Well here I sit at 6.55pm on Wednesday in a house stripped of pretty much everything except the kitchen, the sofa and our beds (we won't mention the front room being full of boxes and the piano). The movers worried us slightly by not turning up til 9.15 when they said they'd be here around 8 - (apparently an accident on the ring road held them up so all was forgiven) but since then they have been a tour de force. Rik and I have almost felt in the way at times!
Though despite our best efforts we have had conversations this evening along the lines of "have we a story for Dan?" "erm, they're in the van". Whoops! But that's okay cos we can look in the big bookcases; oh they've been packed too; hang on what about the books kept downstairs: nope! There's nothing left! Lucky Dan took two muslins to nursery this morning or he wouldn't have any of those either!! I can't even upload photos of the "pack in progress" from my camera as the photo-card reader has gone too .......
But we're feeling a bit more optimistic. It finally feels like it's happening and we can be excited about the new house. Plus Dan has been walking round all day at Orchard Lea telling everyone it's his last day - so maybe he does know what's going on. Apparently this has upset one of his friends though - and more surprisingly her mum!
not sure how long I'll have the laptop in the morning so this may be the last entry until we're in: but hopefully we'll be able to get back on line fairly quickly since we have the wireless dongles (suddenly they make sense!)
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
"M" minus 2
Actually it's less than 2. At 8am in the morning the packers are turning up to pack and part load and on Thursday we will be leaving our lovely familiar house in Bristol to start a home in our lovely totally unknown house in Frome. I have given up trying to sort out and organise ahead of this!.
And this is exciting but it's also scary and more than a little bit sad. Whilst we know, rationally, that the move is what we want, and the house we've found is lovely, we don't know it; we don't know how it works or behaves (spare us from badly behaved houses!). We've been in this house in Fishponds for 10 1/2 years - can you believe - and it will be very sad to leave it. We've also been in Bristol for nearly 13 years and whilst we're looking forward to being in a smaller town, Bristol has been fab.
But perhaps saddest of all, Dan has to leave the fabulous Orchard Lea Nursery. And again I know I've found him a fantastic nursery in Frome where he will be very happy but Orchard Lea is all he - and we've - known since he was six months old and they've been brilliant (apart from the slight bankruptcy hiccup last year!). And whilst rationally I know that he'll adjust to the new one in time, the emotional side of me feels very guilty for taking him away from the environment he knows: but then we're doing that to ourselves too aren't we?
Maybe this is all just 3am talk .....why am I up at 3am on a Wednesday morning? Ah well that will be my fabulous cold which has decreed that unless I'm sat bolt upright, a cough will start which will end in my throwing up. You try sitting bolt upright when you're falling asleep. Plus Dan's had a bad dream and is now crying on the landing ......
And this is exciting but it's also scary and more than a little bit sad. Whilst we know, rationally, that the move is what we want, and the house we've found is lovely, we don't know it; we don't know how it works or behaves (spare us from badly behaved houses!). We've been in this house in Fishponds for 10 1/2 years - can you believe - and it will be very sad to leave it. We've also been in Bristol for nearly 13 years and whilst we're looking forward to being in a smaller town, Bristol has been fab.
But perhaps saddest of all, Dan has to leave the fabulous Orchard Lea Nursery. And again I know I've found him a fantastic nursery in Frome where he will be very happy but Orchard Lea is all he - and we've - known since he was six months old and they've been brilliant (apart from the slight bankruptcy hiccup last year!). And whilst rationally I know that he'll adjust to the new one in time, the emotional side of me feels very guilty for taking him away from the environment he knows: but then we're doing that to ourselves too aren't we?
Maybe this is all just 3am talk .....why am I up at 3am on a Wednesday morning? Ah well that will be my fabulous cold which has decreed that unless I'm sat bolt upright, a cough will start which will end in my throwing up. You try sitting bolt upright when you're falling asleep. Plus Dan's had a bad dream and is now crying on the landing ......
Saturday, May 02, 2009
AAARGGHHH!!!
Here we are; potentially days from exchange of contracts - and what happens?? The blinkin boiler breaks!! That's what!
We awoke on Thursday morning to find water dripping out the bottom of the damn thing. Rik was all for simply concluding that it was defunct, buy another one. I thought we ought to at least check so an engineer is called out. He comes along, twiddles with it a bit; finds water in something called the "air pressure switch" drains it and goes away saying "it should be fine now" or words to that effect.
Except that it isn't. Thursday evening it becomes apparent that it is NOT fine. We go back to Boiler Repair Man company. Oi what you said was fixed isn't; what you gonna do about it? Well say company if you want us to do something now (it being after 6pm) we'll have to charge you an extra fee. Hang on; you want us to pay more for you to come out and fix what you should have fixed first time round???? YES. Are you taking the Michael?
Well we can live with a cold house and no hot water until Friday morning thank you very much. Okay YOU will need to phone us again on Friday morning and explain the situation; we're only the out of hours service. How's that for customer care???
