What are you all up to
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It came as a huge shock to Dad I can tell you.😂 All those years virtuously claiming he never ate sugar or butter. Semi true, he never had butter on sandwiches, or sugar in his tea😇
I don’t know how it’s made, but I think you can get a lot healthier jams and marmalade’s now, some specifically for special diets.
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"I now know what a zombie apocalypse will be like......... slow moving, path blocking, few capable of walking in a straight line, more jaw exercise than leg exercise, and the world will be taken over by toddlers, small dogs, radio controlled toys, all out of control"
our seafront was just like this at the weekend, but fortunately this golf course is just 2 miles away, and of course they are not able to play golf just now so great for walking the pooch
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That's one heck of a water hazard Rufs.
Had a phone call today from the replacement window company. Forgotten all about them as order placed in early November. Coming towards the end of next week. Oh joy.
Have to take the blinds down this weekend coming. We may well order some new ones. Keep your fingers crossed for a dry day for us.Our walk this morning was our usual one. You can tell it's a weekday. Yesterday there were quite a lot of runners, cyclists and other walkers but today just the 1 cyclist and 2 walkers plus 2 cars on a 3 mile stretch of back road.
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Don't usually visit you tube but they showed this on our local news today, something to cheer us up in troubled times!
(If doctors spoke like vets!)
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Had to be legally in Durham this afternoon, very few people about,cold but the sun finally game out.
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Its been another decent day, lovely morning but a bit overcast in the afternoon. We've had some fairly good weather this last week or so. Very cold but dry sunny and blue skies. Everywhere the snow/ice is melting so lots of water pouring down the roads and paths. Had to pick our walk careful so opted for going into town yesterday and walking along the river from one' Inch' to the other, then into town while it was fairly quiet.
Decorating is nearly finished, I know I said that before but I forgot the fitted wardrobe door
just got to put the final coat (gloss) on and then OH can rehang it. Our local GP practice has finally got some vaccine, they announced they have received their first 100 doses
not a lot but it has at least started arriving. There has been 'issues' getting it distributed across Scotland. Anyway the over 80s have now thankfully started to get a jab. Our lovely next door neighbour (95) had someone come to the house this morning and give her the first jab. WN, good to hear you are getting your windows done, we are not allowed any tradesmen into the house unless its an emergency. Hope it all goes well and you get your dry day.
Moulesy, that clip gave me a laugh
brue, the whisky marmalade sounds nice, shame Mr brue won't let you make it this year.
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I received a text this afternoom from our medical centre inviting me to book my covid jab. I have an appt for wednesday morning, all done by text. Very efficient. Our medical centre has 2 surgeries, one large one in the city centre where we usually go and a smaller one in the outskirts (which used to be a village ) which they have made their covid hub.
No walking for us at the moment as everywhere is either flooded or so muddy and slippery that it is unsafe. A friend who lives in a nearby very small village emailed me today to say that weekends in particular are a nightmare at the moment as hoards of people are descending and parking their cars everywhere and all the local footpaths and grass verges are a mud bath.
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😅😅😅 Having spent quite a bit of time at the vets recently (for our cat not us!) this certainly rings a bell!
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Takethedogalong if you're reading this we may need a new boiler. I'm googling but wondering what scheme you had help from on costs?
I've looked back and it appears this 'new' boiler is about 20 years old 😱😱. How does that happen, it feels like a few years but not that many..............
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A dry day here, but I was uninspired! Little sun, so most unlike cornersteady's beautiful sky in his lovely photos 😢
Milliehull I know exactly where you're coming from, Dora and I are fed up with street walks. It certainly doesn't lift your spirits in the same way as open spaces and trees 😢. By the look of the forecast it seems it's going to get much worse! We have very full rivers and the meads have been flooded, first time in many a long year as they altered, with flood gates, for it to happen elsewhere - should have paid more attention at the time! Our grass is a mess with absolute minimum walking on, only a few steps to the bird feeders and Dora goes a trot round ocassionally. Our stepping stones seem to be mini ponds most of the time.
