Crisis this morning. 7am Carer arrives and, as always, her first job is to put yesterday's newspaper in the blue bag in the garage. She came into the Sitting Room where I was watching the News (not a good idea at present) to tell me that my Worcester gas boiler was leaking water all over the floor. Too right it was and trickling out of the garage door and down the drive.
I rang the Gas Board - after not knowing which button to press as all seemed inappropriate for my problem, I rang my plumber who lives just round the corner. Sensing my panic (I thought it might leak to 'empty' and then blow up!!) he told me in a calm, very soothing voice that he would be round shortly. And ten minutes later, as I sat here reading your yesterday's amusing replies, I heard tap-tapping in the garage. The relief force has arrived.. Might need a new gas boiler - but it is an elderly Worcester boiler so be that as it may.
Plumbers, electricians, builders - here they are quite plentiful and so reliable. I now have one of each I know I can rely on utterly. What a relief it is too.
One of the really comforting things is finding the tradesman that suits you and knowing when you ring him that he will come.
He has just been into my computer room with a faulty valve in his hand. All done and dusted - took him all of ten minutes and I can relax again. Should I come into this world again (my belief is that my ashes will settle into the earth along with all the other living things and hopefully any useful bits in the ashes will encourage beautiful flowers to grow where I lie) I think I shall make sure any children I have go into the Building Trade. One thing's for sure - they would never be out of a job.
Lovely but very cold sunny day here at present - blue sky, bright sunshine, white puffy clouds, strong wind from the North East. But the sun is warm now that Spring is here.
Have a nice day.
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27 comments:
Boiler problems - I know all about them at the moment. Mine isn't so quickly fixed.
I'm glad you have reliable help around and I agree about learning a trade - much more useful than a random university degree
You are so fortunate in having these reliable people around you for all sorts of jobs! Try to find a good one here... as soon as you have establish a good working relationship with them, they retire or close down or can't help you anymore for some other reason.
We're all part of this big, elaborate system called life... I very much like your idea about your ashes feeding beautiful flowers.
Phew, that must have been such a relief. It's wonderful to have local tradesmen that you can trust and rely on isn't it. 🙂
You reap what you sow xx
We had a serious leak in our Worcester boiler during one of the lockdowns - not a good time to try and get tradesmen out to fix anything.
Glad that your problem was so speedily fixed
Boilers are as worry.. and always give up at the most inconvenient times!
We are so fortunate to have recently had a new boiler installed under a government grant scheme, replacing the nearly twenty year old boiler. Roof insulation as well, topping up the 1970s token effort and installing trickle vents in windows.
So we had as whole day with half a dozen various tradies on the jobs, and it was good to see a relatively local team.
To have a repair taken care of that quickly is fortunate indeed! Now you can relax and enjoy a nice and safe day,what pleasant news to read , thank you,Mary
I would love to see the look on your future children's faces after reincarnation when you tell them they must be builders.
It is good to know there are still some places where service is as it always was. I dread to think how long communities like yours will last.
Husband wanted to be a carpenter. His Mum told him no, he had to get a university degree. It was not negotiable, a direct contrast to Sue in Suffolk's views on the first comment here.
So now there's a teacher in our family, who has made our tables and beds regardless.
In the early years of our married life, I've seen him replace the phone on the cradle (no mobile then)after hanging up on his mum , saying fiercely "You're not the boss of me." Funny, Pat, if your reincarnated self gets the same response! - Pam.
I know your ashes will grow beautiful colorful flowers...of every possible name just because for some reason they want more words to be said! Glad the crisis was fixed so quickly. You sure do have a good crew there, much better than those phone menus that go on and on and never have your exact situation to start with. Have a great weekend.
Glad you had it resolved quickly, Pat.
My husband and I had a plumbing crisis last week after my husband and I attempted to change out a bathroom faucet. (We got false confidence after watching a YouTube video.) Water was everywhere...spurting straight up in the air during the worst of it. Thankfully, like you, we know a good plumber and all was fixed in no time. In my next life, I'm definitely marrying a tradesperson...or becoming one myself.
