Take a Leak...

My blissful existence, which consists of staring out the window, reading things and stuffing bad food down my throat, was hindered this morning by the approach of the workmen.  The small leak under the sink required fixing, the plumber stated the sink required replacing, this requires renovating the entire kitchenette.  
I awaited their arrival with baited breath.
They came, they saw, they debated, they pointed, they measured, they cogitated, they refused, they changed their minds, they pointed once again, they remeasured, they cogitated but mostly stood staring blankly muttering "Well...maybe" and "Hmmm..."  "We could ..."  and "But what about that..." and so on.  
Eventually they decided, it all had to come out.  All required renovation.  
They stared at me.
"Everything has to be moved," they stated happily, grinning too cheerfully for my liking.  
"Where to?" enquired I.
Giggles all round from them.
"There may be dust," said one.
"With you there is always dust said I," bringing nods and agreement from both.  
Quite how the hoover has lasted so long no-one knows.    
Eventually we agreed.  Next Tuesday they will arrive, remove the entire kitchenette and replace it.  There is no other option.  The leak is one thing but underneath all is becoming rotten and requires work either now or later.  I suppose this was built in the 1970's, possibly 45 - 50 years ago so it will be getting old and as bits underneath were breaking off as they fiddled about it is probably the time for action.
The actual leak has been temporarily sealed, downstairs need worry no more, bar the noise and dust of course, but now I have to move everything into space that does not exist and continue to live.  Next week I will need to live in a workshop!
I look forward to this...!

   
During the discussion we discussed St Stephens in London where the Landlord found me all those years ago.  There I was, up there at the top, the window open as it is easier to open it than clean it, and quite happy bar the number of disturbed and disturbing tenants that were beginning to arrive.  So I moved to this wee market town full of boredom where I fitted in perfectly.  
However I did learn something I had not known before.  I was under the impression the first landlord in London had bought the house, indeed all his houses, during the war.  It appears this was wrong, he obtained these run down premises, and continued to let them be run down as much as possible,  until the council made him do them up.  He sold them!  
In fact he had obtained the building in the early 60s when Peter Rachman, a notorious landlord, had died and the buildings sold on.  Rachman had specialised in bedsit tenancies.  Usually the West Indians that came in during the 50s were his clients as he knew there were less protections for them.  He, or at least those who collected the high rents, were known to use despicable tactics on the clients.  Setting dogs on those who could not pay, acid thrown, or removing the staircase so they could not get it, or out!  In the end this led to many changes in law, though it did not help that race riots in that part of London were common at the time.  He moved himself into Winnington Road, Hampstead, and moved around in a chauffeur driven Rolls-Royce.  He was done on occasions by the police, who were desperately seeking to catch him and his men, for prostitution that was taking place in his flats.  I sometimes wonder who has been sleeping in my bed there in times past!  
I had been told he was a Jew who ended up in Auschwitz but in fact he was a Polish Jew caught by the Germans who escaped in Soviet held territory.  This did him no good as he was sent to Siberia with 3 million other Polish men, women and children, and eventually they escaped when Hitler invaded Russia and these men formed the 2nd Polish Corps.  He served in the Middle East and ended his war in Italy.  From there they were moved to the UK where Rachman like so many others remained.    
Rachman died after marrying his long time girlfriend but he had many other woman at the time including Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davis, famous for other famous people they knew.  He kept them in local flats, for the use off, and his money was a major attraction for them.  However his style of record keeping, not letting the left hand know what the right hand is doing, meant that at his sudden death, he took a heart attack while driving, there was insufficient paperwork to prove ownership of properties.  His friends grabbed what they could.
I need to state at this point my landlord is not like this man.  This landlord does not offer a small payment to move, insert loud, all day and night party loving types all around, or indeed do deals with the Kray twins to keep them out of his hair.  
Dealing with plumbers can of course be worse than this...

Worn Out Today

Rising late I expected a decent quiet day.  This was ruined by the banging of the plumber and his mate downstairs and the information that I was leaking!  It was flat Number two that reported a leak a week or two ago.  John and his mate came round attempting to locate leak.  We looked under sink, saw nothing, behind washing machine and saw nothing, concluded it was Number 5 at fault and they were out.  I heard no more until the banging today.  
In fact the plumber was at Number 1.  they had a leak also, they thought it the boiler, the plumber thought the boiler was off anyway and replaced it.  In doing so he realised I was leaking.  On inspection, much better than before, a small but persistent leak was coming from around the U-bend bits.  
Having banged and thumped at Number 1 satisfactorily he wished to check mine, then look into Number 5's bathroom.  He looked at mine, decided a refit was required, John will say rude words, I canny imagine what the landlord will say, and that is now in the process.  More next Tuesday.
Plumber goes to Number 5 who has gone out so he will be back next week also.  More banging expected.

In the midst of all this I received a new scanner.  A small device to transfer slides onto digital.  A very good idea and something I have been wanting for a long time.  The problem was they ranged between £50 to 80 and that was beyond me.  The other day however, while scanning the Online Oxfam Shop I found one for £29.  It arrived during the banging time and gave me something to annoy me all day.  
Once I had worked out how to make it work, once I discovered the lead from the plug is two feet too short, and once I had dusted down the old box of slides I discovered the colours have faded.  Whether this was because of where they have been kept or simply age, it is 30 years since I went to Jerusalem, I know not but it was time consuming beginning to put them through the scanner.  Some have been done, some are not very good, and yet I may get a couple of decent hots if I turn them into B&W when the colours do not succeed.
Interestingly, among the debris in the box was an SD card. This contained photos from years ago which a previous owner had attempted to digitalise.  Most of them are not very good, almost all upside down, reversed, but some are very good indeed and may be made use off.   
No siesta today, no decent food either, hopefully I will get a decent sleep now...

