Norman’s Heating men installed our new oil tank today, left it half full with clean fuel, and attempted to fire up the boiler which they found needed a new fuel pump.
I left a message for Elaine at Tom Sutton Heating asking her to ask Stuart to bring a new pump when he comes to service our system in a week’s time.
In the dying light of a dull day I photographed clematis Cirrhosa, snowdrops, camellia buds, verbena, and Daphne Odorata.
We are somewhat confined to barracks at the moment because an unpleasant acrid smell has indicated that the Modus brakes are binding and can’t be fixed until 1st March.
In keeping with the nature of the rest of this post, I published https://derrickjknight.com/2023/02/20/droll-tales-8/
This evening we all dined on oven fish, chips, and onion rings; pickled onions and cornichons; and mushy peas, with which Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I drank more of the Cabernet Zinfandel.
Seems all your problems are pushed to March, eh?
Pretty much, GP. Thanks very much
Tonight’s dinner sounds so delicious! I am wondering why you must wait until March for repairs on the brakes and heating system. That’s a bummer but at least spring is right around the corner! 👍🏻🌞🇬🇧
Thanks a lot, John
At least your flowers are blooming nicely. I saw my first daffodil about to pop open. Good luck on getting things fixed.
Thank you very much, Pat
It’s like all your machines are grumbling to one another, “I’m going to quit now.” I’m sorry you have to wait for repairs, but it’s good you have warmer weather and your lovely garden.
Thank you so much, Merril
Nice shots of your flowers. Your garden is flourishing.
Thank you very much, Cindy
When it comes to home maintenance, it never ends, does it?
Definitely not, Liz. I am only thankful that, although I suffered a big loss on the French house, the little I did receive is helping us through this. Thank you very much
You’re welcome, Derrick.
Not quite the hoped for march of progress, more a March of sorrows.
Quite so, Tootlepedal. Thanks a lot
Spring will arrive before your heating is running again.
The garden is always a good place to use a camera and photos did not disappoint this reasder.
Thank you so much, Chrissy.
These things just keep on coming. When we got a replacement tank they had to move it because of regulations, as a result the wooden shed had to come down. Annoyingly a few weeks later the tank had to be moved again and the old shed could have stayed up in the end.
What a pain for you. We have had to have fire board fixed to a shed. Thanks very much, Gary.
It sounds like your heating system is getting repaired on section at a time. Your electric bill with those space heaters running must be rather high. I am sorry the brakes on your car have gone out too! At least March is not far off now. Best to you and Jackie.
Thank you so much from us both, Lavinia. The electricity bill for this month will be unsustainable, but at least we won’t be buying oil.
Your heater problems seem to be nearly over, maybe spring will bring betterer for you Derrick …
We hope – like you, Ivor. Thanks very much
Sigh, about at this point I would be losing any patience I had left. Do you harbour any suspicion that all along it was the fuel pump and the boiler never needed to be replaced?
I am assured that the problem was water in the tank. I have seen both that and what it put into the boiler. The tank was very old. The boiler just a bit less than five years. Thanks very much, Gwen. I do lose patience but recover and try again.
Oddly enough, your tank resembles our water tanks. Lots of properties have them for collecting rainwater. When I was growing up they were corrugated iron and the hole at the top could also collect little frogs and such-like. I much prefer the polycarbonate or whatever it is of modern tanks. Anyway, if you find yourself bathing with tadpoles, please do think of me 🙂
Oh, I will, Gwen, I will. 🙂
Co-incidentally, I just read your squirrel in the shower story, 🙂
🙂
With all this practice in perseverance, you must be getting pretty good at it. I’m sure you’ve had moments of frustration and hope your sense of humor at the absurdity has helped. Surely things will get back to “normal” soon. It was nice to see the dragon.
Thank you so much, JoAnna
Problems seem to clone themselves sometimes. Sorry, Derrick.
Thank you very much, Jill. They must be queuing at the door
You demonstrate great fortitude, Derrick.
Much appreciated, Anne. Thank you
As we would say in Maine, if it’s not one thing, it’s another. You must be looking forward to March.
Maybe all will settle down then, Laurie. Thanks very much
Your garden has a lot of surprises.
Thank you very much, Aletta
I hope the waiting is not too tough….
the flowers are nice and especially like the
“In the dying light of a dull day…”
tatsy words
Thanks very much, Yvette
🙂
Well, that seems a lot more optimisticc than many of your recent posts. You certainly have an end in sight to most problems!
Thanks very much, John. We will get there.
With houses, it seems like it always something. Ooh…same with cars at times, too!
Well, good that those things will be fixed in a known time…and not open-ended. Come on, month of March! 😉
YAY for some sweet and lovely buds and blooms to bring smiles and joy! 🙂
(((HUGS))) 🙂
Thank you so much, Carolyn X
When our boiler broke down at the end of October, the water-damaged pump was discovered, this led to the realisation that water was getting into the oil tank.
Fortunately, our heating engineer pre-arranged a pump fitting date for the day after the tank replacement. It was such a relief when the whole episode was over.
We’re also due a boiler service in a couple of weeks.
I do wish your engineer could find a free hour to fit the new pump before the boiler service.
I’m so sorry about the brakes on the car; what a nuisance. You must all be sick to the back teeth of these wretched problems.
I hope this is finally an end to it all and that the remainder of the year is a good one.
Thank you so much, Sue. Your comments come with fellow feeling
Surely not more broken things and delays, Derrick! Your own and Jackie’s joie de vivre is getting a severe workout at the moment. You seem to be living through your own version of Droll Tales – with a twist!
Exactly, Sandra. Thank you very much
It seems strange to me that you’d have to wait so long to have the brakes looked at. Waits for service are common here, of course; you can’t just call up and demand an immediate slot. Still, a day or two is common; over a week seems odd. Of course, I don’t have a clue how things are done there. What I do know is that my patience would be tested, as yours surely is.
They are a very reliable garage who always go the extra mile and attend to emergencies. They looked at the car the same day, but, with several people away, could not book it in for the work until then. In the meantime we can use it for short distances. Thanks very much, Linda
Oh, that’s good — that if an emergency need arises, you can use it. The lack of staff has been quite a problem here, especially in retail stores and restaurants. When it comes to garages and such, the shortages can be a real problem.
Boiler pump? Hmmm. No hot showers then? 😳
That is a long time to be stuck.
It seems that your machinery has ganged up on you, Derrick. I am so sorry to hear that!
Thank you very much, Dolly
You are very welcome, Derrick.
This year can surely only improve. Thinking positively get all the problems out earliest!
Chin up. Derrick. Gosh – I sound like my Morher! The garden looks good 💐
Sorry to hear about all your troubles. I booked my car in for tomorrow – new tyres and a couple of minor faults. The day after I did that I found we needed a new drain cover in the driveway . . .
Always something to fix, isn’t there?
Absolutely, Quercus. Thank you very much
The good news is that I only needed one new tyre. 🙂
Let’s hope that’s the last of your “break-downs.”
Yes, let’s, Sheree. Thanks a lot
Never a dull moment there, eh? I hope the brakes, the heat pump, and all the other challenges will come to a quick resolution. Meanwhile, SPRING is on the way.
Thank you very much, Alys
Hi Derrick, how typical of life that you get one thing sorted and something else goes wrong. It’s a neverending story.
Thank you so much, Robbie
New fuel pump, Modus brakes….ah, everyday there’s something interesting, right? 😊
Thank you very much, Ribana