Hours and Hours of Waiting Might Pay Off...
Mood:  happy
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Topic: Elisabeth's Entries
As mentioned, Stephen is sleeping over at work tonight, and I'm alone with THE APT..

After waiting with no response, I started making desperate phone calls to the landlord: "you really don't want to wait anymore, the longer it's not fixed, the more it's going to cost you..." / "...up at 4am for the second night in a row, and I have to tell you that my nerves are shot..." / "I'll be sleeping here alone tonight, and don't know what I'll do if it happens again..."

So a new plummer was called, and he made it over by 2 o'clock.

The verdict: Our immersion heater has two boilers, one general one, the other back-up for really hot baths & such. The back-up generally only comes on at night, and if you don't need it, doesn't need to be on at all. The legal limit at which a boiler's thermostat can be set is 60 degrees Celsius. Both of our boilers were set for about 80 degrees. They have been this way for a while. The thermostats had melted, and were no longer operational, and so were now replaced. What has brought this problem to a head is that our cold water tank being in the ceiling, is only supposed to have water levels up to 3 inches below the top of the water tank. Ours was skimming the top. If water flows out of the tank, there should be a working overflow which drains the excess water. Now. Some bloody builder didn't connect the overflow valves properly ("they're just jammed together") and was causing the leak. The lovely plummer-man corrected all of these problems, and then billed the landlord. As for the ceiling, it will dry, and then will need "a bit of white paint should do the trick."

The upside is that our thermostat is now 20C degrees lower, and should result in lower heating bills!

Afterwards I went to the library and for a lark checked out "A Modern Girl's Guide To Etiquette" by Sarah Evans, and here is some amusing English stuff:

Friends: "They're good for going shopping, eating chocolate, dancing, gossiping, watching videos, doing keep-fit, getting groomed and going on holiday with, AND they big you up and make you feel popular!"

OK, Bridget Jones, hello?

Clothes Shopping: "Remember, all shops produce different sizes, so don't get upset if you're normally a size 12 and today you're a 14- just buy what looks best and cut out the label."

Hygiene: "At all times keep a grooming kit in your bag or desk drawer containing deodorant, tweezers, a nail file, a packet of mints, spare underwear, ear buds, a mirror and a toothbrush. It may sound prissy, but it will stop you putting anyone off their dinner."

Question: What world am I living in? I generally keep deodorant (and if I'm particularly wealthy that month, a pack of gum), on me, but never never would I carry around all that other stuff. Does anyone else that I know do this? Have you all just been humouring me, and quietly throwing up your dinners?

OK--so I've stopped reading this book, definitely not up to scratch, and will now move on to: "Women Unlimited: The Directory for Life: A DIY Survival Guide for the Twenty-First Century"

I'm looking forward to getting out tomorrow now that my two-day sit-in and wait for the bloody plummer is over.

Ciao.