Great news to hear folks getting dates for their jabs. OH should be in the next group, I'll scrape into the following group after my birthday in a couple of weeks so dont want them to be too fast!. However I'm not sure it's going to be the 'cure all' panacea folks are claiming for some considerable time. Our local BBC news programme has q&a with Chris Smith, the naked scientist, fully clothed everytime he appears 🤣🤣, and it seems that the vaccinated can catch and pass on the virus 😢
Little else to report here, it's getting very ground hog day
Edit I forgot we did have an event Sunday evening 😱. We had a power cut, only lasted moments but was grateful we knew exactly where to put our hands on torches! Had barely turned them on when power was restored. It's only about the 3rd I can recall in 35 years of living here. We used to be/still are on the now gone maternity and children's hospital so our power was always restored quickly. It knocked out Virgin for an hour. Apparently one street was without power for several hours whilst fault located and part replaced. They must have been fast on the part replacement cos that was why all power went to ensure it was safe for the engineers. Brilliant work by more unsung heroes 👏
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Edit: I didnt expect to get the call so quickly as I am in the 75 - 80 age group. We are hoping our eldest son who is clinically vulnerable and shielding will be called soon.
Bakers2 I hope you can get your boiler replaced without too much hassle and expense. When our 'fairly new' boiler died last spring when we checked we discovered it was over 20 years old. Where does the time go?! Our heating has been on all day - it shouldn't have been. OH obviously didn't do such a good job at re programming the timer as he thought. I am not complaining but OH is!!
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I’m here Bakers, will get our paperwork out tomorrow and have a look for you. Our boiler was 25 years old, old house, and one resident with an underlying health issue🤨 did it for us. Heck of a saving, although we didn’t get to choose our make of boiler. But I did some research, and what they provided was in top recommended so we are happy. Paid a bit ourselves to get an extended 10 year guarantee. We got new valves for radiators, under floor insulation as well. All for free.
I will be in touch👍
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I didn't expect to get the call either MillieH. I'm at the upper end of the 75 -- 80 age group but I do have Type 2 Diabetes, but I will have to check with the surgery when next in contact with them, to find out just how serious they rate it { and Me
} 'cos the guide inside the Vax Centre said I was one of the youngest they had seen and that was on 13th Jan. It could just be that the Crewe Unit is progressing more rapidly than expected though. Not that I am, or indeed will, complain ~~they certainly ain't getting the vaccine back, so there !!1 -
Good news for all of you getting the vaccine, it's much slower in our part of the south west. Our elderly neighbours had their letter today but Taunton race course was too far for them. Even further than the first offer one of them received so they're going to wait till they can go locally and they've been assured this will happen.
Motorhome off for it's MOT tomorrow so I'll "follow the van" to get OH home. They're replacing a front light unit too. Our big outing of the week! With the weather looking grim I hope the roads aren't flooded.
B2 we used British Gas to install our new boiler, they had an offer on at the time and the work was done without any problems. Depends how quickly you need to get things done?
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Thanks for all your replies re boiler. Guy here at the mo, well he's actually gone out to buy new thermostat for the boiler at this minute. Glad I kept a note of things as gave him a head start. Cold start to the day as asked not to have heating on so they could see how it works/or doesn't. Now reached the barmy heights of 17c.
Thanks takethedogalong I'm grateful, yes older house here, 1930's solid walls and boiler much older than I feared, although I've not found actual installation date but definitely before 2002. Also have the 'added bonus' of extremely vunerable OH. Spoke to my brother yesterday, he understands these things and had a new boiler fitted late last year in the house he's moved into. I was pleasantly surprised at his idea of cost, much less than mine for a straight swop, 😀. And I'm using the company he used for several years, they've serviced and replaced pump in last couple of years. 🤞 the boiler thermostat will solve it. But probably only kicking the can down the road.......
Grey again here, pretty blustery, I checked metcheck before getting up - sun& cloud no rain BBC agreed with latter, so put some washing on. Don't think itll be pegged out! Moisture in the air.
Brue a real outing 😀 who'd of thought getting an MOT would be considered thus? Don't get over stimulated by the great outdoors.........
Hope the rain doesnt bring too disruptive floods but I fear it will. Hope DIL has cleared the blocked drain in the field, don't think son was overkeen on raking up the debris from the dyke. But I know the pump couldnt cope with volume of water, don't really understand Fen drainage, but then I don't need too!
Stay safe warm and dry folks and enjoy your day.
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Bakers2 we also used British Gas for our new boiler 2 years ago. A second quote we had from an independant was slightly more expensive. We paid £4000 but I expect our installation was more complicated than a straight forward swap in the same location. We had our boiler moved upstairs and the gas rerouted which probably accounted for a fair slice of the cost. We have a Bosch Worcester combi boiler which thus far has proved to be good and our gas usage has reduced quite a lot because we are no longer heating a tank full of water. We also took advantage of their interest free offer at the time.
