeed.
I am having the boiler serviced on Tuesday next week so the engineer should be able to do it for me - sod's law suggests that the cold snap may well be over by then.

We have not had snow.   There is thick ice on my car and the footpath looks slippery to say the least  -hence my intention to cancel my hair appointment in a few minutes.   There is no point in inviting a fall on the ice - there have been two Obits in The Times during the last week where death was 'as the result of a fall'.   The sun is already up and there is no wind, so it looks like another lovely day (if you are inside looking out).   More later if there is anything of interest to report.

The sun has been out all day and it was warm in the sun and out of the wind.   The ice more or less melted on the paths and cars- certainly on my side of the road.   I haven't taken Tess for a walk today - too slippery first thing and then at lunch time Petpals took her for her hour-long walk as they always do on Thursdays and Fridays;  I was too weak willed to take a walk for my health's sake, so just tatted about doing a bit of filing, writing a few notes for my book group on Monday, doing the Sudoku in The Times - and then it was time for tea.

Now a bit of fog has come down, it is still, very dark with lots of stars and thick ice everywhere.   No snow though.

26 comments:

thelma said...

Stay home, stay safe Pat. It is indeed beautiful looking out, the frosted fields lit up by a faint pink glow at the moment. Do you have a secondary source of heat just in case the boiler goes wrong?

the veg artist said...

Try putting a photo of the heating control box on here - I'm sure one of us will have the same model.

Gwil W said...

Not to worry. It could be worse.
Look at the awful weather in Chicago. It's like -60 with windchill factor. I hope it doesn't come over here.

Rachel Phillips said...

I am sorry that your life is complicated in this way Weave. I have an oil-filled radiator that I plug in which makes life easy and warmer for me when the temperature drops like last night. They are handy as a back-up.

Tom Stephenson said...

Turning the thing off completely is the sort of thing that I would do. Anything which involves plumbing or electrics, I get a plumber or an electrician to do!

Jennyff said...

If you have the model no etc for your boiler you or someone else might find a copy of the manual on line. We were in the same situation here and managed to find a lot of info through google searches. Minus 5 late morning in Ilkley, keep warm.

Sue said...

Freezing fog here in Lincolnshire, no sunshine today.

Heather said...

Very cold down here too - I gave my winter coat a treat and wore it this morning. I was able to keep my hairdressing appointment as the pavements are clear here, but very glad to know that you didn't risk keeping yours. I had promised my son that I wouldn't go out if the paths were icy.
Keep warm and safe.x

Anonymous said...

Please be careful? Can someone walk the dog for you? It is 4 degrees Fahrenheit here. We have had single digits for over 24 hours here in The Midwest USA.

I heard an emergency room physician give a little talk and he said to put thick socks over your shoes for a brief step outside, it gives more traction than nothing on your shoes. He said they see more people in this weather for falls than anything else!

Be safe. Love my daily read of your blog. Karen

Mary said...

Do be really careful outside in this weather Pat - you are right to stay home if the appointments aren't important enough to risk a fall.
Hope the heating is fixed soon. Very cold here this morning but sunny and bright, will be getting really warm again in the coming days.
I feel for the people in the mid-west, dangerous weather pattern there currently.
Hugs - to you and Tess - Mary

Minigranny said...

I think the older central heating thermostats were much less complicated than the modern ones The suggestion of googling the model number and seeing if you can find clearer instructions on line could work - I've had success with this for various appliances.Keep snuggled up in the warm. Sheila

Jules said...

Stay home and stay warm Pat. You can sometimes access instruction manuals online if that is of any help. X

donna baker said...

You are wise Pat. My best friend owns several funeral homes and she refuses to drive in inclement weather especially during winter. She has seen far too many deaths related to wrecks and falls. That is telling. After horrible wind chills and cold, this weekend is going to be bright and warm. I can hardly wait.

Joanne Noragon said...

I do not understand modern thermostats until each one is explicitly explained to me. And technicians who say "but it's intuitive" should be made to use a dial phone!

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

My mother's house had a very complicated thermostat. I used to consult the instructions but they were even more complicated! Hope you've got it all sorted out now because it's going to be cold again tonight. Keep warm and keep safe.

Derek Faulkner said...

It was the most perfect early morning here, a very hard frost and blue skies and a rising sun. Sorry, but how anybody could sleep with the CH on all night amazes me - too warm, too dry. CH comes on 05.00 to 06.00 and 17.00 to 20.30. If it's too cold in between I put on an extra jumper.

Sue said...

Schools were delayed 2 hours here this morning so it would get a little warmer before the children had to stand outside to get the bus. My little Pixie is a 5 pound long-haired chihuahua. Her little feet get so cold when I take her outside that she sits down and puts her back feet up in the air and won't move. As cold as it is here, it is brutal in the Midwest.

The Weaver of Grass said...

The Gas engineer is coming to service my boiler on Tuesday so he should be able to explain my instructions to me. I didn't find it too cold in the night = I always get very snug and warm.

Thanks everyone for your visit.

Virginia said...

I have a HRV system with ridiculous instructions and I just ring the company and the kind woman talks me through changing things. She’s so friendly and unfazed I suspect she’s doing it frequently and it’s part of her job. My point - could you ring someone too?

I’m so glad you’re being sensible and staying indoors. Tess will cope without walks for a few days - even if she tells you differently!

Keep warm, and safe.

Ruth said...

A fall can be a life changing event! It's best to stay in and stay safe when there's ice out there. I hope everything's back in order now - stay safe and warm!!

wherethejourneytakesme said...

You can generally find instructions on the internet now just put the make and model into Google and it should find some. Stay warm it is perishing at the moment.

Anne Brew said...

I suggested an electric blanket to my elderly neighbour when he said his bedroom was a bit cold at night. He bought one and absolutely loved it.

LEfting said...


We've had good luck googling the make and model number of various items and found the instruction books online! You can either read them online or print them. Good luck!

Rachel Phillips said...

I think Weave has it sorted. She will wait for the engineer. And she was not cold in bed. And Brits aren't stupid.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks everyone. My boiler had gone off this morning with the cold, but after several times using the reset button it fired and the house is lovely and warm. Meantime I ate my breakfast on a tray in the sitting room with my electric fire full on. Tess thought she was in heaven.

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