"Let there be warmth, and there was warmth"!!!!!

Dear Pheonix and other cat lovers, I always hang paper and paper-maiche decorations on the lower branches of the Christmas tree for the cats to play with, leaving the glass baubles for the higher branches, which no cat has clambered up to, since my mother's first kitten did.

She found him just underneath the star on a Christmas tree that was fully nine feet tall!

Glad to hear you will all be warm for Christmas.

Great update phoenix , thanks.

Glad you are warm again.Twice since my central heating was serviced this year it had a blip,the first one was the radiators switched off but there was hot water,so i phoned my landlord,he told me to switch everything off for 30 minutes,after 30 minutes i switched everything back on leaving the thermostat till last,it worked! then 2 weeks ago (i was trying to complete a digital box set up,talk about multitasking,and shortly due in work) radiators were working but no hot water,so i switched everything off for 30 minutes as before and the hot water came back on! i mentioned it to the landlord and he said the valve must of stuck

Maggiemaybe glad all is sorted, I could have sent Mr P round, he keeps his rods handy at all times!

Charleygirl love your comment about " your sort of normal" you definitely have a handle on life here!

"Centenary carrots"????

Charleygirl Oliver Sprout has stretched his considerable length along the sitting room windowsill, just above the radiator.

I would like to think that he had chosen that spot as a good vantage point to keep an eye out in case Minnie starts bauble batting again, but somehow I think not!

That little madam seems to have been rather over excited today, but Mr P is now home, so she will no doubt revert to get "butter wouldnt melt, never put a paw wrong" demeanour!

She is such a baggage!

We're fixed too! Woke up to water puddling on our cellar steps and called out our British Gas Homecare people, after DH's universal panacea of hitting something with a hammer had failed miserably, as ever. The first plumber arrived at 11, the second, complete with rods (as it turned out a blockage of leaves was to blame) was here by 2 and done by 2.30. While all this was going on I was traipsing over to DS's house to see if the cat that absconded after I fed it yesterday had returned. He was sitting on the step waiting for me. All's well again!

All's Well That Ends Well as William S. used to say .

We had a three way pump which must have had a 'sticky solenoid' as it would get up to those same tricks. Usually a well-aimed kick would get it going again.

We've had a another pump fitted now so I hope the new one isn't sticky

Thank goodness OS and Minnie will be warm again. They would not like being cold. Pleased everything is back to your sort of normal!

mcem I have tried the purple ones, and wasn't impressed.

The "ordinary" centenary carrots will do fine for me, they are lovely!

Don't know what happened there. My tablet is jumping!
To continue. I attempted to buy his highly desirable, multi-coloured chantenay carrots. On Friday the greengrocer was hoping to get a small delivery today. They didn't!
I believe we'll cope!!!

Can't compare with all these serious issues but my son, who is cooking tomorrow, is disappointed in me!

we have just had our boiler mended about an hour ago thank goodness, was not looking forward to a Christmas wrapped in thick jumpers and blankets.We are so lucky when you think at the flick of a switch we can be warm.How ever did folk cope in years gone by and i always think of those sleeping rough at this time of year.

Pleased all is well in the Phoenix household.

Mr GG13 has just asked when I am going to relax a day sit down, I proceeded to list the jobs that I have to do /in the midst of doing and he has retreated to his seat with GC and is now watching the grinch.

Glad it wasn't more serious, Day6 some of these things are too complicated!

Oh so pleased you are warm again Phoenix What a star your plumber is - and I am sure he saw the vision of you in your bathrobe as his Christmas bonus!

Glad everything has come together.

Thought of you this morning when OH said the remote thermostat for the boiler wasn't responding. "Oh no - a faulty boiler!" I thought! However, it merely needed batteries - the last four AA ones we had. There is bound to be a toy or gizmo we wrap today that requires AA batteries.

Oh, and almost as if if reading of domestic disasters had cursed me, last night when I as baking the ham the electric fan oven packed up after I took it out to remove the foil. Son is bringing several batches of pastry goodies over bright and early tomorrow morning to cook!! We have another oven on the range cooker but it's much slower and less reliable.

However, it turned out OH had been fiddling with the knob and had pressed buttons which hadn't stopped the beeping timer, but had set a timed programme instead. Doh! The oven refused to recognise me turning up the heat a bit -the fan stopped, the light went out! OH checked all the fuse boxes, then it dawned on me!

Phew! I managed to reset it eventually - although now I probably ought to study for a PhD in String Theory/Theoretical Particle Physics. After that I am sure I am capable!

Nice one, phoenix. A sticky solenoid as a welcome Christmas present.

Brilliant!

Hooray for warmth - and stuffing. Pleased all is as well as the season will allow. .

Oh! So pleased that you have heat!
Mine went "on the blink" about a week ago and the house soon becomes very cold, even with gas fire in living room and various heaters.
I was so happy to see the Central Heating Engineer, I could have hugged him. I didn't btw