Trapped!

It is almost ten this morning and I sit here trapped!  Trapped while I await a man to fix the boiler that worked OK this morning but that he claims requires a new part.  This he decided after a brief view the other day.  Hmmm, good job the landlord is paying.  On the other hand he might be right, the water does not heat as it ought so maybe he has found something by his cursory glance.  We shall see if he is right.
However as he comes from the far distant coast of this county (clearly cheaper than the local guys) and I suspect he has also 'found fault' with one or two others in the building I am now sitting here in an almost clean but not quite slum while I await his presence.  This means I canny go out, I canny begin those jobs that require doing until he has been, and worse still I cannot dare to fall asleep again as I so wish to do.  I wait, and wait and wait...

Eventually he arrived!
Triumphant was I as he and his mate unpacked their heavy bags and began work.
Then we ran into trouble.  He produced a large round, red item which he claimed was to be inserted into the boiler, replacing the burst one.
"Did you not fix that two or three years ago?" Asked I.
"Yes I did," he said memory slowly coming to him.
Out came the phone as he called his brother (the one who came last week to check the boilers).
Several calls and many minutes later we reach the conclusion - he ought to be next door!
So the goods were picked up again, the left for next door and I reset the residence back to the normal mess in which it resides.
All morning I waited in for nothing!  The only good thing was the postman bringing Amazon's latest offering, that is Amazon the book folks not Amazon the woman down the road we all avoid bumping into!  
If the boiler goes off tomorrow there will be trouble...

    
While waiting the TV offered the usual non stop repeat of all the information from yesterday plus the debate in the House of Commons.  Once again we hear from people who were not actually eye witnesses but 'heard something' often from a distance away.  Quite what the purpose of these non witnesses can be I fail to understand.  
The story becomes clearer, the usual 'loner' with a family and surely someone who aided him as yet unknown to us.  The swift police operation raiding premises in Birmingham and elsewhere as the net widens and energetic police take action.  All this is good and acceptable.
What is less acceptable is the people offering their half baked opinions, TV celebs telling us of their 'Terror' or 'Horror' or anything else to get their name involved.  It certainly appears to me that we did not respond like this to IRA outrages, and there were many of those, the population today is steeped in emoting as opposed to reacting.  Let us know your feelings rather than an objective thought.  
Maybe it's just me.   
Anyway while the social media is full of praise for the police and their wok we all know that in a few days they will return to being "Pigs!" and "Have you not got a Muslim to find?" When they stop a dangerous driver using his mobile phone while driving.  Once again our 'Brave Boys' will become the ones who 'stop our fun' or 'do not appear when we need them.'
See my cynicism is out again.

Another debacle ends

Another debacle in my life finishes.

Leaking cistern (the brethren were OK) impossible to get handyman to fix Friday, planned for Tuesday.  Leaks held until then by tubs underneath, emptied every two hours or so.

Turn water off?

If we touch that tap it leaks or possibly explodes flooding house, it has not been used for 25 years

and they tend to do that.

Turn main one off, where?  Will not turn, even plumber struggled.

10’ o’clock Tuesday I should be in museum, no handyman.  He has gone to fix door that fell off.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!   

He is promised for afternoon.

Late afternoon much prayer was answered when real plumber Darren arrived at the  door.

I hugged him!

He was surprised somewhat.

Now all is working, although the sodden carpet has been dumped and the bare floorboards in the loo are not pretty.  I missed the museum as I was trapped indoors, they did not miss me however.  An email arrived ordering me to research WW2!  I still haven't finished WW1 yet!

This was a small thing really but took days and aggravated greatly, especially when the handyman does not arrive and nothing was said!!!  Only after ten when I called the office did I find out that she knew nothing either! 

However all bar the damp floor fixed and that can wait.

Such things cause much aggro, more than war and disease, unless you suffer war and disease of course.

Today I did nothing, and done it very badly.....

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A Day in Wet Loo

I thought the loo floor was damp last night.  I worried a pipe had burst and the central heating was pumping water everywhere.  A closer inspection revealed the cistern was to blame!  I contacted the lovely girls at the landlord's office and mentioned the problem.  An hour or so later John arrived to inspect, mutter "I must get some material," and go.  He was right of course, the whole thing must come out and be replaced.  This will take all day and the next opportunity for that is Tuesday,  I am glad as I will be out!  At the moment the floor is saved by the ex-ice cream tubs catching the drips and this will suffice until repair.  I offered to do it myself and got one of those looks Margaret Thatcher used on her cabinet when they spoke.  My DIY skills are not renown....  

That took up much of my day, that and hobbling down to the sorting office fifteen minutes walk away, well twenty minutes at the moment, collecting a package they tried to deliver yesterday.  The bell is broken also!  On top of this a lamp bulb went click and offered up a lovely blue flash as I switched it on, the new bulb has not taken so either it is bust also or the lamp has gone!  I add this to the list of other things that need repair, do not work right or are dead.  I've just noticed the cupboard door I fixed the other day has once more fallen apart.

Sometimes I am glad I left the health service all those years ago.....


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