David
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When we had a new boiler fitted 9years ago it was via or energy company( now Eon) it invovled taking out a back boiler, and locating the new boiler in our utility room some in this estate had new boilers installed in their lofts, but they needed the loft to be boarded out to get them serviced , they have since found that it ages to get hot water to the kitchen ,whereas ours in the outhouse is just under the bathroom and next to the kitchen so very short pipe runs witakesth minimal cold water run off
ps we were offered interest free finace but got instead £750 discount(just checked)for cash
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Hi Bakers. Found some of our paperwork re boilers. It was organised by a local company who specialise in accessing Government funding. Think it’s something called the ECO scheme. (Most of the schemes are set up for those on benefits, or for landlords looking to put in new boilers. Neither applied to us, but a neighbour passed on details as she though we might be interested)
Way forward for anyone not in our area might be to contact a local heating firm, or a plumber, and ask if they can access the ECO scheme. Sounds like it depends on age of existing boiler, age of property and if anyone has any underlying health issues, although frankly the questions were hardly asked. The firm we used were superb at accessing funding, but atrocious at organising things, such as liaising with clients and the tradespeople actually carrying out the work. On the plus side, the tradespeople were very good, so good we have had plumbers back to fit some radiators for us, and we have new shower planned with them once it’s safe to have them back into house. In fairness, ours was a less than straightforward boiler install, we went from a conventional to a combi, so lots of re configuring, change diameter of some pipe work, take out storage and header tanks, and all done right at top of a very tall house, so hence the scaffolding. I dread to think what it would have cost us without the funding. A straight boiler swop would have been easier.
British Gas did Mum and Dads a few years ago. Another old house, they ripped bedroom floors up, boiler isn’t where I would have chosen it to be, and they put pipe work where it was easier for them, but it’s been trouble free.Bakers, a replacement thermostat kept our old boiler running along for another decade👍 We only really went for above because it was too good to miss, we knew we would need to replace boiler if we decided to put house on market, and, getting rid of the old boiler, storage tank and header tank helped us to redesign attic project!
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Sadly the new boiler thermostat didn't have the desired effect. Highly likely its the PCB, that'll be its 3rd. It's a Potterton boiler and were on Watch Dog about the issue years ago, apparently it hasn't improved
My brother reckons Worcester Bosch, that's what he's got now - not a combo boiler.
Now awaiting a call to arrange quote for new boiler, guy thinks our cupboard- normal kitchen wall cabinet, is a bit shallow, so we'll have to wait and see and a quote for new PCB.
Thanks for all you useful info it all helps the chewing over bit.
Takethedogalong I did wonder if it was the new goverment ECO thing. I await further developments and will update you all in due course.
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Hope things go well Bakers. We hummed and awed around having a combi, but for just us two, it’s worked out best option. Couple of showers a day, everything else, washer, dishwasher is cold fill. (No water meter😉) We are hoping to put in a shower that works from combi, better pressure, rather than an electric shower. The odd time we have a bath, it does ok.
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DD has a Worcester Bosch combi, was in the house when she bought it, seems to be fine, possibly 6-7 years old now.
She is not keen on the combi type having previously had one of those sealed system megaflo things giving mains pressure water from a storage cylinder. When she bought the house all the showers were electric, and pretty pathetic. It is a sprawling house and has some long pipe runs for HW to the shower room by the front door, and the kitchen.
All the en suite bathrooms, and the utility room are however close to the boiler so at least one shower off the combi would have been possible, no idea why the previous owners put in only electric showers.
Since moving in she has put in a bath in their en suite and a new shower off the combi, which she says is fantastic. Also a bath in another en suite, but has kept an electric shower, a new and much better one. Apparently they did not want teenagers (when the kids are that old!) stealing their shower water! We did suggest a shower rota, but that did not go down well!
Our boiler man recommends Worcester Bosch, Vaillant and Intergas boilers.
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Bakers2
This might be worth a read, Which it explains the various schemes for free or subsidised boilers. Whilst it gives you the bare bone facts some of the website for say reviews is behind a firewall accessible by members only.
David
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That’s interesting DK. Goodness knows how we managed to access the ECO scheme, it that is indeed what was used. No mention of income, savings, energy bills when we applied. I can only think it might have been done via Council Tax banding. Our area is an anomaly, it’s a mix of small older houses, some terraces, and then some big old Victorian stuff, detached and Semi like our street. If you have been in a very long time, haven’t been re banded like us and neighbours, then Council Tax is area based, rather than property based. Hence we don’t pay a high Council Tax rate. The minute we need planning permission, or sell it, it will no doubt be re calculated. Council might have got funding for older houses, so it might just be a more local scheme we have managed to tap into. 🤷♀️
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