Nice people thread part 4 - sugar and spice and all things

michaels

That's a nice catch 22 there. Only one place available that is far away and those living closer get priority - I wonder how much the bureaucrat who invented such a silly rule gets paid?!

PasturesNew wrote: »

Housing options are limited. Options seem to be [1] buy a sheltered place [2] wait for a council one.

[1] runs the risk that the old will also hate that after week 2 and we're no further forward and are stuck with two places
[2] is a wait of X years under the bidding system

Old is now under some emergency care at home order after a rapid assessment due to a fall the other day.

What the old wants/needs simply isn't available at the drop of a hat. The term would be "extra care" which is a defined service/option, but there is only one in the whole county, 40 miles away - and that's full and so would be down to the bidding system, but part of the bidding system is based on "local needs" so they'd lose points each time if a person within (say) 10 miles of it wanted to be there.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

vivatifosi wrote: »

If we didn't know beforehand why you live in Aberdeen, we would now:D.

:rotfl:

The large red Ugg boot in the middle is a bit of a giveaway, isn't it?

Funnily enough, I don't actually work in the obvious sector for an Aberdonian. But seem to end up in most of the same places anyway.

I've been to 45 countries. Somehow I think the next 45 will be somewhat more difficult to rack up.

I know what you mean.

I've been to most places I've wanted to go to, and a fair few I have no desire to go back to.

Can think of another 5 or 6 maybe that I'd actually spend my own money to visit, but that's about it.

GDB2222

PasturesNew wrote: »

I was at the old's house yesterday (I've not been sharing any of the traumas with you lot but I'm there just about every day for various jobs/traumas/crises 4-6 hours/day)... the vicious draughts across your feet mean that going into the kitchen to heat up a meal is a major decision. In fact, yesterday I said I'm going to contact a Handyman service to try to get some of that draught-proofed somehow.

In the living room when the fire was serviced a few years back, the man put a vent on the wall; the following year he increased the size of the vent. The result of this is that there is a most vicious icy draught across the whole of the floor/bottom 1' of the room and you can't put your feet down at all or they'd freeze. There's really not much point putting the heating on as it seems, to me, that the vent makes all the heat escape. We try to block it off with various boxes/bits of card/old newspapers, but then I worry about the safety of it.

It needs to be sorted - if my old trips and falls (had their first this week) and ends up on the floor for hours that draught is so bitterly, icy, cold (even now) it'd finish them off.

This is the first house the olds ever had with central heating; each radiator's independent - and they never had them all on, they just turned on the radiator for the room they were in (never doing the kitchen/hall/bathroom as you are only in those briefly). My remaining old is now in a house that can't be heated properly and is draughty as f00k.

The obvious solution to the living room draught is to remove or cap off the gas fire in the living room, close up the massive air vent that is required, and turn on the central heating properly. One or two electric fires to top up, as necessary. And yes a handyman to do away with the kitchen draught will probably pay for itself in saved heat in a couple of months. Then get a wide roll of sellotape and seal up all the gaps in the windows for the winter.

Then come back tomorrow to find that mum has removed all that.

Mother in law is staying with us, as she had a big shoulder operation, and I had to remove myself from the room this morning to avoid "having words". She treats her dog like a baby, which sickens me, but at least she's stopped saying "Mummy's best girl" to the dog in front of her real daughter who is running in circles for her.

Davesnave

GDB2222 wrote: »

The obvious solution to the living room draught is to remove or cap off the gas fire in the living room, close up the massive air vent that is required, and turn on the central heating properly. .

I bet it's a Baxi with a back boiler. If it is, that's a no-can-do.

PasturesNew

michaels wrote: »

That's a nice catch 22 there. Only one place available that is far away and those living closer get priority - I wonder how much the bureaucrat who invented such a silly rule gets paid?!

Well, the place is "new", so 2 years ago it didn't even exist, so even those "near" to it didn't have it available.

PasturesNew

GDB2222 wrote: »

The obvious solution to the living room draught is to remove or cap off the gas fire in the living room, close up the massive air vent that is required, and turn on the central heating properly. One or two electric fires to top up, as necessary. And yes a handyman to do away with the kitchen draught will probably pay for itself in saved heat in a couple of months. Then get a wide roll of sellotape and seal up all the gaps in the windows for the winter.

Then come back tomorrow to find that mum has removed all that.

Mother in law is staying with us, as she had a big shoulder operation, and I had to remove myself from the room this morning to avoid "having words". She treats her dog like a baby, which sickens me, but at least she's stopped saying "Mummy's best girl" to the dog in front of her real daughter who is running in circles for her.

I don't think capping's possible as it's the back boiler that runs the heating/water.

Electric heaters are problematical for several reasons: [1] where'd they go [2] danger to old falling onto them (not stable on feet) [3] old is not capable of understanding/controlling them.

No gaps in the windows, they're airtight.

PasturesNew

Davesnave wrote: »

I bet it's a Baxi with a back boiler. If it is, that's a no-can-do.

Winner
Yep it is.

GDB2222

Davesnave wrote: »

I bet it's a Baxi with a back boiler. If it is, that's a no-can-do.

Right on both scores.

GDB2222

PasturesNew wrote: »

I don't think capping's possible as it's the back boiler that runs the heating/water.

Electric heaters are problematical for several reasons: [1] where'd they go [2] danger to old falling onto them (not stable on feet) [3] old is not capable of understanding/controlling them.

No gaps in the windows, they're airtight.

You can get the handyman to wall mount them for you - you obviously need to get suitable ones. With a thermostat, there's no need to control them - indeed you could usefully remove the control knob. Obviously electricity costs will increase, but it'll be a heck of a lot less than a home.

PasturesNew

The trouble is that the best/warmest room, with the garden view etc etc is the one with the boiler in it - if it were in the cold, north-facing room it wouldn't matter if there were a vent in there as that room's never used

The vent only "appeared" in the past 4-5 years. Some gas engineer said it was compulsory and did the work ... and the next year the previous year's compulsory wasn't good enough and a bigger one had to be fitted.... instantly rendering the room f00kin' freezing with an icy draught.