Cheery's country living adventure

Cheery_Daff

EssexHebridean said:

I have to say that quite honestly there are no amount of torches or candles that could EVER make 3°C inside a house feel anything other than completely grim to me! 😂

Yep 🙄😂 We had plenty of torches and candles! And batteries, so at least we had a radio, and some food, albeit mostly unappetising 😂 and a fire, and wood, and coal, and matches, so we weren't completely unprepared (especially not once we remembered the storm kettle) but it was still freezing and rubbish 😂

Will definitely be investigating a generator - we've never had a power cut for longer than an hour since moving here four years ago, not even in the beast from the east, so it didn't seem worth the bother of a speculative purchase. And it was impossible to buy one quickly this week when we knew literally nothing about them, had no Internet to investigate, and many of the roads were closed! 

Anyway, the fiasco isn't over yet - we've refilled the central heating system but the boiler is now showing an error code which apparently needs a gas safe person to fix 🙄 One cause MAY just be moisture in the electrical components so we've shoved the dehumidifier in there in case that miraculously sorts it out before I ring someone in the morning.

YAWN. 

Karmacat

Sorry to hear the gremlins have been looking over the wall again and hope you're going to bed early while it's still warm.  Astonishing to think this kind of thing can really happen, in the present day.  In your shoes, yes, I'd definitely be investigating a generator, and the right fuel - solar generators always *sound* lovely, but they wouldn't be a lot of help right now 

Baileys_Babe

Glad you are both safe and well. Your ordeal puts my adventures yesterday into perspective.

We have torches, candles, wind up radio, storm kettle, camping stoves, matches etc, but they are kept all over the place, I need to plan and make them more accessible.

greenbee

Well you did put ‘adventure’ in the title of your diary 😂

My mum has a generator, which she can run for short periods (usually in the evening) to fire up the boiler/aga/hot water and freezers. It maintains the temperature in the house (along with the log burner). She has a 2-burner gas job that can be lit without electricity so can always manage some kind of cooking. As I have no gas I have a camping stove to go with the log burner. If I can make hot water bottles life is always a bit more pleasant. 

edwink

Aww, bless you cheery.  I'm so glad you are both ok, what an ordeal you've been through. Sending big hugs!

Edwink x

 

Chiglepig

I have never been so glad that our countryside is of the soft, southern, edge of suburbia kind!

Chiglepig

Glad you mostly safely on the other side of the weather

Cheery_Daff

Thank you all for your kind and helpful and warm thoughts 😊

Boiler hasn't fixed itself overnight sadly 🙄 Kitchen fitter is due in half an hour though and is pretty local so going to ask him for a recommendation before I start ringing round. 

We're meeting some friends for lunch today so at least that will be nice and cheerful (I hope!) 

What else needs doing today?

* paint second coat on kitchen (not the whole kitchen, just the bit that's going behind the granite)
* ring garage - we've cracked a bit of plastic under the car going over the snow 🙄
* paint as much of upstairs as I can before carpet fitters come tomorrow morning - definitely the ceiling even if nothing else
* banks/YNAB - we've been throwing money at things all over the place this weekend so need to assess the damage (not too much, we've not bought anything substantial or even been out for tea, but just stuff like hose pipe, landline phone etc adds up)

Also need to ring the dentist, but that'll be an on the day appointment (or within a couple of days) so no point ringing til I can actually go 🙄

Hoping kitchen fitter will give us a day for granite etc - and I hope it's before the snow kicks in again next Tuesday... 🙄

EssexHebridean

Baileys_Babe said:

Glad you are both safe and well. Your ordeal puts my adventures yesterday into perspective.

We have torches, candles, wind up radio, storm kettle, camping stoves, matches etc, but they are kept all over the place, I need to plan and make them more accessible.

The first thing we do when we arrive at accommodation in the Hebrides is check where the candles are, and agree where our own high powered torch is going to live while we're there. Some years ago we stayed at a place for the first time, and 15 minutes or so after we arrived, the owners walked across from their house to make sure we were OK. I asked where the candles were as I didn't seem to be able to find them, and we obviously wanted to know in case of power cuts, and was blithely told that there "wouldn't be a power cut" which gained them a raised eyebrow and a sceptical expression. Clearly realising that we knew the area a little better than they thought, but unwilling to back down, we were patronisingly assured that "if it happened then they would of course bring us candles right across" to which our response was that yes, we hoped they absolutely would! A couple of days later, when the power went out, we timed it at precisely a minute and a half before the knock on the door occurred...! Very entertaining, although less so for them, I suspect! 

As well as the storm kettle, could I suggest the purchase of a small camping stove and pack of butane cylinders might be a plan as part of your "just in case" kit too - again, theoretically it'd have to be used outside, but could be done in a room with an opened door to the outside or even next to a cracked open window, I'd suggest - you'd need to do your own risk assessment on that bit, and would at least mean you could heat tinned food. You can also get gizmo's that make toasting bread over a camping stove flame or an open fire that bit easier than a toasting fork too, and there's little that better helps with feeling warm and cosy than hot buttered toast IMO! 

Crossing fingers that you get a speedy date for the granite and that the kitchen fitter is able to suggest a gas safe person to sort the boiler. Thank goodness you have the electric heaters at least! 

Enjoy your lunch! 

Cheery_Daff

Ha, glad you did actually get your candles! 

We do have a camping stove somewhere but it's in the loft and hasn't been used for about 15 years. Definitely need to dig it out.

Funnily enough I was planning for next year to be a year of getting prepared for all eventualities- I'd already made lists of things like first aid stuff, medicine supplies for chickens, and lists of things to sort out like wills, financial instructions etc. Much of this is already in the house, but not particularly organised, so it was on my list to work through it. Adding a power cut contingency kit now too! 

One plumber doesn't do LPG, one hasn't answered phone/text, but we've come to the cafe and our pal there has recommended someone who can come tomorrow afternoon. Better than nowt, but it does mean we don't have to cancel lunch 😂

Still no word on granite - he MIGHT be coming this afternoon if he's finished another job, but might not. 

Still, getting there... very slowly! 😂