So Friday morning, 9am I phone company again. We'll need to phone you back - can you wait 25 mins. Well I can. We have nothing planned for the am, only a loose idea to take Dan swimming. Of course the reality is I have to phone them 50 minutes later to ask where their " call back" is. Still I do manage to actually speak to someone. Ah yes she says, it seems your air pressure switch needs replacing. Engineer thought it might be okay but if what he did didn't fix it it means it's on the blink; you need a new one. I'm getting you a quote will call back when I have one.
Well to spare you the angst it caused me, Dan's swimming trip goes out the window whilst we are waiting to get some concrete information. Quote comes back acceptable; can engineer come today? I have hair appointment at 3pm; should I cancel it? Maybe wait and see ....... more waiting ....... finally at 1.50pm I phone them AGAIN and say engineer obviously can't make today and I can't cancel my hair appointment so let's not bother. But wait says operator, engineer can come today: at 6pm. Great! Lovely! Except that it's actually 5pm (this is another phone call about 10 mins later!) - which means I have to phone Rik in Reading and ask very nicely if he wouldn't mind coming home since I might not be in time. Rik agrees. I get home at 5.20pm
Guess what?? NO BLIMPING ENGINEER!!!!!!????? At 5.50pm I phone company AGAIN; they know nothing about it. Ring off to try and find him - phone back about 20 minutes later; very apologetic engineer had family emergency and rushed off to deal with it without telling his employers. Well I can understand that. Plus engineer offers to come over and fix problem on Saturday between 12 and 2; no extra cost. Great I think. We can cope with that.
So here we are: at 5.44pm. Do we have a fixed boiler? NO. Has the engineer come to see us? NO. Has anyone at this STUPID COMPANY phoned us??? NO. Are they even answering their phones. NOOOOO. And of course it now being the bank holiday if we want to go elsewhere we're going to have to pay premium rates to get someone. Unless we leave it til next Tuesday when I have to be at work for a training course I don't want to go on and on Wednesday we're going away. Maybe we should just leave it........! Do we need hot water that much?
I don't expect anyone to have any great solutions: just wanted a rant!
We awoke on Thursday morning to find water dripping out the bottom of the damn thing. Rik was all for simply concluding that it was defunct, buy another one. I thought we ought to at least check so an engineer is called out. He comes along, twiddles with it a bit; finds water in something called the "air pressure switch" drains it and goes away saying "it should be fine now" or words to that effect.
Except that it isn't. Thursday evening it becomes apparent that it is NOT fine. We go back to Boiler Repair Man company. Oi what you said was fixed isn't; what you gonna do about it? Well say company if you want us to do something now (it being after 6pm) we'll have to charge you an extra fee. Hang on; you want us to pay more for you to come out and fix what you should have fixed first time round???? YES. Are you taking the Michael?
Well we can live with a cold house and no hot water until Friday morning thank you very much. Okay YOU will need to phone us again on Friday morning and explain the situation; we're only the out of hours service. How's that for customer care???
So Friday morning, 9am I phone company again. We'll need to phone you back - can you wait 25 mins. Well I can. We have nothing planned for the am, only a loose idea to take Dan swimming. Of course the reality is I have to phone them 50 minutes later to ask where their " call back" is. Still I do manage to actually speak to someone. Ah yes she says, it seems your air pressure switch needs replacing. Engineer thought it might be okay but if what he did didn't fix it it means it's on the blink; you need a new one. I'm getting you a quote will call back when I have one.
Well to spare you the angst it caused me, Dan's swimming trip goes out the window whilst we are waiting to get some concrete information. Quote comes back acceptable; can engineer come today? I have hair appointment at 3pm; should I cancel it? Maybe wait and see ....... more waiting ....... finally at 1.50pm I phone them AGAIN and say engineer obviously can't make today and I can't cancel my hair appointment so let's not bother. But wait says operator, engineer can come today: at 6pm. Great! Lovely! Except that it's actually 5pm (this is another phone call about 10 mins later!) - which means I have to phone Rik in Reading and ask very nicely if he wouldn't mind coming home since I might not be in time. Rik agrees. I get home at 5.20pm
Guess what?? NO BLIMPING ENGINEER!!!!!!????? At 5.50pm I phone company AGAIN; they know nothing about it. Ring off to try and find him - phone back about 20 minutes later; very apologetic engineer had family emergency and rushed off to deal with it without telling his employers. Well I can understand that. Plus engineer offers to come over and fix problem on Saturday between 12 and 2; no extra cost. Great I think. We can cope with that.
So here we are: at 5.44pm. Do we have a fixed boiler? NO. Has the engineer come to see us? NO. Has anyone at this STUPID COMPANY phoned us??? NO. Are they even answering their phones. NOOOOO. And of course it now being the bank holiday if we want to go elsewhere we're going to have to pay premium rates to get someone. Unless we leave it til next Tuesday when I have to be at work for a training course I don't want to go on and on Wednesday we're going away. Maybe we should just leave it........! Do we need hot water that much?
I don't expect anyone to have any great solutions: just wanted a rant!
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