Melinda made me laugh. I have married a tradesperson, and he's doing his best to turn me into one as well!
It would be plainly terrifying to have to rely on the good will and integrity of strangers to make these repairs. You are indeed fortunate to have such a cadre of good folk who will tend to you promptly. I've heard of people waiting two days for the heating man to show up!
Thank goodness your carer is an observant person. All's well that ends well. Settle in and have a hot cup of something and your two finger kit kats. Ah heck. Go wild. Have TWO. You're celebrating!
Tom- Like all sensible children they will do the exact opposite - then when the boiler breaks down they might secretly wish they had been a plumber.
Tasker - what tends to happen up here in the Dales - and I suspect in many Northern communities - folk South of a line from Birmingham to the Wash get to retirement age, sell up and buy a property much cheaper up here and then have money to spare for 'improvements.' Locals when they leave school tend to wish to stay up here and go into local trades and thus we have a pretty good supply of reliable, well known tradesmen who can be relied upon. The problem then is that there is little or no affordable housing for them.
You are very fortunate to have excellent tradesmen. Having a plumber quickly come by and fix something in record time is unheard of. We still have a short supply of tradesmen and a big demand. More people need to go in to the trades. I have noticed recently that many immigrants in the US are excellent tradesmen. I have no qualms about hiring them and have had only good experiences. They are honest and hardworking. They are making a good new life in the US.
How wonderful to have an observant carer and a trustworthy group of tradesmen (and women?) to call on when plumbing, electrical, or other household calamities occur. It's more than just luck.
I married a man who is interested and curious so has taught himself how to fix nearly everything - but he draws the line at most electrical problems! His father had been useless in nearly every way and DH was determined to be competent at almost everything. It's been an interesting almost 52 years.
Hugs!
I have the same hopes for my usefulness after death. Our planet is a closed system, all the chemicals and minerals have to be recycled in one way or another. My grandson's passion is cooking and I feel following your passion is important but it is a hard career. I'm hoing he might get interested in another trade but as I've said, just want him to be happy in his work.
You lucked out in several ways on this problem. You found an excellent tradesman who looked after you very well.
I so agree with you about having a list of reliable tradesman at hand. In France it's almost impossible to find people to do anything, so when we do we make sure we treat them extra specially well. I'm presently trying to find a builder who'll do a small job for us in June; no luck so far!
It must be a relief to have your boiler repaired so quickly, and that it wasn't anything more serious. I always get anxious when anything goes wrong here, as it's so difficult getting hold of reliable tradespeople. X
Jules - my advice would be to ask around where you live for really reliable folk and keep a list of their phone numbers. I have found all mine that way. The occasional tip on top od a cheque for the work done and a friendly chat also helps..
Seems they are hard to find in many places. I seem to be lucky. Having carers who were born here helps. My carer was 'at school' with a host of good tradesmen 30 years ag- that helps too.
Pat, nothing to do with your comments above but there was a very good article in my paper yesterday about the poet Robert Frost, and they quoted the poem below, that I thought was quite brilliant.
"The Road Not Taken"
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long as I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hance;
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Derek - This is one of y favourite poems from one of my favourite poets. On one of our many visits to Canada and the US David and I found Frosts grave. He is buried in a large family plot in the beautiful,, peaceful village of Bennington, Vermont. His life was full of tragedy and I find the last verse very sad - it leaves one wondering whether he wishes he had gone down the other road where there were those two roads diverging. Thank you for reminding me of it.
That was the first time that I'd seen it Pat, and it really touched me.
Apparently not long after writing it, he signed up for WW1 and was killed almost immediately that he got to France.
Derek, I think you are confusing the death of Robert Frost with the death of the inspiration for the poem, critic and poet Edward Thomas. While Frost resided in England he and Edward Thomas enjoyed regular countryside walks together.
I'm thankful for the positive energy and enthusiasm you infuse into your blog. Engage with like-minded Aviator gamers on our blog.
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