Tuesday 31 January 2012

Monday 30th January 2012
Our central heating unit finally failed completely on Saturday. Of course it would choose a weekend when you can't get in touch with the dealer.
Managed to get hold of them this morning and they sent a new part and engineer straight out. By mid afternoon a new compressor had been fitted and it was once again pumping out heat. It is remarkable how quiet the thing is now, we can hardly hear it running and I suspect the old unit had been failing for some time and the noise had increased slowly so that we didn't notice it until it became really bad.
The other thing to fail over the weekend was my broadband dongle. I phoned Orange who told me that as I was at the end of my contract I was due for an upgrade and I could go to an Orange shop and get another. On the way there this morning I called in on 3 just to see what they offered, and it sounded good. Went to Orange who couldn't get anywhere near the deal offered by 3 so I closed that contract and have now gone to 3. The download times are much faster, it only remains to seen what the coverage is like when we set off again in March.

Friday 27 January 2012

Friday 27th Jan 2012
Here it is Friday and I still haven't progressed the bathroom mods.
We've had a good week though. It was lovely spending the day with Daniel and Liz on Monday, although I don't think we helped much with the potty training. Good to hear that the news on that front is encouraging.
Wednesday we went to see the silent film "The Artist", it was ok but I don't see what all the hype is about.
On the down side our heating is giving us cause for concern again. The compressor is making unusual noises and sounds like it may seize up some time. The dealer has pointed me to some things to look for, but I can't see anything wrong. It continues to work for the time being.
One thing we've noticed missing on this bit of water is swans, but one has made an appearance in the last couple of days. I wonder if it will stay.
We're nearing the end of The Australian Open on telly, so I may get Cath back next week! Just joking.

Friday 20 January 2012

20th January 2012
Cath's birthday outing to Mumtaz produced the expected fine meal. Damon, Liz and Daniel came along and as usual Daniel performed like a little star. Good luck to Liz next week as she is doing an intensive potty training exercise on the little man.
I've finally made a start on the new vanity sink top. I built the original using wall tiles as the surrounding surface, and while it has proved durable we have found it difficult to keep mould at bay in hard to reach places, and the grout is getting discoloured. My upgrade idea is to use a very large floor tile, (600 X 600) which nearly covers the area in one tile, and because of the tile edges I should be able to make the one join very tight. The main worry is, will I be able to cut a sink size hole in one tile without breaking it? Only time will tell. I had hoped to use a single piece of table top glass as the top surface but the supplier wouldn't cut a hole in it, so that makes me think I may have a big problem with the tile.

Wednesday 11 January 2012

Tuesday 11th January 2012
We've just returned from a late Christmas celebration in Stafford. Due to work commitments Liz and Damon decided it would be better to delay the Christmas festivities.
The idea worked very well as the family gathered in Stafford. It all went just as if the dates were right, and the usual family traditions were held to.
Today we went out to see a film."The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Having read the books and seen the original Swedish film we were a bit concerned about the Hollywood treatment. We needn't have been, the film is terrific. It is very faithful to the book and excellently done.

Tuesday 3 January 2012

Tuesday 3rd January 2012
Happy New Year to all! As you can see from the pic I've been busy. The steps are now complete and all I have to do now is find a home for the left over hardwood as it's too good to throw away. That's the squirrel  in me talking.
Once again we're being rocked all over the place by high winds and the new drawer locks have been a boon.
We may well go out today and take in the new Sherlock film. Another we would like to see is The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo. The books were excellent and we've seen the Swedish films and now want to see how Hollywood does with them.